I couldn’t believe what I was about to do.

It was risky and irresponsible. It was probably downright stupid, but for some reason, I couldn’t stop myself.

I blamed the willow tree and its mysterious energy. When I’d seen Eva lying there in the grass, I thought I’d just stop and say hello, make sure she got her car taken care of. But the closer I got to her, the more I couldn’t take my eyes off of her.

A gust of wind blew just as I approached her, sending the autumn leaves of the willow into the air, fluttering like strands of gold. For a brief moment, I imagined myself in a different life. I saw myself there in the grass with Eva, her head resting on my chest as we stared up at the willow’s branches.

I could see it so clearly, it made my heart ache.

But as soon as it had come to me, it was gone again. That would never be my life. Not as long as I wore this silver band around my wrist, anyway, and there was no way to get it off.

Still, that vision had given me a foolish type of courage, and the moment she’d asked me for an adventure, I just knew where I had to take her. Poseidon, help me.

I led her across the square and down several blocks toward Ocean Drive. We walked out to the boardwalk and when I opened the door to a shop called Radical Fun, she gave me the side-eye.

“If this is your version of incredible, I’m not impressed,” she said.

I laughed. “If we’re going to get you geared up for incredible, we’re going to have to shop first,” I said. “Unless you’re hiding a bathing suit under those clothes?”

I cleared my throat, realizing just how anxious I was to see her in a bathing suit.

“I’m definitely getting curious,” she said as she walked into the store.

It was mostly deserted in here. There wasn’t a lot of business for a bathing suit and surfing shop in the fall, but they still stayed open all year. Jon and Lucy, the owners of the shop, greeted us as we walked in. They were twins, about my age, with matching dark-brown dreads and various piercings.

“Hi, Nik, what brings you in today?” Lucy asked. Her eyes widened when they landed on Eva. “Hey, I’m Lucy. You must be new to Willow Harbor? I don’t think I’ve seen you around town before.”

“I’m Eva,” she said. “And yes, I guess you could say I’m new, although I’m not sure how long I’ll be able to stay.”

Lucy shared a look with her twin brother, and I knew what they were thinking. Supernatural or human? Lucy and Jon were both selkies, but as far as Eva was concerned, I still wasn’t sure what she was. From the way she had seemed to be connecting with the magic of the willow tree, I had a pretty good guess she was more than human. She seemed to keep her secrets close, though, so I doubted she would offer up any information on her own.

Besides, Eva had no idea what kind of town Willow Harbor really was. Not yet, anyway.

I was taking a risk showing her what I was about to show her, but I couldn’t help myself.

If she wasn’t meant to be here, she’d forget about it the minute she crossed the town’s borders, anyway, so why not introduce her to some of the town’s magic while she was here?

“Well, we’re glad you’re here,” Lucy said. “Are you guys looking for anything in particular today?”

“Eva needs a bathing suit and some swim fins,” I said. “And a large beach towel.”

“And a cover-up, if you have one,” Eva added.

“Of course,” Lucy said. “Come with me.”

I thought it might be awkward to follow them back to the women’s section and watch her shop for a bathing suit, so I hung back at the counter with Jon.

“How are things going lately?” he asked, keeping his voice low. “Have you talked to your brother any?”

I shook my head. Jon was one of the few people in town who knew what I really was before I was cursed to live in human form. He’d known me before Selena got her hands on me, and he knew my family.

“I’m sorry, man,” he said. “I know how hard that has to be for you. I know they all miss you.”

I hadn’t seen my parents in ten years. Not since the day Selena wrapped this shackle around my arm and dragged me to the surface. But my brother Leonidas sometimes came to shore to visit. It had been a while, though, and I really couldn’t blame him.

“So, what’s the story with this new girl?” he asked, leaning against the counter. “She’s not a mermaid, is she?”

“Walking around on two legs in the middle of the day?” I asked. “What do you think?”

He shrugged, the beads on his dark-brown dreads clicking against each other as he moved. “If she got hold of a powerful enough spell, it’s possible.”

“Possible, but not likely,” I said. “And she wouldn’t use a powerful spell just to come buy a bathing suit.”

Jon laughed. “You got me there. So, what is she? There’s magic coming off of her in waves.”

“There is?” I asked.

Selkies could sometimes see magic pulsing around others like an aura of colors. I wondered what he was seeing when he looked at Eva.

“Yeah, big time,” he said. “My guess is witch, though I can’t quite tell what kind. She has a unique signature to her power, like nothing I’ve ever seen before.”

“How so?” I asked.

“It’s hard to explain in terms you would understand,” he said. “It’s more of a feeling, really, than anything else. Earth witches like the Tillmans have a very grounded energy. If I had to give it a color, I would say deep browns and earthy greens. But some other witches give off a higher frequency. More ethereal, like shimmering pinks and purples.”

“What are you getting from Eva?” I asked. In a way, I felt kind of guilty asking him about something that must be very private to her, but I was too curious to let it go.

He inhaled and shifted his weight. “I don’t know, man. Kind of a silvery white, I guess, if I had to put a color to it,” he said. “I’ve never encountered anything like it, but I’d say she’s pretty powerful.”

I fell silent, thinking about what he’d said. Did she know how powerful she was? And if so, why had she been so scared last night? She’d been running from something, and now she was acting like a kid who’d been let loose in a candy store. Like she was free for the first time in her life.

And maybe she was.

God, what had she been through?

A few minutes later, she reappeared wearing nothing but a white cover-up with a blue bathing suit underneath.

My eyes drifted to her long legs, and I cleared my throat. Damn, maybe seeing her in a bathing suit was a bad idea. It had been a very long time since I’d been this attracted to a woman, and I wasn’t sure I’d be able to handle myself around her.

“Do you think I need those tubey things?” she asked.

“It’s called a snorkel,” Lucy said with a laugh. “And I don’t think you’re gonna need one. With the temperature being what it is outside right now, I could venture a pretty good guess where Nik’s planning on taking you. You won’t need the snorkel, but the swim fins are a must.”

Eva frowned. “I’m not going to freeze to death in the water, am I?” she asked. “I imagine the ocean is pretty cold this time of year.”

“You’ll be fine,” I said. “Trust me.”

She tried to shrug, but she trembled slightly at the word trust. “Okay, so how much do I owe you?”

I waved her off. “My treat,” I said, but she wasn’t hearing it.

“No way,” she said. “You’ve done enough already. I’m fully capable of buying my own swimsuit, thank you very much.”

Lucy gave her a total, and Eva rummaged through her purse. She was being careful not to make a show of it, but I noticed the huge wad of cash in her bag. Now, where had she gotten that?

Earlier, she’d said she was running low, but from the looks of that roll of hundreds, she was doing just fine.

Not that it was my business, but she was a complete mystery. She’d either lied to me, or she’d come across a huge chunk of change since breakfast.

“You ready?” she asked.

“Definitely,” I said.

We thanked Lucy and Jon and headed back out to the boardwalk.

“I hope this place isn’t too far away,” she said. “It’s gotten warmer as the day has gone on, but I’m not used to cold weather.”

“It’s not too bad,” I said. “We just need to head to Drifter’s real quick to grab my gear, then we can walk down to my boat. It’ll only take a few minutes to get to where we’re going once we’re in the water.”

“Then let’s get walking,” she said.

Once I’d changed into my swim gear, I lifted up a panel of the floor board under my bed and reached inside. There were only two small bottles left of the aquamarine-colored potion. I took them both and ran downstairs to meet Eva.

I led us back to my boat on the docks. Some of the guys I normally worked with were there cleaning up after a long morning of fishing.

Another one of my friends here in town—Adam—raised an eyebrow as we approached. I should have known we wouldn’t be able to sneak away together without someone saying something about it.

“Well, hello there,” he said, his thick, dark hair falling into his eyes. “I’m Adam.”

“Eva,” she said, shaking his hand.

“Where are you guys off to this afternoon?” he asked with a pointed look at me. This was probably the first time he’d ever seen me with a woman, and a stranger at that. There would be lots of questions later, I was sure of it.

“I’m taking her for a swim out on the water,” I said, not giving more details than that.

Adam nodded and looked out into the distance. “It’s a good day for it, too, but it’s a bit cold,” he said. “The water’s breathtaking, though. So clear you can see all the way to the bottom.”

“Good,” I said. “I want to get going so we don’t end up out too late.”

“Have fun,” he said. He gave a slight bow. “Nice to meet you, Eva. Hope to see you again soon.”

“You too,” she said.

I climbed into my boat and offered her my hand.

She bit her lip and studied me. “You’re sure this is totally safe?” she asked.

“Don’t tell me you’ve never been in a boat before, either?”

“Never,” she said.

“I promise I’ll keep you safe,” I said.

She took a deep breath and then gave me her hand. She carefully stepped into the boat and then grabbed onto me as she nearly lost her balance. She laughed, and the sound rang out like pure joy, stirring something deep inside of me. I thought of how nice it would be to hear that sound every single day.

But then I remembered my conversation with Selena a few hours ago, and any hope of enjoying the sound of laughter quickly faded. I hadn’t realized just how much freedom I’d had over the past few years until she told me she was taking it away.

As soon as I was forced to move up to her castle, there would be someone watching my every move, telling me what to do and where to go at all times. I wasn’t sure I could live like that.

And all the friends I’d made here in town would be lost to me. I’d already lost everyone I cared about once. I didn’t want to have to go through that again.

“Whoa,” Eva said. “Where did you go just now? You look like someone just kicked your puppy.”

“Sorry.” I shook off thoughts of Selena and decided to enjoy the day while I still had the chance. “I got lost in a memory for a second there. Here, have a seat and get settled. I’m going to untie the boat and get us going. Hold on.”

Eva sat down on the cushioned bench near the middle of the boat and grabbed onto one of the sides. There was a mix of fear and excitement in her eyes.

“You ready?” I asked as I threw off the ropes and walked toward the back of the boat.

She nodded, wide-eyed.

“Then let’s go,” I said.

For the second time that day, I sped the boat out into open water, but instead of heading for the Willow Harbor borders, I turned right and took us past the boardwalk and the public beach, past the abandoned amusement park, and out past the old lighthouse.

I watched Eva’s profile as she sat in front of me and took in every bit of the view. Sometimes, she watched the town of Willow Harbor race by, and other times, she turned to look at the endless ocean that stretched toward the horizon. Her profile was striking, and her red hair flew behind her like a crimson banner in the wind.

Every once in a while, she glanced back at me and smiled, pure joy written across her face.

She had wrapped a blanket I kept in the boat around her body as we rode, but she hadn’t complained once about being cold or uncomfortable. She seemed to be loving the view, and I was loving watching her.

I had spent my life around gorgeous mermaids and sirens, but I had never met anyone as beautiful as Eva McKay. She was mysterious and feisty and strong. I wanted to know her. Really know her, but I was terrified of it, too.

Knowing her meant sharing my own story, and that was something I just couldn’t do. I didn’t want her to know the truth. Right now, she saw me as a strong, kind gentleman. Well, at least that’s how I hoped she saw me.

If she knew the truth about Selena and about what I did for her, she would probably turn around and run the other way.

But if she stayed, Eva would find out eventually. There was no way to hide it forever. If I was smart, I would have wished Eva luck and left it at that. Let her find her own way. But being with her made me feel hopeful and happy, when I had honestly thought I would never know happiness again.

As we approached the place I planned to show her, I hoped she would love this place as much as I did, and that I wasn’t making the dumbest mistake I’d made it a very long time.