Page 145 of The Nymph Prince

“It’s our souls that are connected. Not our bodies.”

When sleep claimed me at last, I dreamed of green valleys and a small cottage on a hill.

34

Alek

“I cannot.” I shook my head, staring down at my body.

“Yes, you can,” Lorcan encouraged, tugging on my arm and pulling me deeper into the water. “Since you’re in the body of a merman, you can transform. The first time is hard, but you’ll get used to it. Close your eyes and focus on the water on your skin.”

I did as he instructed and closed my eyes, feeling myself being pulled farther out into the sea. The water was warm and inviting. It lapped at my thighs and eventually my stomach and chest as Lorcan continued to guide me.

The warriors had already ducked beneath the waves and were on their way to Avalontis. Only Lorcan, our friends, and I remained.

“I feel like a fool.”

“You look like one, too,” Reif grumbled from in front of me.

I opened my eyes to glare at him. “No one asked you.”

He cracked a smile, stretching the scar on his face. “If you can rise from the dead, you can do this, boy.”

I silently mocked him, earning a light slap from Lorcan.

“Be nice,” the nymph said. He hadn’t transformed yet. The rest of them had, though, and waited for me in the deep water. “I believe in you, sweetheart.”

Narrowing my eyes at him, I puffed out a breath of air.

“You are utterly adorable,” he said before pulling me in for a kiss. I worried he didn’t like me in this body, but he treated me exactly as he had before. He broke our kiss and rubbed his nose to mine. “Remember. Close your eyes, focus on the feel of the water, and become one with the sea. Watch me.”

I’d watched him transform many times and could recall every detail by memory. The beautiful way his body lengthened, how he gracefully turned in the water as his legs became a tail, and how fins formed on his lower arms. He was mesmerizing.

Mine.

“Your turn,” he said, peeking up at me. His green and blue tail flicked behind him as he dove under.

I watched the shadow of him move beneath the water and approach me. When he stroked my leg, I grinned and gently kicked him away. His wound had closed and only caused him a little discomfort.

You wouldn’t have known he was in pain, though, by the way he smiled.

I visualized Lorcan’s transformation, focusing on the beautiful curves of his lean body as he became one with his true self. The water kissed my skin. Or was that Lorcan?

I cracked open an eyelid to see him grazing his teeth over my abdomen beneath the water. Little demon. He grinned before shooting backward, flicking his tail toward me. The force of it made the water ripple and tickle my skin.

After blocking out the many distractions—Lorcan being a playful imp and Reif and Malik grumbling at me—I felt a change in my body. The transformation didn’t hurt like I thought it might. I’d imagined bones twisting and grinding together, but it was more like when you stretched from sitting too long.

My muscles extended, not an unpleasant sensation by any means, and my legs tingled. I dunked beneath the water, still with my eyes closed, and allowed my body to guide me. It knew what it had to do; I just had to surrender.

A burst of energy shot through me, traveling from my head and to my toes before moving back to my chest. I moved my arms through the water and dashed forward faster than I ever had on my own.

Wait.

I could breathe.

Opening my eyes, I saw Lorcan floating in front of me. His green eyes stared at me with awe.

“You’re beautiful,” he said.