I’d quite forgotten that I could actually breathe beneath the water, and am fairly certain that I passed out more from fright than anything else.

But the next thing I knew I was in a land that defied all concept of any sort of reality for me.

There was a sea blue ambiance that radiated from the ground beneath, the rock cliffs beside me, and even from the water itself. I was in a room, of sorts I supposed. It was built into the rocks, but it was cozy. There was a massive opened clam, which I was going to go out on a limb and say was the bed. A dresser that looked carved out of the biggest champagne-colored pearl I’d ever seen. A washbasin made up of a razor oyster shell, its inside was a gorgeous shade of greenish-blue.

There was even a closet, with clothes in it. Though I wasn’t sure I could call the seashells threaded through with what looked like kelp strings actually clothes. But the colors were pretty enough. They were every shade of a coral reef, pinks and blues and greens and vivid oranges and yellows. I’d look like a peacock trying to wear those ridiculous garments. I wished I could wrap my arms around my middle, I also wished I could speak already.

Astonishingly pretty as this place was, it wasn’t exactly home. And right now I really just wanted to go home. Rose and Generva were never, ever going to believe me now.

Fish, literally fish, swam right up to me. Cute little things with strips of blue and gold, and some not so cute. With mouths full of monstrous fangs and fins that sliced through the water like a stone sharpened butcher’s knife.

Crazy handsome shoved one particularly fearsome shark away, it must have been a shark it was so bloody massive. And had gills that flapped on its sides and a white underbelly that practically gleamed like milk in moonlight.

“Go on with you, Antiquity, I’ve got nothing for you this night.”

The shark, which I guessed was named Antiquity?—and what a strange name that was—made as if to turn. But at the last moment, he must have circled round because next thing I knew a massive snout was bumping me in the spine. I shrieked, or tried to, I still couldn’t make sounds. But I made a ton of bubbles. And my fear must have given me a rush of strength because though I could still not walk or move all that way I was able to latch onto Crazy Handsome with both hands. I hated him, but he also didn’t seem to be nearly as terrified of big Antiquity as I was.

“For the last time, she’s not food, you rotting bastard! Now get, or I swear I’ll serve you at the wedding feast!”

I wasn’t sure, but I think I might have heard the sharky equivalent of a yip, before it tucked tail and swam away like its life depended on it. Which I guess, it kind of did.

Heart still beating a million miles a second, I clutched onto my breast and gazed uneasily into the darkness just beyond the pale glow of light I now considered the demarcation between safe space and not safe space.

Crazy Handsome gently turned, his arm slid through my hands and I swear but for a second I felt the strangest tingle course through my body. It was not lust. I did not wish to hump his fins, though he had a nice tail to be sure. But it was a strange sensation I’d never felt before, sort of like racing through the skies with a bolt of lightning between my thighs.

Okay, that had sounded vaguely sex-like, maybe my dry spell had lasted too long.

But it wasn’t just the strange sensations coursing through me that had me giving Crazy Handsome a side-eyed look. Because I was smelling. Which I would have thought was impossible below water, but it was a wonderfully delicious scent of fresh baked cookies. My favorite treat in the world, hot and moist and melted on my tongue—again vaguely sex-like, I was either hungry or very, very horny. Still, how in the devil was I smelling under water? Especially cookies?

I took a deeper sniff, and my stomach rumbled. I’d not eaten all day I’d been so nervous to finally get to the bottom of the talking water mystery I’d quite forgotten to eat anything. In hindsight it seemed I’d had good reason to worry. I clutched at my stomach.

Crazy Handsome gave me a soft and dare I think it, even tender smile before lifting his hand and reaching out toward me. I wanted to gasp, or ask him just what in the great goddess’ name did he think he was doing, but that stupid geis was still on me. So all I could do was stand there like a harlequin dummy and stare at him.

But then his knuckles brushed feather light upon my cheekbone and my stomach dove and twisted with a nest of nerves that filled my body with the queerest emotions.

Giddiness. Warmth. Even… joy? He liked stroking my cheek and I wanted to say that I hated it, but in my secret private place I realized with a start that I didn’t at all.

He smiled. “Forgive me for how I acted above, Myrtle, I was just so happy to finally see you I do believe I forgot all my court training and manners. I want this to be different between us this time. We were young when we learned of our betrothal and not ready then, but I’m ready now, my love. From the second I saw you on land, something inside of me exploded with certainty. You are my truest love. I know it, female. And I will make you the best mate, I vow it.”

Taking up my hand, he kissed my knuckles and again that damnable tingle shot mini-bolts of lightning all the way through me. My breasts even prickled, which I hadn’t know before they could do. For some reason all I could think about was how it might feel if he put his big paws over them.

Oh my. A heavy breath rushed from out my lungs.

But as much as he was making me feel things, and that was strangely wonderful, I was not his betrothed. This could not happen.

I opened my mouth, but still no words came out.

“Oh, my love, forgive me. I quite forgot to take off the geis.”

Then he snapped his fingers and I knew the geis had been instantly lifted. I took in a sweet breath of fresh, clean air still marveling at the fact that I could do that beneath water and shook my head, time to get down to brass tacks.

“What is your name?”

His eyes looked terribly haunted when I asked it and he gave his head a slight shake. “Is it true then? Was it not all a lie above? Have you forgotten who you are, my love?” He took my hands in his and gave them a tender squeeze, and it was silly and foolish and I knew I should yank my hands back, but I also knew that when I explained all of this to him he was going to feel like an unmitigated ass and for some reason I wasn’t quite ready to get there with him yet.

He glanced over his shoulder briefly, wearing a consternated frown upon his brows. His full lips were pursed into a tight pout of displeasure. “My love, your family waits just outside those doors.”

He nodded toward said doors and my heart lurched in my chest. “What?”

“It is the night of our nuptials.”

“What!” I asked slightly shriller than I’d intended to. “But. But. But. You don’t understand, Crazy Handsome, I’m not who you think I—”

He smirked. “A pet name. Odd. But I like it.” He squared his shoulders and puffed his chest out and how ridiculous that he should like such a foolish name. But I felt my lips twitching at the stupidly adorable gleam of pride in his beautiful eyes.

Then he sighed. “Perhaps the spell the dark lord cast upon the town did something with your memory. I am not certain. But your mother is like a mako sniffing shark, she terrifies me, truly.” He gave a full body shudder and I fought the urge to giggle.

This whole night was ridiculous, and yet, I felt oddly safe with the lug. I snorted and shook my head, trying not to laugh, but losing the battle as a small titter escaped me. I was tired. I was hungry. And I was almost positive this had to be a bizarre dream. It couldn’t possibly be real.

His lips stretched into a broad grin. “Gods, I love your smile. Always have. Did I tell you that before?” he asked, and once more the touchy mermale stroked my cheek.

I was getting tingles all over now. I bit my bottom lip.

“I wish we had so much more time, but we don’t. I told your mother I’d be back before the clock struck twelve, and we’re very nearly there. I imagine the bishop has already arrived. You’ll have to change soon.” He winked and a flush of pride transformed his already handsome features into something even more devastatingly striking.

I sucked in a quivery breath as I found myself getting strangely jealous of whomever it was that he was really supposed to be with, my guess was Meri.

“Though if you ask me,” he leaned in conspiratorially and murmured beneath his breath, “I’d quite enjoy learning the lay of the land, I think. Never been with a female with legs.”

“Oh,” I whispered as my sex-deprived body went into massive sexual overload.

“Well, never been with anyone truth be told. Waited for you, Myrtle. Because I wanted to honor you.”

My brows shot high on my forehead and I choked on my own spittle, I began coughing and hacking almost violently.

“Hark, who’s in there. Who’s there, I say?” I heard a small and ancient sounding female voice echo through the abalone lined shell door.

Crazy Handsome gently tapped my back until the worst of the coughing spasm passed before offering me another one of his panty-melting grins. “Didn’t think my confession would elicit such a response, though I must confess, I like knowing that you liked hearing that.”

“Water,” I croaked. The irony wasn’t lost on me.

He nodded and swam off in a flash, moving over toward a pitcher sitting on the bedside night table and quickly poured me a glass of it. He was back an instant later and was lifting the glass to my mouth. Which was ridiculous because I was perfectly capable of holding my own glass, and yet… I drank and then feeling quite overcome by a sense of flirtatiousness, I gently but deliberately brushed my bottom lip against the side of his strong, blunt finger.

He gasped and sucked in a sharp breath and I wanted to fist pump to see Crazy Handsome for once look as discombobulated as I felt. Maybe he really was a virgin.

He gulped. “Oh my, is that foreplay, Myrtle?”

And it was my turn to smirk crookedly back at him. Still, flirting was fun but I had to get home now.

“Look, I like you.” I shook my head, trying to gather my scattered thoughts into some form of coherence again. “For some strange reason, but I don’t think you’re understanding me Crazy—”

“Much as I am enjoying hearing you call me handsome, you should probably call me by my true name, darling. I am Prince Adam.”

I blinked and my brain flashed with the possibilities that all my fairy tale dreams were literally coming true right now. All I was missing was the singing and dancing fish and crustaceans. I tapped my fingers against my chest, feeling the rapid beat of my pulse reverberating through them.

“And just in case you do have a terrible case of amnesia, that harridan pounding on your door like a gavel, is your mother Queen Eugenie. Your father King Edward is probably getting drunk in the great hall, as he so often does.”

“You let me in this instant, Adam!” Eugenie shrieked and Adam at least had the sense to look somewhat chagrined about all of this.

He shook his head. “Don’t worry, love, she’s always hated me. As I said, she considers me a screw up. But I’ve found you, at last. And it’s the damnedest thing, Myrtle, but from the moment I laid eyes on you up there, I’ve fallen more in love with you than ever before. You’re so beautiful. Different than I remembered, but gods, far prettier. And your nice too, which is always a perk when one considers an arranged marriage. We could have done worse, no?”

And then he flexed one of his biceps and I finally realized, that if I didn’t find someway out of this mess I’d be marrying not Beast, but his nemesis Gaston, instead. I laughed. And I knew it made me sound and look like a deranged monkey or a hyena more like, but well, I didn’t care. This had to all be a dream. Just a terrible, ridiculous dream.

“I’m not your princess, Adam,” I whispered. “I’m a witch. I’m a—”

He shook his head and smiled as though greatly amused by me. “You can be whoever you wish to be, Myrtle, just as long as you’re mine.”

And then he grabbed me by the shoulders and yanked me tightly into his frame and I’d never touched a male with a tail before. It was strangely pleasant the way his fin wrapped almost silkily around my calves. But his upper half, his torso and his arms they were all male and wonderfully strong and tensile and smooth and when he kissed me the strangest thing happened. I was miles below Blue Moon Bay, but I swear I saw stars.

And when he moaned hot and sexily beneath his breath, I was pretty sure he’d seen them too.

“I think I love you, Myrtle Undine,” he murmured tenderly and my head was in such a daze that I didn’t even mind that he hadn’t said my name.

Who knew fish could kiss so well?

Not I.

But then he was clapping his hands, and the doors that’d sealed us away from the rest of the underworld creaked open on heavy hinges and there was a rush of bodies. Maids and servants, and an angry looking harridan who I could only assume must be Meri’s mother. Ye gods, poor Mer.

And I knew the jig was up. They would take one look at me and see that I was not their princess.

And for just a second I felt a great wash of sadness at the thought. I wet my lips, and glanced surreptitiously over toward Adam who I would always think fondly of as Crazy Handsome.

He blew me an air kiss as though to say, be brave, my love. And strange, but I felt the warmth of his emotion flow through me like sliding waters.

I clutched at my breast.

Eugenie rolled her eyes and huffed. “So you’ve done it then? For once, you didn’t manage to muck everything up, Adam. Edward will be happy to hear it. Now go away, fool, let me be alone with my daughter as she prepares for her wedding.”

“Wait. What?” I shrieked, sure I must have misheard her. So now even a mother couldn’t tell I wasn’t her daughter, Meri?

But there were hands on me, dozens of maidens’ hands ushering me back toward the not safe space and I dug in my heels, desperate not to go. Where was my bloody wand? Had I lost it in the descent? I was rummaging through my pockets, but it was nowhere and without it I was powerless to whisk myself away from here and this was a cruel cosmic joke, it had to be.

“Crazy Handsome,” I shrieked. “Don’t let them take me. You don’t understand, I must go back home. I’m not who you think I am, I must return to land. This has been a horrible misunderstanding. I’m not Meri, I’m Myrtle Monroe. Myrtle Monroe! Help me!”

I caught a glimpse of him over my shoulder, just before the maidens pushed me over the dark edge into the gods only knew what. He looked suddenly confused and worried. He started to swim forward toward me, but guards with spears pushed him back.

Eugenie clapped her hands again. “Bloody magick wiped her memory of us. I always did hate legger magick. Dark, twisted thing that it is. Come along, daughter. I’ve waited long enough to see you wed.”

“Myrtle?” Adam’s bark was full of fear and desperation for me. And I wasn’t sure, but I could almost swear that I saw Adam mouth my name with a heavy question mark behind it.