Total pages in book: 105
Estimated words: 102166 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 511(@200wpm)___ 409(@250wpm)___ 341(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 102166 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 511(@200wpm)___ 409(@250wpm)___ 341(@300wpm)
“It’s not a bad smell. You just have a salty, lightly citrus scent.”
“Oh, that’s the soap.”
“It’s not,” the witch corrected. “All mermaids have a citrus scent. Sometimes it’s more grapefruit, lemon, or lime. But you are definitely a lemon-lime mixture. Are you royal?”
“Wow,” Iris said. Did all paranormals have a signature scent? As far as Iris could tell, most humans smelled like whatever scented products they slathered all over their bodies. “Yes. I’m Iris.”
“Princess?”
“Second born.”
“Obviously.”
“Why obviously?”
“Your older sister would be next on the throne. Your younger sister would be kept for an important political placement. Which leaves you. On land. So, the question is … why are you here?”
Iris immediately liked this woman and her bluntness. It was refreshing. Nothing fake about her. What she thought, she said. It was night and day to Finn’s carefully constructed mask.
“I am being married off.”
“Ah, yes, nothing says ‘romance’ like contractual obligation.”
“Right?” Iris said, shaking her head.
“I’m Selene. Witch, obviously. If you didn’t feel the wards.”
“Yeah, speaking of, what are you warding against? It felt okay to me, but my companion shivered.”
“It’s warded against superficiality and optimism.”
Well, that explained Monty perfectly, didn’t it?
“Shallow and positive people can still come in, but they don’t feel encouraged to.”
“Well, I’m certainly not feeling very positive right now.”
“What woman being traded like chattel would?” Selene asked. “So, who are you getting shacked up with?”
She probably wasn’t supposed to admit to who it was. She wasn’t supposed to be creating any scandals. That said, she could claim ignorance if it somehow got back to her mother.
“Don’t worry,” Selene said, shooting Iris a knowing smirk. “I don’t have any friends to tell. Unless Gerty counts.”
She waved into the shop, but when Iris looked, she saw no one. “Is Gerty here?”
“In spirit. Literally. She’s the former owner. She refuses to leave.”
“She’s a ghost?” Iris asked, whispering. She’d read about them in books, of course. But she’d kind of always imagined they were figments of the writers’ imaginations. She wasn’t sure if she was intrigued or unnerved by their existence.
“No need to lower your voice. She knows she’s dead. Right, Gerty, you obsessive-compulsive kook?” she asked. “She must have been suffering from memory loss near the end there. Every single night, she takes all the books off the shelves to, I guess, do inventory. Guess who gets to put them all back every morning?”
“Can you use your magic to help?”
“Sometimes I do. So, spill. Who is the groom?”
“Finn Westrock.”
“Finn Westrock? The man who has starch in his soul?”
“That’s the one.” Though she wasn’t sure she knew what starch was.
“Huh. When one thinks of romantic chemistry, one definitely thinks of a sea goddess and a sentient campaign poster. But who am I to judge? Maybe you’re into guys who use spreadsheets to plan foreplay.”
Iris couldn’t stop the laugh from bubbling up and bursting out.
“You have him pegged perfectly. I’ve known him for all of two days and have yet to find anything genuine about him.”
But then again … she’d seen a crack in his mask. Just the once. That look in his eyes when she’d worn the camisole. She’d tried to convince herself it was just lust. But maybe it was something more.
“So, what? His campaign manager thought a mermaid would help him get elected? Did he lose faith in the toothpaste ads disguised as campaign posters he has plastered all over the city?”
“Apparently, they don’t think a single man can win over a family-oriented candidate.”
“He’s probably right about that. But what’s in it for you? Most mermaids don’t want to be this far away from the water.”
“It seems Finn is promising to push through very strict regulations against pollution that is wreaking havoc on our oceans.”
“Huh.”
“What?”
“I dunno. I thought Finn was already running on a green platform. Maybe I was mistaken. So, you’re just willingly here? I’d be kicking and screaming.”
“What am I supposed to do?”
“Run. Run fast. I’ll cast you a distraction spell and tell him you eloped with a troll.”
To that, Iris let out a laugh.
“Wow, that’s practically witchcraft,” Selene said.
“What is?”
“That laugh. I mean, your voice in general is hypnotizing, but that laugh is something else entirely. I half expect for the whole male population to come charging in here. And a quarter of the women.”
Iris’s gaze shot to the door, concerned. But no one even glanced inside.
“You said you’ve met other mermaids?” Iris asked.
“A handful, yes.”
“I thought we didn’t live in the city.”
“Live? No. Visit? Occasionally. Though, most of you come in with hats and sunglasses, trying to lay low. Especially Caprica.”
“Caprica,” Iris repeated, the name ringing a bell.
“Caprica Coraline. The author.”
“Wait, what? Caprica Coraline is a mermaid?” Iris asked, thinking of the stories in the royal library she’d read. They were some of her favorites. But it seemed like she’d stopped writing just before Iris was born.