Tangled Tides (The Sea Monster Memoirs) Read Online Free PDF

Really? Yara glanced at me and I did an about-face while her knight in furry armor pretended to rescue her. After some splashing and gasping from Yara, I turned back around.
    "It was instant." She glanced from me to Rownan. "My legs, my arms. I feel normal again."
    Rownan hugged her, blocking her face from my view while he sneered at me. They looked completely wrong together. Yara cloaked in white next to Rownan's black pants and t-shirt. Yin and yang, dark and light, cold and warm. Mr. Full-of-Lies and Miss Empty-of-Memories.
    I cleared my throat loud enough to interrupt their phony sentimental moment and climbed out of the water.
    "What are you doing!" Yara shrieked, shielding her eyes.
    I brushed the water off my arms, torso and thighs. "You may be bashful and uptight, but that doesn't mean I have to be."
    "Rownan, make him cover up," she ordered, keeping her back to me.
    "Unfortunately," Rownan snarled, "I can't make him do anything."
    "I'm not talking to either one of you until he covers up. I don't need to see his—you know."
    "Have some manners, Treygan. Stand behind a tree or something."
    Yara dropped her hands from her face and stepped closer to him. "You know this guy?"
    Rownan didn't flinch. "Yes, babe, we know each other. I'm surprised he didn't tell you."
    To spare all of us from more of Yara's shrieking, I moved behind a waist-high sago palm.
    She cautiously peeked at me, then relaxed when she saw the lower half of my body hidden from view. "He said you two are brothers, but I thought he was lying."
    "We are
half
-brothers," Rownan said, "but obviously not by choice. What else has he told you?"
    Rownan appeared calm and collected, but I could imagine the panicked thoughts racing through his mind. How had I beaten him to the punch? How had I known today was Yara's real birthday? Had I exposed him? Had I told her his plan, his secrets?
    Don't answer him, Yara.
Unfortunately, we weren't in the water, so she couldn't hear my thoughts.
    "He's told me lots of stuff," she said. "Most of it I don't believe."
    Ooh, fantastic answer! I wanted to applaud, but instead I shrugged, letting Rownan imagine the worst.
    He caressed her cheek and did a poor imitation of a man in love. "We can discuss it later, after we get you home."
    I could have acted like a Neanderthal and dragged Yara back into the water, but I knew if I waited long enough, Rownan would dig himself into a hole even he couldn't claw his way out of. Not anymore. Things had changed.
    He turned to me with a devious glimmer in his dark eyes. "Treygan, Nixie's on her way with clothes for you, so you should stay put."
    My muscles tensed. "Nixie?" Why would she be coming?
    He failed to suppress a grin. "We chatted earlier. She wants to discuss the storm with you."
    Son of a bitch—literally. Well played, Rownan, well played. "Great," I said, as carefree as I could manage. "You two love birds go on ahead. I'll find you soon."
    I expected a bratty remark from Yara, but instead she held Rownan's hand and they walked away without another word.
    Thoughts of Nixie caused beads of sweat to form on my forehead. This would be difficult to smooth over. Nixie knew the grand plan, but this was a detour she hadn't seen coming. Sirens despised not knowing everything.
    I hadn't lied. Nixie would already know that. Delmar really had quarreled with one of the islanders—a few of them, actually—but I had used Nixie in a roundabout way and she wouldn't let that go unpunished. Hopefully, she hadn't told her sisters what I had done.
    "Treygan, you beautiful bastard!" Nixie shouted over the fluttering of her wings.
    "Nixie, my favorite garnet goddess!"
    "Don't try to sweet-talk me. I know what you—" her red eyes looked me up and down, lingering at my crotch. She landed in front of me, almost on top of me. "Mmm, I do love it when you're in human form, especially
raw
human form."
    I bowed politely. "Rumor has it you brought me clothes."
    She licked her strawberry lips and pressed