Forever Read online

  FOREVER

  Book Three of the FINS Trilogy

  By Ashley L. Knight

  Digital Edition published by Crossroad Press

  Copyright 2012 / Ashley L. Knight

  Copy-edited by: Darren Pulsford

  Cover Design By: David Dodd

  Background Image provided by: Ken Koeberlein

  LICENSE NOTES

  This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return to the vendor of your choice and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  Meet the Author

  Ashley Lorenzi Knight graduated from Boise State University with a B.A. in English and Writing. She lives in Idaho with her husband and two little girls. The FINS Trilogy draws on any of her unique experiences as life as a mermaid! Visit her as The Mermaid Lady on Facebook or www.ashleylknight.com

  The FINS Trilogy

  Fins

  Fathom

  Forever

  DISCOVER CROSSROAD PRESS

  The Online Store

  Subscribe to our newsletter

  Visit our blogs for news on Books and Audiobooks

  Find and follow us on Facebook

  Dedicated to:

  My little mini-me, Belle,

  who refuses to give up!

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  To my love, my husband Greg. It’s obvious Thayde is based on you. This is my way of immortalizing you. Your support and strength has meant everything to me. I love you more than you know. Thank you, baby.

  My angel, Emma. You are such a special little girl; so kind and good. I pray that innocence stays with you forever.

  Belle, our little firecracker. Your great strength shines through even though you are only two years old. It’s a pleasure watching you grow.

  Dad. You are always in my corner cheering me on and it means the world to me. You are my number one fan and I can’t tell you how much that means to me. Thank you for your enthusiasm and love.

  Gabby, I’m so happy you are finally finding your own strength. I look forward to growing closer and building our relationship.

  Paul David – my university chum. I’ve missed your friendship for many years, but am so happy we were united. I hope you and your wife enjoy your angelic character!

  Ken Koeberlein. Thank you for all your hard work on the trilogy covers. Your artistic skills shined through on all three occasions and I am so grateful! You deserved to have a character named after you! I hope you like him.

  To Parrish Miller – the genius who swooped in and took my website from mediocrity to brilliance in two days. I would be stuck in reverse if not for you and I can’t thank you enough!

  [email protected]

  To my beta readers: Gerry, Garrett, Beth, Misty and Alicia. I appreciate you taking the time to read through the rough drafts and offer your constructive criticism. Thank you for your honesty and your friendship. www.merbooksblog.blogspot.com www.the-top-shelf.com

  My fans: I would be nothing without you. Your support and love for the characters brings me to tears. I love meeting each and every one of you and I’m proud to call you my friends. Thank you.

  A beginning is also an end.

  Once you start something, you end what was. My old life is gone and my new one just beginning – as if I have been re-born. The new powers I find myself discovering are beyond what I thought possible, but the biggest lesson I’ve learned so far is that nothing is impossible in the merworld…

  CHAPTER ONE

  BLISS

  It’s funny how music evokes dormant feelings. The lyrics to some wistfully sad song drifted through the large casement styled windows, past the wooden dock on which I lay. The warm wind caught the verses, whisking them away over the turquoise ocean waves. I’d never given much thought to the words, but today, they brought back memories of those awful months leading to this point in my life. So much had changed – it seemed almost a lifetime ago. I guess that comes with the territory.

  Since The Blessing finally took hold, I felt as if I had aged and the knowledge that comes from aging had stayed. Thayde noticed the change right away. He made the comment that I had grown more relaxed and in control. Life was better because of it, but anything’s better than the hell I went through after Thayde and I had that fight in New York.

  Flipping through the heavy pages of my leather bound diary, I read what I’d just written:

  Dear Diary,

  I brought you with me to record everything that happened on our honeymoon. I intended to write in you every day so I wouldn’t miss a thing, but I haven’t kept my word.

  Today is the eighth day into our wonderful trip and I’m sitting on the edge of the deck of our own private hut just off the gorgeous island of Moorea. Below me, the crystal clear waves of the Pacific Ocean ripple just out of reach of my toes. If I phased right now, my fins would drag in the water. To the left, the dolphins are swimming in their enclosure. They became so enthusiastic when Thayde and I visited them that the trainer thought we’d done something to overly excite them. Like what? Hidden slabs of fish in our swimsuits? Humans wouldn’t know who I was, but the dolphins did.

  Beautiful, exotic Moorea is heaven on earth. The moment our plane touched down we both fell in love with the place. The first thing we did after checking into the Moorea Beachcomber Park Royal was head straight to the beach. The sand here is unlike any I’ve ever experienced. It’s pure white and fine like baby powder between my toes. The clear water is as warm as a bath and the breeze is heavy with the fragrance of jasmine and gardenia flowers.

  There are two islands just off the coast and we plan to visit them this afternoon. The local dive shop owner told us we could swim in-between them and be protected by the surrounding reef. Not that we’d need protecting – the last thing a shark wants to do is take a bite from me.

  Since we’ve been in Moorea, I haven’t wanted to leave and Thayde agrees. After our swim today, we’re heading to a Tahitian feast in the village down the road. Traditional dancing, a pork roast, fire dancers – these are just some of the delights that await. Every day is something new and exciting and I’m experiencing all of it with the love of my life. Things couldn’t be more perfect than they are right now…

  I closed the diary over my pen, setting it aside. Room service had just brought a huge plate of fresh fruit and set it beside me. The rainbow of food displayed in the seashell tray was enough to make anyone convert to vegetarianism; tangerine colored mango, fresh coconut, blood red papaya, funny looking passion fruit, neon limes, lychees – my mouth watered with the selection.

  Picking up a thick piece of mango, I lay back on the deck and, closing my eyes, took a bite. The heavy juice ran down my throat, overwhelming my senses. Happy, I kicked my feet back and forth. This was heaven, pure heaven. I could live like this all the time.

  Do you know how beautiful you look? Thayde’s voice interrupted my relaxed thoughts.

  Where are you? I sat up, scanning the decks around ours until finally looking between my feet. Thayde’s gorgeous face looked up at me through the water a few feet below the surface, his dark blue tail vivid and obvious through the crystal clear water.

  What are you doing? I glanced around to see if any humans were in the area. You know you can get caught here! Room service, literally, just left!

  I’m living dangerously, he chuckled, bubbles of air pouring from his mouth and popping on the surface. Come here, baby.

  Silly! I shook my head. There are people staying in the huts around
us, remember?

  Come here, he repeated, stretching his hand upward. The gesture reminded me of that lovely dream I had just before we met two years ago.

  Taking one last peek to make sure the coast was clear; I pulled off my sun-colored silk tunic, and slipped into the warm water. His strong arms were around me in seconds and his mouth met mine. Thayde’s sweet breath made my skin shiver into goose bumps. Wrapping my arms around his neck and head, I pulled myself flat against his hard body.

  After a few moments of pure joy, Thayde freed himself from my embrace and took my hand in his.

  “You ready?”

  I nodded as I phased and pulled my bikini bottoms onto my arm. Thayde’s dark blue eyes watched me, a slight smile upon his face. Since fully receiving The Blessing, my aura as well as my tail had turned from gold to a deep burgundy red. It was a shock to me the first time I phased in McCall, Idaho, and made the discovery. Everyone but Aletheia, of course, was amazed at the change.

  “I don’t know how I’m going to get used to seeing you with a red tail instead of gold.” Thayde shook his head, his short black hair waving to and fro in the water.

  “Don’t you like it?” I asked, pretending to be hurt.

  “Of course I like it! I’m just not used to it.” He kissed my hand. “You’re beautiful to me no matter what you look like.”

  “Even if I got mange?” I asked.

  “Mange?”

  “Yes, what if I got mange and my hair fell out in clumps?”

  He grinned and pulled me with him as he began to swim. “Yes, even if you got mange and went bald.”

  We moved with the flow of the current, dipping down along the sandy ocean floor and out of the path of a sea turtle.

  “I swam this way earlier,” Thayde began, “there were quite a few sharks on the edge of the reef, but they weren’t interested in me. There are some caves in the reef and along the drop off. I’d like to check them out while we’re here.”

  “Let’s see as much as we can,” I was eager to experience the exotic new world under the water with him. He squeezed my hand.

  “I was hoping you’d say that.”

  Though the small, uninhabited islands were close, we took our time swimming. Like tourists, we pointed at every object and brightly colored fish. They hovered around the reef like butterflies dancing about a flower.

  Swimming in Moorea was not like swimming in Idaho’s Payette Lake. Beside it being as warm as a bath, the place was a tourist trap and we had to be wary of scuba divers. Fortunately, my senses had grown so aware of everything around me, I was able to feel them before we could see the divers. It kept us well out of range. Knowing I had the power to erase their memories should one happen to discover us, kept me at peace. Nothing was impossible for me and it was a very comfortable feeling. Being the ruler of your species definitely had its good points.

  I released Thayde’s hand and let my eyes wander along his back’s perfect V. His muscles flexed as his tail propelled him through the water. His blue scales glinted in the sun as he swam, the dynamic shades of blue standing out. Merpeople’s tails were not as scaly as most Humans would think. Rather, they reminded me of the skin of the rainbow trout my father and I used to fish for in Idaho. Sure, we had scales, but they weren’t like a dragon’s scales. They were finer, more close together – prettier.

  Watching Thayde swim was like experiencing a professional ballet performance for the first time; it took my breath away. Far more graceful than I, tiny bubbles flowed over his muscles as the water cut over his body. The water darkened as we descended and I could barely make out the scars littering his torso and arms. The sunlight filtered through, dancing off his back, making it difficult to see anything but how beautiful he was.

  I reached down, closing my hand over Thayde’s shoulder, pulling myself onto his back, and wrapped my arms over the top of his shoulders. He pulled me along with him. Though he was not yet fully recovered from the effects of The Shadow, he was close. His body and health weren’t a hundred percent, but after a few more days, he would be back to normal. Tammer had been right – being on our honeymoon had been good for us.

  Mom said Thayde would be virtually indestructible now and I was relieved. The last thing I wanted was Thayde to be hurt again, let alone killed. I didn’t think I could survive if Thayde died. Thinking about death wasn’t something that prevailed in my mind as it once did and I pushed the thought away. Things had changed for the better. I could get used to living like this.

  “What are you thinking about?” Thayde twisted underneath me, wrapping himself around me like seaweed. He touched his nose to mine, holding me close. Though we could read each other’s thoughts, we didn’t do it all the time – it would be too much of an invasion of privacy.

  “Just how perfect things are,” I answered.

  “Mmmm…” he mumbled, lightly touching his lips to mine. “What else?”

  “How I don’t have to worry about you anymore.”

  “Worry about me?”

  “Yeah, now that you’re Superman,”

  That made him laugh. “Superman, huh? Is that your nickname for me?”

  “It might be,” my voice was coy. “Do you have one for me?”

  “I’ll have to think on that.” He kissed my forehead, unwrapping himself. “Let’s get to land.”

  Swimming in-between the two small islands was similar to diving in an Olympic sized pool, only this pool was littered with small reefs fiercely protected by rainbows of fish. The white, sandy floor was home to the occasional mollusk and giant oyster. With the water so shallow, the colors stood out vibrant and rich.

  Clown fish defended their homes, daring to leave the safety of the tiny reefs. It was impressive to watch them try and battle us. They showed a lot of courage.

  Thayde raised an eyebrow. Courage? You think they’re courageous?

  Of course, I explained, they may be fearful of us, but they’re still brave enough to try and defend their babies from the giants invading their territory! That takes courage.

  I thought being courageous meant having no fear?

  No. To be courageous means you go forth, despite your fear.

  He thought about what I’d said. I’d never thought about it that way before. He made a sarcastic face. You’re so wise!

  Well, one of us has to be, I joked and his mouth opened in mock outrage.

  “How dare you!” He grabbed at my sides, but I was too fast, easily slipping away.

  “Oh, that is it!” In an instant, he shot toward me and the game was on.

  Thayde was incredibly fast – so much so that I had a difficult time keeping away from him. Being The Link is great if you have mastered your powers, but I hadn’t experienced all of them and swimming at Thayde’s speed was not something I had yet perfected. After just a few seconds, he had me back in his arms.

  “You need a few lessons, baby?” He whispered.

  “Only if you’re willing,” I nuzzled his ear with my lips.

  I’m always willing, he thought, fingering my bikini strap. I ran my hand over his hard chest, marveling at how quickly he was rebounding from The Shadow and its atrophic effects.

  My touch made him shiver in the warm water and he pulled me toward shore. Phasing, we crawled out of the waves, dripping wet and all over each other. Seagulls shouted angrily as if we had stormed the beach with the soul intent of forcing them to move their corpulent bodies.

  Thayde’s touch was always subtle and light. My hands gripped his muscled back as I pulled myself into his kiss. His fingers lightly traced the length of my thigh, making goose bumps jump out all over my body again. The sun crept across the sky as we loved each other on the wet sand; the blue sky and green palm trees our only witnesses.

  Thayde shifted to his back, pulling me to him. Golden rays caressed my arms and legs and the rhythmic sound of the lapping waves made me feel safe and secure. After several minutes, Thayde pulled on his shorts and walked up the beach to the coconut trees. Sleepily, I ro
lled onto my side and watched him pick a fresh coconut from the ground.

  With one sharp blow against a stump, he had broken into the husk. Two rips later, the coconut was ready to be opened. Twisting it in his hands, he simply pulled it apart, the juice spilling over his hands.

  Thayde’s strength was awesome. Merpeople were naturally stronger than humans, but it still shocked me to witness them doing things humans would never be able to do. Taking a sip from the coconut, he smiled.

  “This is fantastic!” Trotting back, he handed me the coconut. “Try this!”

  Holding it with both hands, I filled my mouth with the warm, sweet juice and practically melted. Back in Idaho, I’d made the mistake of buying coconuts once in a while and the juice was always sour – rancid most times. This was like drinking the nectar of the Gods.

  Being this happy didn’t seem possible, but here we were, enjoying each other and the beautiful scenery of the French Polynesia. Nothing had spoiled our time and this was the most content the both of us had ever been.

  “You’re happy?” Thayde asked, as if he didn’t already know.

  “Very,” I leaned back on my arms, letting my head loll around my shoulders.

  “What more could we ask for?” He plopped beside me, wiping the glittering sand from his tanned arms.

  “Exactly,”

  A gentle wind caressed us and I sighed in content. There you had it – perfect bliss. We ended up staying on that little island for the rest of the day, foregoing the Tahitian Feast and traditional dancing. Being alone with each other was the best thing we could have asked for.