Jonathan Carter, filled with hate from a childhood incident, cares only about keeping the Klan strong on the island. Cali Waters, still grieving for her husband who died from a Klan attack, longs to use her healing gift instead of being the Carter family cook. When a hurricane threatens the hospital Jon started to build, an injury puts his life in her hands and a chance to heal more than his flesh.

Jonathan’s sister, Mary, is tired of the sheltered existence she’s lived since being raped. When Jimmy Clark, a black oyster shucker, rescues her during the hurricane, she heals from his gentle love. But if her brother finds out, both relationships will be put to a test fiercer than any storm.

But he didn’t hear Cali soon enough. The projectile slammed into his spine, knocking him against the corner of the building. His neck caught on metal sheeting, which ripped open his flesh. Despite the heavy rain, red bloomed from the gash with alarming speed. His gray eyes widened before he lurched toward the ground.

She tripped over her feet as she rushed to his side to break his fall. “Lean on me. We have to get you inside.”

Her small body staggered under his weight as she half dragged and half walked him into the structure. She risked injuring him more by moving him, but he needed warmth and shelter to survive the shock. After finding the nearest clean patch of floor, she eased him down to it.

Blood already soaked the collar of his white shirt, and his skin was paler than a sheet of ice. If she didn’t do something—and quickly—Jonathan Carter would die.

For a few moments, Cali froze, staring at his life bleeding away. The most bigoted man on Oyster Island was in her hands. If he died, the hatred here would end with him. No more crosses burned on Crab Creek.

Ernest’s face popped into her mind—bloodshot eyes, cheeks lined with pain, and lips cracked from the ragged breaths he took. The Klan had whipped him for hours, turning his entire back into a slab of raw meat.

Jonathan writhed on the rough wooden floor, clutching his neck with a shaky hand.

“I should let you die,” she whispered, not quite loud enough for him to hear.

A shuddering sigh swept through her, making her totter on her feet. The spirits had spoken. She couldn’t let anyone die. The healer in her wouldn’t allow it. Besides, she’d seen good sides of the man. Granted, there weren’t many, but the hospital would benefit Oyster Harbor for years. Mary had already been through so much. Losing the brother who loved her might finally send her over the edge.

Kissing him had forged its own bond. One she’d rather not admit.

His eyelashes fluttered. “H-help me.”

Her body flew into movement all at once as if breaking out of a shell. Because it was handiest, she pulled off the kerchief from her head, folded it, and pressed it into his cold, quivering grip, which she guided to his neck.

“Can you hold this in place while I find some supplies?”

He obeyed, but when she leaned close to help him, she discovered his breaths came too fast. They sounded like sandpaper.

“Does your chest hurt, Jonathan?” she asked.

His wheezy grunt and cough were answer enough. Hitting the building must have broken a rib…and punctured his lung.

Pneumothorax. The fancy word from one of Dr. Green’s books popped into her mind. It meant collapsed lung. Jonathan needed a hospital so he could get a chest x-ray, oxygen, and antibiotics.

She peered out at the destruction wrought by the hurricane and winced. The roads were too flooded for driving. Leaving Jon’s side to find help would be risky. Most people had evacuated Oyster Harbor, including the doctor, most likely. Given her healing skills, Jon had the best chance right here, under her care.

Cali had always wanted to do medical work in the new hospital, but not this way. Like it or not, her biggest test had arrived.

Shelley Fields, once a spoiled high school beauty queen, has dedicated her life to helping her pack. In public, she ridiculed Alan because of peer pressure, but secretly, she longed for her mate. When he returns, she confesses her true feelings, but Alan has no intention of staying where he doesn’t belong.

Meanwhile, Curtis—his rival—has a score to settle, and threats from a rival pack are standing everyone’s fur on end. Terrified of the beast inside, Alan is desperate to return to his safe life, but is leaving his mate, kin, and pack in danger worth the price?

The bed of the truck was full of rakes, shovels, and fruit and vegetable bins.

“You’ve got enough tools back there to supply food for the whole pack,” he commented.

"I pretty much do,” she replied. “I bought a farm with money I inherited from my daddy after he died in the attack. My mom and I do most of the work.”

Luckily, the other cars were already gone, giving them some privacy. He wiped his knuckles across his mouth, grimacing at the sore scabs. He was Scabs again, all right. Here he sat in Moonlight, Florida, feeling like the biggest failure who ever lived. His life in northern Virginia might have been dull, but at least he’d felt worthwhile. Like a man. No different than the others around him.

Despite his snaggly mouth, she’d looked ready to kiss him out there in the woods. The moon must have played tricks on him. She’d never wanted him. He’d hoped she would’ve grown up over the years, but the rest of the pack sure hadn’t. They’d acted like a bunch of schoolyard bullies in the diner, and he’d let them push his buttons again. Maybe he hadn’t grown up, either.

Did she need reassurance she remained sexy by getting every man she came across to drool at her feet? She merely had to look in a mirror. Whatever game she played with him now, he didn’t want any part of it.

He tipped his head and inhaled the air. Ever since their almost kiss, he’d gotten drunk off her unique scent—one he’d remembered over the years. It reminded him of a sweet, juicy orange. Inside the truck, it smelled stronger than it had been in the woods. The arousal in it, rich as a slab of key lime pie, stood out as obvious as his erection.

Knowing he made her hot helped make up for his crappy reception in the diner, but he had to focus on Dad. Miss Prom Queen wasn’t going to make a fool out of him a second time.

Turning the Tide: A Siren's Revenge - mermaid shifter romance for Decadent Publishing's Wiccan Haus series