Free Waterborn (The Emerald Series Book 1) by Kimberly James

even know this girl’s name.”
    I didn’t know why I was getting angry. None of this was Maggie’s fault. I had just hoped she could tell me how to make it stop.
    “Caris,” she said.
    “What?”
    “Her name is Caris.”
    Now I for sure knew more than I ever wanted to know about her.
    “Noah, this is a gift given to her for a reason. It was given to you too. If the Deep picked you to hear this girl’s Song, she had a reason. Maybe she thinks you can help her.”
    I rolled my eyes. Maggie and my mother believed the Deep was an entity unto herself, a water spirit, a nurturer and a provider and I, to an extent, knew there was some truth to it. I had felt her. Even on the days when I wasn’t swimming with a tribe and the Deep felt like an endless void, I had never felt truly alone. But I bristled at the idea of her intruding on my life and forcing this needy girl on me.
    “What am I supposed to do? Babysit this girl while she figures out who the hell she is?”
    Maggie stiffened as though my words were pure venom. “You’re supposed to quit being such a selfish bastard and start thinking about someone besides yourself. She’s one of your kind. Part of your tribe. Whatever the reason she’s been wearing this charm, it can’t be a good one. Think about what she must be feeling.”
    No. I didn’t want to think about it. I didn’t want to think about her. Not the way she’d looked at me in the car with her sad, shimmering eyes. Not the way her hair had been soft as silk between my fingers. Not the way her nightmare had chilled my blood when I’d heard her fear and it had taken all my willpower not to go to her.
    Maggie’s face grew stony and a cold expression crept into her eyes, making me wonder if I had said my thoughts out loud.
    “You can’t run from this, Noah.” She might as well have hit me. Is that what she’d thought I’d been doing? Running?
    “I can’t help you. I don’t want to help you.” Her shoulders slumped and her voice took on a gentle tone laced with undeniable pity. “You have to figure this out for yourself. You need to do this yourself.”
    It was the equivalent of the “this is for your own good” speech. She took the pouch of pearls I had brought her, walked over to the chest she kept them in and placed them inside, closing and locking the lid.
    “That’s it? That’s your big advice? Go make nice and be this girl’s shrink?”
    She whirled around, skirt twirling around her legs. “She has a name, Noah. It’s Caris. And yes, that’s it. You’re not the one with the problem. She is. Sooner rather than later that charm will crack.”
    “Thanks, Mags.” I pushed off the stool so hard it fell over. I didn’t stop to set it right. I shoved the irritating curtain out of the way, intent on the door.
    “Noah, wait…”
    Felix jumped up when I approached the door, and for the first time in my life, I ignored him.
    With my hand on the door, I turned around. Not that it was any of her damn business, but I looked Maggie straight in the eye and without flinching, I said, “Erin. She’s how I’m still a virgin. I wouldn’t risk putting anybody through that.”

Nine

Caris
    “ A nything exciting happen today ?” My dad lifted his glass of wine, his expression overly expectant. Whether in anticipation of his favorite wine or in hopes that I did have something exciting to report, I couldn’t tell.
    We were eating dinner at one of his favorite places in Destin. We’d had to drive a good thirty minutes with traffic to get to it, but it had been worth it. The restaurant sat on the harbor and we had a perfect view of the Destin Pass and the sunset blowing up the sky in bursts of orange and pink.
    “I wouldn’t call it exciting, but I met someone you know. A girl named Erin. She said she met you the other day.” I opened my mouth wide to accommodate a forkful of salad.
    “You met Erin Shaw?” He looked at me over the rim of his glass, mildly curious.
    I nodded and wiped a