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“No, it wasn’t. And I’m sorry for every time I blamed you.” I gave her cold hands a light squeeze.

“Don’t apologize, Trina. I wasn’t there for you. I never protected you from anything. And no matter the reason, I will never get over that.” She leaned forward, tears now streaming down her face in ribbons. “I’m here for you now, and I swear I’ll spend every day making up for the mother I couldn’t be when you were younger.”

“Mom...”

“No.” She sniffed, reaching for my scar and brushing it softly with her thumb. “You don’t get to stop me.”

“Okay, okay,” I hugged her, whispering into her hair that smelled faintly of lavender and clean linen. I wanted to cherish the moment, but I couldn’t stop worrying about how I’d keep my mermaid mom from diving overboard the next time her siren side returned.

16

Coral

Bellamy

It wasn’t the end of the world, but Grace Delmar running loose on this ship made me uneasy. The last thing we needed was someone else getting in the way of this longer-than-anticipated journey. I couldn’t forgive myself if something happened to Katrina’s mom under my watch. Katrina would never forgive me, even though she’d say she would. But I couldn’t live with myself if that happened.

But I was done fighting her for it. Let her unstable mom join us. Just as long as she didn’t slow us down. Milo’s fate depended on our timing, but I didn’t need to remind Katrina of that. Still, I couldn’t help but wonder if Milo wasn’t the only one who could be saved. If this goddess could turn back time, maybe she could bring back Serena, too.

Maybe that’s what the numbers meant. Perhaps Serena was leaving me a clue, too. Maybe she didn’t realize it. Or maybe she was guiding me even in death. Maybe this was one last “I love you.” The coordinate numbers flashed before my mind, conjuring up images of her looking up at me, her brown eyes shining as she wished me goodbye each morning when I had to return to my doomed ship.

I had to be crazy to think it wasn’t just a coincidence. There was no way…

So I pushed the engine to speed up against the winds fighting against us. This was one last thing I could do for Serena. She would tell me to do everything I could to save Milo. After all, he tried to help me stop Valdez from killing her. He tried, and failed just like I did. But maybe her helping me save him was just her way of saying she forgave us. She had too much passion in her heart for bitterness.

“When I’m diving, it’s like I’m home after being gone for far too long. Like I was meant to be underwater. There’s nothing like it.”

“I love hearing you talk about it,” I said, kissing her forehead. “I love hearing you talk about anything.” We lay in the sand together, secluded, letting the tide wash away the evidence of our time together. Serena sat up, making swirling motions with her finger on my shirtless chest, a plump smile forming on her dark lips that were swollen from kissing. “Now that we’ve had our fun, I can tell you the news.”

“What is it?” I raised up as well, propping myself up on my elbow.

“I got the job. I’m going to be the mermaid at Buenavista! Mrs. Gutierrez said I was the best audition!” Her eyes lit up brighter than the moonlight as she spoke. I couldn’t restrain my grin.

“I knew you would. The way you take to the water. You’re as close to a real mermaid as they can hope to get.” I winked. “So when will you start?”

“In a few days when my tail comes in. I wish I had a picture. It’s gorgeous! She even let me pick the color.”

“Let me guess,” I breathed in her tropical scent—leaning closer to her, playing with a tight coil of curls at the end of one of her braids. “Orange.”

“Coral, to be specific,” she smirked.

I rolled my eyes with a grin. “Coral,” I repeated. “It only makes sense. You’ll look beautiful, as always.”

“You have to come see my first show.” Serena grabbed my arm teasingly, but I froze at her words. “You’ll come, won’t you?”

How could I tell her I couldn’t? We’d been meeting like this under the night sky for weeks now, and I’d never told her the truth about me. About why I could only meet her at night. She’d never asked.

“The shows are…during the day?” I asked.

“Well, most of them. Sometimes they’ll be in the evening. But the first one will be on opening day next Saturday. Please come.”

I straightened, shaking the sand off my back and rubbing my face with a grunt.

“What? What’s wrong?” Serena asked.

I really considered just diving in the water and becoming a ghost, fading with the sea foam and disappearing. And I might’ve done just that if I hadn’t already tethered myself to this girl through unforgettable night after night.

“I have something to tell you,” I said, taking her delicate face in my hands. She bore into me with those big, innocent eyes beneath perfect dark lashes. I hesitated, but I somehow managed to tell her that I’d been dead for centuries and was bound to the night. And true to that wild and fearless nature of hers, she didn’t care.