Something Fishy About Love (Monstrana Paranormal Romance 3)

He whipped around, the grin dissolving into a guilty expression. Splaying out his hands, he gave an innocent shrug. “I saw it in a movie once.”

Mermaids didn?

??t exactly watch a lot of TV. They preferred to spend their time in scholarly pursuit. The few movies she’d seen had been from sneaking close to shore and catching glimpses of them through people’s living room windows. His explanation meant nothing to her.

She placed her hand on her hip and gave him a deadly stare. “So?”

“Well, it’s a smoke signal.” He shrugged again and gave her a half-cocked smile. “My brother will see it and know where to find me.”

It felt like steam was pouring from her ears. Her face heated and her hands trembled with rage.

To think, just moments ago she’d been worried about him lying somewhere on this island, hurt and alone. But no—he was the orchestrator of this prank. She should’ve dropped him somewhere in the middle of the ocean and let him tread water for days on end. See how he liked that.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

Her eyes followed the trail of smoke up to the sky. It wasn’t too high yet. If she did something now, maybe the damage could be undone. Her feet propelled her toward the fire’s source.

“Wait, Eina. It’s too late.” Leo chased after her. “The fire’s too hot to approach. You can’t put it out now.”

“We’ll see about that.”

She ground her teeth in frustration and found the source. A stack of thin trees had been positioned into a pointed dome that reached higher than her head. It seemed he’d somehow started the flame and then piled green branches on top of it for added smoke effect. She could feel the dreadful heat of the flames from where she stood.

His ingenuity was both infuriating and the slightest bit impressive. She rubbed her hands together and took another step closer to the fire, considering her plan of attack.

“Wait, it’s not safe.” Leo grabbed her arm and yanked her back, making her collide with his chest.

She spun around in his arms, pressing against his solid abdomen with her hands. His arms encircled her and held her tight. Her heart threatened to escape from her ribcage as she looked up into his amber eyes.

“It’s not safe,” he repeated, concern wracking his face. “You’ll burn yourself.”

“I will not.”

Her knees trembled with the effort to stay on her feet. Part of her wanted to melt into his strong embrace. Another part wanted to slap her own face for feeling such things. What would her sisters think?

“And just what are you planning to do, shark bait?” He grinned at her, the dimple in his right cheek appearing. “Make it rain?”

“Something like that.”

She tried to give him her fiercest glare, but she only succeeded in twisting her face into a pained grimace. He chuckled, low and throaty, and loosened his grip on her, finally letting her break the spell of his chest pressed against hers.

“My sisters aren’t ready to let you leave,” she said, backing away slowly from him. He tilted his head to one side and watched her go, arrogant humor dancing in his eyes. “I can’t let you contact your brother.”

She spun on her heel and looked for the nearest source of water. He’d built his fire close enough to the north shore that she could depend on the incoming swell of salt water. Filling her lungs with a deep breath, she slowly raised her arms and focused on the feel of the ocean in her veins.

It was a sensation she carried everywhere with her. Even on land. A connection to the water and the earth beneath it. A tie to the moon and the influence it had on the world’s tides. She felt that connection in her fingertips as the water on the north shore began to rise. It swept up high, overshadowing the small island and its sparse cropping of trees.

Eina heard a low gasp behind her. She smiled with the knowledge that the pampered prince had yet to learn anything about mermaids. She’d show him.

With a sweeping motion of her hands, she dropped the tidal wave onto the island, dousing everything in its path. The fire, the trees, and its inhabitants. She managed to hold her ground against its strength, digging her feet into the ground. When the water had seeped back into the sea where it belonged, she opened her eyes and grinned in satisfaction at the sizzling remains of Leo’s fire signal.

She’d won. Take that, Mr. Fangs.

Suddenly, her knees gave out and she fell to the ground. Her whole body trembled. She hugged herself as she battled the aftereffects of her powers. Never had she used them for something so large. She hadn’t expected to expel so much energy. Blinking her eyes hard, she fought against the darkness that threatened to consume her.

“Are you okay?” Leo grabbed her shoulder and knelt next to her, offering his arm for support. Water dripped from his forehead and into his eyes. He gestured wildly at the extinguished fire. “Mind telling me how did you do that?”

“A little mermaid trick,” she said weakly, gazing down at her feet. “Probably best saved for small campfires.”