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“Yeah. I probably should have said that differently. Soulara says she’s been working on a way for you to breathe under the water for longer periods of time and not…” Hudson tried to remember what Soulara had said and how she’d explained it, but it was so technical and her brain just didn’t comprehend those sorts of things. “…not squish your skull.”

“Oh, because of the pressure. Yeah, she said that she’d been working on something, but I don’t think she’s anywhere close to being finished.”

“She is,” Hudson said. She’d made sure to check because of the question she was going to ask. Hudson rolled her shouldersand leaned back a little. “What do you know about mermaid bonding ceremonies?”

Autumn scrunched her face up. “No clue what that is.”

Nodding slowly, Hudson folded her hands in her lap and then immediately pulled them apart. Her nerves were getting the best of her. She’d much rather stand up and go to war again than face this. “Bonding ceremonies are fairly private affairs. Not big, only those involved and one other person to honor and support them. So depending on how many mers are bonding, there are twice that amount of people.”

“Okay, I’m still confused,” Autumn said, her voice dropping at the end.

Hudson knew she wasn’t doing a good job explaining this, but she’d never really had to explain it to anyone before. Bonding ceremonies were just a thing that everyone knew about…well, they had been until the humans had shown up.

“I’m not very good at this. Kyree would be so much better at it. When two or more mers love each other, and usually it’s more, they officiate that love with a bonding ceremony.”

“Oh! Like a wedding.” Autumn nodded in understanding. “We have something similar on Earth.”

“Okay, so the point is that Honour, Kyree, and I are going to have a bonding ceremony.”

“Oh my God! Congratulations!” Autumn grinned broadly and stood up, wrapping Hudson in yet another hug. This time, however, it felt so different from before. This one was warm and comforting. It was filled with gratitude and familiarity.

This had been what Hudson had wanted all along, wasn’t it? The support and family that she’d never had with the Talons?

“Uh…thanks.” Still she knew she was awkward about it all. Battle was definitely her forte. Not this emotional crap—though she’d gotten way better at it in the last few seasons. Even Cryloc had commented on it.

“I wish I could be there,” Autumn finally said, pulling back and giving Hudson a bit more space.

“I want you there.Wewant you there,” she corrected at the last minute. This wasn’t just her asking. It was Honour and Kyree and Soulara. Soulara would be there for Honour, and Kaelin would be there for Kyree, but that left Hudson. She’d originally wanted to ask Cryloc, and while she knew he would do it, she figured it would be out of mere obligation and not actual support that she wanted and needed.

This was her taking a step that she hadn’t managed to take with Kyree and Honour before. And that was only because they weren’t the ones that she could take this step with. Hudson had to make her own family, and this was where she’d chosen to start that path.

“I want you to come for me.”

“To support you?” Autumn raised an eyebrow, pushing a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

“Yes.” Hudson worried her lower lip. “I need someone to stand with me.”

“You need me or you want me?” Autumn crossed her arms defensively.

“I want you to.” That was the first time Hudson had admitted that to herself or anyone else. “I want you to be there to support me.”

“Then I’ll go…if I can, that is.”

“You can.” Hudson’s lips turned upward at that. “Soulara promises she’ll be done with whatever mechanism she’s working on.”

“Perfect!” Autumn clapped her hands together. “Are there any other traditions I should know about? Like am I supposed to get you a gift or something?”

“A gift?” Hudson furrowed her brow. “What’s that?”

“Like a present. Like I find something you might like and then give it to you.”

“We don’t do that.” Hudson wrinkled her nose. “Besides, I wouldn’t ask you to do something like that. I’m asking you for a huge favor, I wouldn’t then expect you to give more than your time for something I want.”

“Or something you need?” Autumn added, no doubt wanting to double check the confirmation that Autumn wasn’t just going out of a misguided obligation.

“Yes, need and want.” Hudson smiled slightly. “I don’t have family here, and you’re the closest thing I have to a friend. I’d like to be closer as sirens, if you’d like that.”

“Absolutely.” Autumn smiled again. “I need a friend too.”

“Perfect.”

“So what exactly does a bonding ceremony look like?”

Hudson grinned broadly. She wouldn’t spend hours explaining it like Kyree might, but the little she was going to give would be enough. And it would be beautiful, especially with all six of them there to honor each other and the relationships and lives that they were building together.

“Oh, it’s going to be amazing,” Hudson leaned back into the soft cushion. “It’s going to blow your mind!”