Evergreen (Mer Tales, Book 2) Read Online Free PDF Page B

they know I was promised to Fin? If they caught me eavesdropping, what would they do? Turn me over to Azor?
    “In time, it’ll all work in our favor and we’ll see who’s barking orders at whom,” the man said within practical touching distance. “Why is this door open?”
    A white haired bearded man peered outside. I held my breath and pinched my eyes shut. I was caught.
    “Remember, it’ll be me on the court and not you,” Colin said from inside.
    “Hmmm,” the man mumbled.
    I kept my eyes shut, praying he didn’t see me.
    “Well not now!” he yelled and the door slammed shut.
    Something inaudible boomed from inside. Amazed I’d adverted capture, I let loose of my breath and snuck down the porch to the driveway. Once my feet hit the gravel, I ran the rest of the way home.
    “What’s wrong, Ash?” Dad asked as I darted inside and slammed the door.
    I turned in a panic. “Nothing.”
    “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
    “It’s… nerves for Saturday.” I managed a smile.
    “That’s this weekend.” He nodded his head in sudden understanding. “Well, your mom is on her way home and dinner will be ready soon. I hope you’re hungry for tacos.”
    “Yeah.” I took the stairs two at a time.
    “Wait!” Dad said from somewhere on the bottom floor. “What am I, chopped liver? Where’s my hug?”
    “Sorry, Dad. Gotta pee.” I disappeared around the corner.
    I flung my gym bag on the floor and took off my wet sweatshirt. The scent of chlorine infused the room—a scent normally comforting to me, but I couldn’t stop my heart from racing. They knew. Should I tell Fin? Or maybe a better question was could I tell him? Either way, I needed to get to Florida as soon as possible before Colin and Mr. White Beard cornered me and verified my promising mark.
    I reached into my pocket for the note. It was gone.
    Crap.
    Sweat dripped down my cheek as I pawed through my bag. Did the man find the note? Did he guess I was there the entire time listening in? Maybe in the scuffle, the note blew away.
    I looked out the window at Fin’s house filled with dread. I couldn’t be alone with Colin, not after he’d been charged to confirm the truth. Not now. Not ever. Especially with Azor coming to the house. The thought of meeting him face-to-face, the merman who stole my best friend’s promise, terrified me. He was coming here this week, looking for clues to find Fin and his parents, and maybe me.
    Fear for Fin and Tatchi twisted in my stomach. What if there was an accident? What if Azor never returned home? Fin had said that only through death or mer-to-human conversion would the promise break. What if I made one of the two happen somehow? Then Tatchi would be freed and Fin wouldn’t have to risk his life to try to force her home. She’d be able to leave.
    But how? Could I even get close to him? The fact he’d stolen Tatchi from me made me hate him more than anyone in the world. But I could never hurt anyone.
    The ringer on my phone filled the silence of my plotting, and I shook my head at my insanity. I’d overheard Colin’s conversation for a reason, and I couldn’t let the opportunity pass me by. I took a deep breath and answered the phone on the last ring.
    Whatever I decided, I couldn’t tell Fin.

7
    :::
    FIN
    Wednesday evening, April 13 th
    Discouraged, I hung up and headed for the lake with a few minutes to spare. Ash’s persistent questions about the conversion from mer to human didn’t sit right with me. I’d told her what I knew, that they drained the mer of their blood, typically in a bathtub. Then the magical properties healed and brought the body back to life, regenerating new blood void of mer essence. Once complete, the supervising merman was to erase the mer memories and fill in a back-story.
    But she’d continued on, asking if it hurt, if the person had to have their mind erased totally, or only certain events. But most important, she asked if I knew anyone who’d successfully