A - Immortal Sea

“I rule!” piped Emily‟s excited treble from the open door of Nick‟s room.

“Shit. No way,” Nick said.

Regina winced.

“It‟s all right,” Liz said. “She has an older brother.”

“That explains why she‟s winning.” Regina refilled Liz‟s glass. “Anyway, the third kid, Lucy, Caleb and Dylan‟s sister,

was supposed to be human. Nice girl. Island school-teacher. Taught Nick. Anyway, turns out she‟s selkie, too, a big deal

magic worker. She ends up as consort to Conn ap Llyr, who‟s kind of like their king. Are you following this?”

“Caleb, Dylan, Lucy. One human, two . . .” Not. She gulped her wine. “Did you know your husband was . . .”

“Selkie,” Regina supplied.

“When you married him?”

“When I married him, sure. Not when I got pregnant.”

“You, too?” Liz blurted.

“Is that what happened with you and Morgan?”

Liz nodded.

“Must be something in the water,” Regina muttered.

“Excuse me?”

“Joke,” she explained. “So now he‟s found you again.”

Liz stared broodingly into her wineglass. She was very, very grateful to Regina for finding her and bringing her home. “He

said it was destiny. That fate brought us together twice.”

Regina snorted. “Whatever. I heard he was here to haul Conn‟s ass back to Sanctuary.”

Liz blinked. “Conn?”

“The sea lord.”

“Right.” A headache threatened behind her eyeballs, compounded by stress and Montepulciano. “Why are you telling me

all this?”

“Who else am I going to talk to? Who else would understand? We are a small and extremely exclusive club.”

Liz smiled wryly. The wine helped. Talking helped even more. “Women who have sex with merfolk.”

“Oh, there are lots of those around. No, we belong to the much more exclusive club of women who got knocked up by their

merfolk lovers.”

Her smile died. “But if they have sex with so many women . . .”

“Low birth rate,” Regina explained. “Sort of the downside of immortality. Their population is declining. That‟s why

children are so important to them.”

“ My son, ” Morgan had insisted. “ My seed. ”

Pain sliced her heart, pounded in her head. She willed her hands to steady on her wineglass. “How many are there?”

“A few thousand, maybe. But no kids. Not for years. And three of their youngest were lost less than a year ago.”

“I meant how many on the island.”

“Well, we get visitors. Not just summer people, you understand. We‟re right between the Arctic current and the Gulf

Stream, which is convenient for merfolk making the north crossing. But living here? Dylan. Lucy, until last fall. Oh, and

Margred.”

Liz thought of that awkward moment of recognition in her waiting room between Morgan and beautiful, exotic, pregnant

Margred Hunter, their two faces so different and yet somehow alike. “She‟s one of them.”

“Yes and no. Margred chose to live as a human with Caleb,” Regina continued. “She‟ll grow old and die just like the rest of

us. But she has her own magic. And I don‟t just mean the way every man on the island falls over himself when she walks into

a room either.”

“She chose to live as human.” Liz grabbed the phrase like a life raft.

“That‟s right.”

“What about your husband?”

“Well, sure.” Regina considered her a moment and then said, “Look, I don‟t know what Morgan told you about your son,

but he‟s a lot like Dylan. Which means he has a chance for a normal life. A human life. With you.”

Liz wanted to hug her in gratitude. But she couldn‟t afford to lose her head. “If that‟s what he wants.”

“What does he know what he wants? He‟s fifteen.”

Liz flushed. “You‟re talking about Zack.”

“Who else would I . . . Morgan?”

Liz dropped her gaze to her wineglass. “You said they were alike.”

“Dylan and Zack ,” Regina clarified. “They‟re both half-human. Morgan is a coldblooded son of a bitch.”

Liz shivered.

“ Because of you, ” Morgan had said, his eyes alight with intensity, his body throwing off heat. “ Because of my feelings

for you. As soon as I knew the boy was finfolk, I would have taken him and gone. For no other woman—for no other force on

earth—would I have stayed. ”

He hadn‟t seemed so cold then. Or last night on her porch.

But he wanted to take their son away.

Liz straightened her spine. All her life, she‟d had to fight for what she wanted. Med school. Her baby. Ben‟s life.

Sometimes she lost, but she didn‟t give up.

Just because her world had changed in the past few hours didn‟t mean that she should.

“I need to talk to him,” she said, not sure if she meant Morgan or Zack.

“You want to leave Emily here?” Regina offered.

Liz looked at her, surprised and grateful. She hadn‟t expected an ally. “I don‟t want to inconvenience you.”

“You won‟t. Let her stay for dinner. It‟s family movie night at the community center. Popcorn and a double feature. Dylan

can take the kids and bring Emily home afterwards.”

“That would be great. Thank you. What time?”

“Ten, ten-thirty?”

More than enough time to have things out with Zack. Her head pounded.

“I‟ll have to ask her,” Liz said. Her seven-year-old had spent all day at a new camp. She might object to spending all

evening away from her mother and a new kitten.

Which meant any serious discussions with Zack might have to wait, Liz thought, and tried to feel disappointed instead of

relieved.

Summoned from her video game, however, Emily showed no sign of separation anxiety.

“Cool. Thanks, Mom.” Her smile flashed. “Thanks, Mrs. Hunter.”

“Hurry up!” Nick shouted. “You‟re going down.”

“Bring it!” she yelled.

She turned back at the door to his room, her big dark eyes seeking reassurance. “You won‟t forget to feed Tigger.”

Liz‟s throat ached. They were growing up, growing away from her, both her children. “I promise.”

She watched her daughter bounce off before turning back to Regina. “You‟re sure this isn‟t a problem for you?”

“Not at all. Nick‟s thrilled. He needs more people his own age to play with.”

“Don‟t we all.” She walked with Regina to the landing outside the apartment. “I don‟t know how to thank you.”

“Then don‟t. You good to drive?”

Her obvious concern touched Liz. “I‟ll walk. It‟s not far.”

A walk would give her time to clear her head and plan her strategy. She thanked Regina again and went home, preparing to

fight for what she wanted.

A future where she wasn‟t alone.

Stephanie set her hands on her hips. “Zack, when I said the next move was up to you, I was expecting a little more than,

„Hey, can I come over tonight.‟ ”

Zack‟s face heated. “Okay. What do you want to do?”

She tilted her head, considering. “There‟s a movie at the community center tonight.”

No movie could be as interesting as her backyard swing, but he wanted to make her happy. “You want to go?”

“I am going. Seven o‟clock.” And then, apparently taking pity on him, she smiled and added, “Maybe I‟ll see you there.”

That smile—and the hope that she would sit with him, be with him, in the back, in the dark—was enough to lighten his