Returning: Episode I

Mira is a mermaid on a mission.

It's time to leave the ocean. Mira Belshaw has been at sea for... well, she doesn't know how many years. It's hard to keep track of time when you live in the ocean. But after enough time, the salt water triggers the desire to procreate, and her time is up.

For weeks, she's been swimming north. Finding a mate is the most important thing to her right now, and to do that, she has to return to the place where she was last human - the coastal city of Saltford.

Equipped with everything she needs to lure her perfect mate and produce a strong siren child, all she needs is the opportunity to mingle with humans. But when she meets Nathan MacAuley, the ONE, things start to go sideways...

The Mira's Return trilogy is a companion series and prequel to The Elemental Origins Series, a teen fantasy adventure series by an award-winning author.

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The sound of his voice resonated through my core, vibrating like he'd plucked a tightly wound string running through me from head to toe. My head snapped up. "I parked in the middle of a dump thinking it was just a nice little cul-de-sac, perfect place for some shut-eye," the voice continued. "I woke up to grunting noises and opened my eyes to six grizzlies eating garbage all around my truck." He laughed and the sound warmed me all over.A new scent drifted my way - pine trees and sawdust, and him. I gripped the table at the sudden wave of desire that coursed through me. I turned around to face the voice.He was shucking his coat and laughing while he told Phil his story. The table of men lifted their beers to welcome their friend and I heard a few of them call, "Nathan! Welcome home buddy!"Nathan.I was half-hidden in an alcove. The Sea Dog had many such nooks, modelled after a ship like it was. I stared at him from the shadows.He was wearing a simple zip up cotton sweater, jeans, work boots, and a baseball cap. The clipped beard and the hair curling out from under his hat was the colour of copper. His cheeks were flushed and pink from the crisp autumn air. Nathan doffed his cap and threw it on the hat rack beside the door. He had broad shoulders, long legs and arms, a lean stomach, a broad jaw, straight teeth, big hands... my eyes took in all of this biological information and then moved to his expression. His face communicated a kind heart, a sweetness not seen in most male faces. He greeted each of the men at the table by name and with genuine care. He shook hands, slapped backs, and even hugged.Here was a man who could love and father my child. Here was a man I could love.Nathan turned a chair backwards and sat down facing his friends, laughing and talking.Phil slung Nathan's canvas jacket over the back of a chair and looked around. He spotted me. "Mira, do you mind pouring Nathan a pint? He likes the bitter."I came to life. I went behind the bar, took a beer glass, and pumped the tap the way Phil had taught me. I filled the glass carefully, ensuring the head was just the right size. I walked over to the table to deliver the bitter, my eyes on Nathan alone. I couldn't have looked elsewhere if I had tried. I had found him. I was in shock at how quickly it had happened, but there was no denying it. Nathan was my guy.Nathan saw me in his periphery as I set his beer on the table in front of him. He turned and looked into my eyes. My heart thudded painfully like I was trying to swallow something lodged in my chest.Rich dark brown eyes, warm and soft. Dark lashes with blonde tips. Copper coloured eyebrows.My mother's voice played through my mind: If there is a man alive who can resist the call of a siren when she's got her sights set on him, I haven't met him.

If you like Melissa Meyer, Tamora Pierce, Leia Stone, Cassandra Clare, Lauren Kate, Stephenie Meyer, Becca Fitzpatrick, or Michelle Madow, you will Love AL Knorr


Genre: Fantasy