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Part One

The Fault Line

“The sea is emotion incarnate It loves, hates, and weeps It defies all

attempts to capture it ords and rejects all shackles No matter

what you say about it, there is always that which you can’t”

—Christopher Paolini

Chapter 1

“Te just in tiest brother careen down the hill on his latest obsession, I couldn’t help wincing at the fall I kneas co

“You couldn’t just get him a surfboard like a nor behind me on the front porch, his knees on either side of my waist and his arms loosely clasped around my shoulders

“He already has three Where’s the fun in that?”

I watched anxiously as Moku crashed into the neighbors’ ee cans for what had to be the twentieth tiirlfriend, maybe?”

He snuggled closer, kissed hly overrated”

“Obviously” Turning ive him better access, I shivered a little as his lips brushed overback to my jawline

At the first touch of his breath against my ear, I relaxed into him; I couldn’t help it I hadn’t seen Mark in weeks, and it felt so good to be held by him, to feel the steady beat of his heart under my ear It had been four months since I’d promised Mark we’d try to work out a relationship, and I’d spentback and forth between Coral Straits and hoo—I’d barely arrived hoift of the skateboard If I’d been here, that never would have happened

He could accuseoverprotective as much as he wanted, but after what Tiamat the evil sea bitch had done to Moku last year in an effort to get to ured I was allowed

“You tired, baby?”

“No,” I said with a shake of h I was It was hard not to be when I was balancing two totally different lives And since I couldn’t give up either way of life—at least, not if I ever planned on looking ht But I tried to ignore that, to concentrate on the little things, like Mark’s warm pine and coconut scent

“You sure? We don’t have to go out tonight”