Free The Mermaid's Curse (California Mermaids Book 1) by Kristina Ludwig Page A

Queen Cordelia, but now I find myself almost hating him for the curse that he helped to inflict on my family.
    Paddling furiously, I pass schools of silvery fish and coral reefs as elaborate as the lace on Amelie’s gowns. But as I hum the tune of Xavier’s Sonata of the Mermaid , imagining myself in his arms once again, I feel serene. A grin overtakes my cheeks as I head in the direction of the place he calls Point Joe, my voice surging as I break the surface.
    I gaze over the foaming crests of the waves, which shimmer white in the moonlight. The rocks beyond are completely deserted…except for Xavier’s round-topped boulder. My breath catches in my throat when my eyes alight upon him; he’s leaning forward eagerly, with his lips slightly parted as he studies the waters below. 
    As soon as he spots me, his face breaks into a wide smile and his dark eyes catch the light of the moon, reflecting it back to me and illuminating me from the inside out. My heart beats faster as I remember the breathless, shivery feeling of his lips on mine.
    The waves are much calmer tonight than they’d been under last night’s enchanted moon, and I ride one in to shore, hoisting myself up onto Xavier’s rock and settling right next to him.
    Xavier doesn’t waste any time with formalities. Instead, he hops to his feet, picking me up and spinning me around as though I’m as weightless as a minnow. My tail flops in a circle, wrapping around his legs, and he laughs and carries me to the sand, placing me down softly and dropping to the ground at my side.
    “Oceania,” he says, his voice giddy. He strips off his jacket, using it to dry my scales. Once my tail has separated into legs, he wraps the jacket around my shoulders and continues, “I’m so glad you came back. I was hoping you would.”
    “Of course.” I grin at him. “I’ve been anticipating this all day.”
    “Want to walk on the beach for a while? We shouldn’t go to my house, since my family is still at dinner and they could return home at any time. It’s probably better that we stay here—I left suddenly, and no one has any idea where I went, so we’ll have to watch out for search parties.”
    I shake my head. “Xavier. That wasn’t a very good idea. Don’t you think your parents will be worried about you?”
    “I doubt it.” He shivers as a strong gust of wind wafts in from the water. I settle into the crook of his arm, and heat pulses through my body as he holds me tight. “When I left, everyone was in the parlor, listening to my mother sing an aria. I know they’ll ask her for encore after encore, so the whole thing could last for hours.”
    “But what did you tell everyone when you left?”
    “Nothing. I was outside.” Xavier pauses, cupping my chin with his hand and looking deep into my eyes. “Oceania, I need to tell you something, and I hope you won’t be angry about it.”

 
    Chapter Twenty-Four: Xavier
     
    I swallow hard. Oceania’s face has clouded over, but I know that I have to be honest with her about Victoria. Keeping the relationship a secret will only lead to problems and make me look guilty.
    And I’m not guilty of anything, right? Although I must admit, the way I’d abruptly fled from Victoria when she’d seemed to be trying so hard to please me certainly makes me feel that way.
    “I was outside with a girl,” I say simply.
    Oceania jerks back, pulling my jacket tightly around her body and yanking up the zipper, as though to close me out. “And now you’re here with me. Honestly, Xavier, how many girls does a man need?”
    “It’s not like that. Victoria is my father’s friend’s daughter.”
    Oceania’s aquamarine eyes dart from side to side; she’s probably visualizing the exact relationship of “father’s friend’s daughter.”
    I smile and continue. “Our fathers have been trying to force us into courting forever. They’re always seating us next to each other at parties, but there’s nothing between her and