She elbows him. “You need me out of the way.”

He nuzzles her neck. “You’re never in my way.”

Galen and Grom exchange an amused look, and I can’t help but think they’re hypocrites. At any given moment, I could reduce Galen to a cooing mess, and I’m certain my mom would have the same effect on Grom. Galen doesn’t miss the reproving look I give him. Before he can explain himself, Toraf cuts him off.

“I sense a party,” Toraf says, staring toward the deep. He stiffens, going from Romeo mode to Tracker mode in fast-point-two seconds. “Trackers from both houses. Archives from both houses. All grouped together, moving this way.” He looks at Galen and Grom, his eyes full of meaning I don’t understand. “I guess they’ve waited long enough for your return.”

Grom nods. “We need to hurry now,” he says to Mom.

Mom squeezes me again, eyes full of urgency. Even so, it occurs to me that she is in her true element right now. In Syrena form. Next to the man she has always loved. She is comfortable here in the water. Beautiful. I wonder if the human way of life ever satisfied her. How could it, really? I can’t imagine how making coffee, working double shifts, and painting the living room could ever compare to this. To what she has in the water.

“I love you, sweetie,” she says. “I’ll be back soon.” I want to say “Famous last words,” but I don’t know anyone who’s famous, and I don’t actually know anyone who’s ever said that and not come back. It just seems like one of those classic movie moments where the audience can sense that something bad is about to happen.

And I’m totally picking up on that kind of vibe right now.

As soon as she releases me, Galen grabs my hand and I don’t even have time to gasp before he snatches me to the surface and pulls me toward shore, only pausing to dislodge his pair of swimming trunks from under his favorite rock, where he had just moments before taken the time to hide them.

I know the routine and turn away so he can change, but it seems like no time before he hauls me onto the beach and drags me to the sand dunes in front of my house. “What are we doing?” I ask. His legs are longer than mine so for every two of his strides I have to take three, which feels a lot like running.

He stops us in between the dunes. “I’m doing something that is none of anyone else’s business.” Then he jerks me up against him and crushes his mouth on mine. And I see why he didn’t want an audience for this kiss. I wouldn’t want an audience for this kiss, either, especially if the audience included my mother. This is our first kiss after he announced that he wanted me for his mate. This kiss holds promises of things to come.

When he pulls away I feel drunk and excited and nervous and filled with a craving that I’m not sure can ever be satisfied. And Galen looks startled. “Maybe I shouldn’t have done that,” he says. “That makes it about fifty times harder to leave, I think.”

He tucks my head under his chin and I wrap my arms around him until both our breathing returns to normal. I take the time to soak in his scent, his warmth, the hard contours of his—well, his everything. It’s really not fair that he has to leave when he’s only just gotten back. We didn’t have much time to talk on the way back home. We haven’t had much time for anything.

“Emma,” he murmurs. “The water isn’t safe for you right now. Please don’t get in it. Please.”

“I won’t.” I really won’t. He said please, after all.

He lifts my chin with the crook of his finger. His eyes hold all the gentleness and love in the world, with a pinch of mischief. “And take good notes in calculus, or I’ll be forced to cheat off you and for some weird reason that makes me feel guilty.”

I wonder what Grom the Triton king would think of that. That Galen basically just stated his intention to keep doing human things.

Galen pushes his lips against my forehead, then disentangles himself from me and leads me back toward the water. My body feels ten degrees cooler when his arms fall, and it’s got nothing to do with the temperature outside.

We reach the others just in time to see Rayna all but throw herself at Toraf. I can’t help but smile as they kiss. It’s like watching Beauty and the Beast. And Toraf’s not the Beast.

Then Rayna and I watch as the four fins—our entire world—swim away from us. When their silhouettes melt into the darker water, my nerves almost riot.

“Do you still sense them?” I ask Rayna. Being half human, my sensing abilities are only half as strong as a full-blooded Syrena.

She rolls her eyes at me.

I decide to do the right thing by not pinching the pure snot out of her. Rayna’s under a lot of pressure right now. My mom’s arrival to Triton territory will probably cause a frenzy in her kingdom—since Mom’s recently resurrected from the dead and all—and Toraf, her mate, will be in that frenzy when it happens. Not to mention she seems to be perpetually saddled with the title of Emma’s Babysitter. I know it’s killing her to stay behind.

“You think your crazy mother will have another go at it?” she says, turning to me. “Is that why you’re asking?” Ahh, so she’s still a bit peeved with Mom for all the trouble she’s caused. They really do not like each other. “Because fins don’t have pockets. It’s not like she has all these convenient places to hide another knife.”

“My mom wasn’t hiding a knife, Rayna. She was washing it. Galen took her off guard. He took us both off guard. It was reflex, that’s all.” I dare her with my eyes to say something else. Besides the withering look she gives me, she keeps her hypocrisy to herself. We both know it’s just the sort of crap excuse Toraf makes up for her on a daily basis.