The coronation is over.
But the battle has just begun.
Nerissa Marin has won her crown. But can she keep it? Already, her ties to the human realm are driving a wedge between Nerissa and her people. When word arrives that her part-human prince consort, Lo, has been poisoned, she makes the difficult choice to leave Waterfell and return landside. As the royal courts debate her decision, even more disturbing rumors surface: a plot is rising against her, led by someone she least expects.
On land, Nerissa learns another shocking truth—Lo does not remember who she is. As her choice to try to save him threatens her hold on her crown, changing loyalties and uncertainty test her courage in ways she could never have imagined. Nerissa will have one last chance to prove herself as a queen…and save the undersea kingdom she loves.
“It’s good to see you, Lo,” I whisper against his neck.
As if a spell has been broken, Lo pulls away, his eyes narrowing a fraction in frustration as he struggles to remember. “So you’re Nerissa? Bertha told me that we were friends.”
“Friends,” I repeat, hearing my own voice break slightly on the word.
“We went to school together, right? Dover?”
I swallow hot bile at his nervous recitation. Even prepared, his reaction comes as a shock. I don’t even want to look at Bertha or Grayer, or even Echlios. I don’t want to see the expressions on their faces. Instead I smile through trembling cheeks and watery eyes. “Yes. We met at Dover. You don’t remember me at all?”
The look in his eyes is tortured, as if he’s struggling to place me in his head. “There’s a part of me that feels like it does know you,” he says, gesturing to his chest. “But I can’t remember it here.” His fingers jerk to his head and then flutter to his sides in a defeated motion. “I’m sorry.”
Praise for Amalie Howard and Waterfell, book 1 of The Aquarathi
“Howard has crafted a page-turning blend of magical realism and fantasy.… Plot shifts, surprises, and a love affair not yet fully realized sets readers up for the second in the fascinating trilogy.”
—Booklist
“A fantastical surf-and-turf romance.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“Exhilarating, romantic, and totally unique, Waterfell is an absolute page-turner!”
—Kristi Cook, New York Times bestselling author of the Winterhaven series
Books by Amalie Howard available from MIRA Ink
The Aquarathi
(in reading order)
WATERFELL
OCEANBORN
Oceanborn
Amalie Howard
For my brothers, Gian Kris and Givan Kyle, who are the true ninjas.
Contents
25 Girlfriends, Grenades and Goodbye