Katlyn Duncan - The Sisters’ Secrets - Pearl

Coming from a small town in Western Mass, KATLYN DUNCANalways had her head in the clouds. Working as a scientist for most of her adult life, she enjoyed breaking down the hows and whys of life.

As a full-time author and freelance writer, she’s published ten novels in five years. If she’s not writing, she’s obsessing over many (many) television series’.

She currently resides in Southern New England with her family. Check out more about her writing and current TV addiction in her newsletter, on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

‘Perfect read … I couldn’t put it down’

‘I will definitely be reading more from this author again’

‘Engaging and thought provoking’

‘I was completely glued from page one and didn’t want to put it down’

‘Gripping. Thrilling. On the edge of your seat exciting. I absolutely loved it’

‘This story kept me guessing’

‘Perfect for someone who wants a quick read that’s also gripping’

‘A thoroughly heart-warming and enjoyable read’

‘Gripping, funny and emotional’

‘A delightful read’

The Life After Trilogy: Soul Taken

The Life After Trilogy: Soul Possessed

The Life After Trilogy: Soul Betrayed

This Summer

This Christmas

Darkest Dawn

As You Lay Sleeping

Six Little Secrets

The Sisters’ Secrets: Rose

The Sisters’ Secrets: Reen

HQ

An imprint of HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.

1 London Bridge Street

London SE1 9GF

First published in Great Britain by HQ in 2019

Copyright © Katlyn Duncan 2019

Katlyn Duncan asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins.

E-book Edition © April 2019 ISBN: 9780008314927

Version: 2019-03-26

Table of Contents

Cover

About the Author

Readers love Katlyn Duncan

Also by Katlyn Duncan

Title page

Copyright

Dedication

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Epilogue

Acknowledgements

Extract

Dear Reader

Keep Reading …

About the Publisher

For those who have ever dreamed of something more.

The lapping waves flowed over Pearlina as she peered into the distance. The sliver of land stretched across the horizon as she waited. It was all she did lately. The last three sky light rises of the Drywalking ceremony both tortured and exhilarated her. In her short life, she had only seen one ceremony so far. At that time, coming to the surface had been a scary moment, and she had clung to her mother’s tail. All she knew was the ceremony gave one of the female members of the troop the opportunity to walk on the dry land and live among the humans to complete the most important task.

The light from the sky glittered across the surface, resembling the bioluminescence of the scales cascading down her fin. Cool air clung to the droplets of water on her skin, forming tiny bumps across her flesh. It was an uncomfortable feeling she associated with the surface.

Movement from below her signaled her sister, Syrene.

Syrene’s hand touched Pearlina’s. Like most of her kind, Syrene preferred to stay under the water and hidden from the surface. The Drywalking ceremony was to test the boundaries of the females and show their commitment to the troop, in addition to getting the sacrifice needed for the bonding ceremony.

Retrieving a human from land was the primary purpose, and Pearlina wanted to see a human up close. The only way she could do that was to catch a glimpse as a member of the troop brought one back from land. Tales of living outside of the water fascinated her. Frequently, the older generations of her troop had scolded her for thinking of humans as equals. Stories of how humans had decimated their numbers years ago during hunting trips floated through her mind. The top half of her body looked like them, but she wasn’t to trust them. Humans were bloodthirsty creatures who would kill one of her troop on sight. At least that was what her mother told her.

The stories of their long-ago past were enough to keep her troop far from the surface and safe in their cove, deep under the water. Pearlina couldn’t resist the pull of the air, and the warmth of the sky light on her face. As far as she could remember, she had always wanted to know more about the forbidden place where humans ruled. She never dared to swim past the rock wall and go toward the land, but she imagined what it would be like to see one of them up close. Her Drywalking ceremony wouldn’t take place for a long time, but she wanted to prepare herself for it.

Syrene’s voice entered Pearlina’s mind. What are you doing up here?

It’s the third day. The chosen female from the troop had five sky light rises to complete the ceremony. Pearlina had visited the surface each day since the start.

How do you know Daryah will come back now?

I don’t.

This is foolish . Syrene’s tone was tired, almost as weary as the tone the others used each time Pearlina had a question about humans.

Syrene was the only one who knew the depth of Pearlina’s interest in the surface and humans. While her sister didn’t understand it, Pearlina didn’t fear any repercussions from talking about it to Syrene.

A splash sounded in the distance and Pearlina flipped her hand over, digging her fingers into her sister’s palm.

She’s coming.

Syrene pushed through the surface, only revealing her nose and the top of her head. How do you know?

A racing movement coursed through Pearlina’s body. She flicked her fin and started forward. I feel her .

Syrene held tight and trailed behind her. Pearlina wished she didn’t have to drag her sister along. This moment was what she’d been waiting for. If only Syrene was as interested in sharing the experience with the one she loved most. Curiosity was enough to propel Pearlina closer to the rock wall.

The vibrations of the water intensified as more of the troop arrived. They had sensed Daryah’s arrival. The vibrations were different for their kind. The troop could detect if humans traveled out as far as their cove, which made them easy to avoid since their floating crafts were much louder than most underwater creatures.