Page 10

Bree

M y satchel jiggled, and Finley stuck his head out. He blinked once at me before communicating telepathically: Did you forget I was here?

I clamped a hand over my mouth to keep from letting out a laugh. I hadn’t forgotten he was with me, but I had certainly forgotten about his unique magic.

The axolotl shivered and the arcane sigils along his body glowed blue within the satchel. A moment later, we both disappeared from view.

It wasn’t true invisibility, though. More of a camouflaging like a chameleon. We blended in perfectly with the coral and sand, and I remained motionless, hoping beyond hope that his concealment spell would shield us from the sirens’ scrutiny.

The guards hovered above us, their gaze settling and lingering on the area where we hid. Fear coiled in my stomach as I questioned the wisdom of returning to the ocean, of risking exposure to the very beings who guarded these depths.

Seconds stretched into agonizing minutes, and then, as if deciding there was nothing amiss, the siren guards resumed their patrol and their song. The melody faded as they swam away.

Breathless and grateful for the narrow escape, I waited a few more minutes until they were completely out of sight.

I could ask Calypso about their appearance, but I had a strong suspicion that whatever response she gave wouldn’t be the truth.

I wasn’t even sure I’d get the truth about the talismans, but I had to try.

I pushed my thoughts toward Finley: Okay, let’s go.

He released his spell, bringing us both back into view. Then he wriggled deeper into the safety of my satchel. I pushed myself off the ocean floor and flipped my tail a few times to shake off any remaining sand.

I swam for the trench’s edge as quickly as I could and dove into the depths. The water grew darker and colder as I descended.

As I approached the entrance to the sea witch’s home, I spied two sand sharks among the coral—the witch’s creatures.

Like the last time I’d arrived, their black eyes glinted in the limited light that struggled to penetrate this far below the surface.

Each beast remained unnervingly still as if waiting for an opportune moment to strike.

Behind them, a series of tunnels designed to deceive and disorient intruders led deeper into the witch’s lair. Although I had been here twice before, a troubled feeling crept over me. The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end.

I was older now and supposedly wiser. Making a deal with the sea witch— another deal—had to be on a list of bad ideas somewhere. Maybe even the top of a list. I should know better than to push my luck.

But I couldn’t turn back now. I had to do this, if not for me, then for Marissa.

I squared my shoulders and passed through the archway of dead coral. The gnarled white fingers reached toward me as I entered the tunnel’s darkness.

Glowing phosphorus glistened along the coral walls, and a few fish darted close to the light, their bright hues easy to spot. The pulsating light cast a blue tint on my skin, adding to the otherworldly atmosphere.

The ocean here was cold and silent, holding its breath as if death itself watched and waited. Perhaps Calypso was death incarnate. Despite the drum of my panicked heartbeat, no other sound penetrated the depths of the witch’s home.

I followed the twists and turns I’d used previously until the tunnel opened into a vast chamber—the heart of the sea witch’s lair.

Shelves lined the dimly lit cavern walls, crammed with mysterious objects and strange concoctions.

In the center of it all stood a throne formed from twisted white coral that resembled bones.

Just like before, Calypso sat on her throne as if she were expecting me, which was impossible.

Wasn’t it?

The witch’s dark hair fanned out around her head like a tangled mass of snakes.

A reddish hue tinted her skin and scales, and her ribs stuck out prominently from her gaunt frame.

Flowing black seaweed covered most of her dark red serpentine tail, which was so long it curled around her throne. The end was nowhere in sight.

The sea serpent’s dark gaze was the most terrifying part about her. The bottomless depths of the oceans stared back, seductive in their mystery but promising a sure death if one swam too deep.

"Well, isn’t this quite the surprise?" Calypso’s full red lips curled up, revealing her fangs.

The very same fangs I had helped her recover ten years ago.

The ones I had stolen from my father. It wasn’t really a smile, more of a predatory look.

"To what do I owe the pleasure after, what, nine years or so? "

I wasn’t as na?ve as the first time we met. Well, I hoped I wasn’t, anyway. But she knew exactly how long it had been.

I reached into my satchel and pulled the talisman free. Finley remained hidden inside. "The talismans are failing when you said they would last forever."

"Oh, dear." She drew her eyebrows together and held out a crimson hand. "Let me see it."

I dropped the tooth necklace into her palm, avoiding her wickedly sharp claws.

She clenched the talisman in her fist and closed her eyes. After a moment, she pierced me with her dark gaze again. "Dreadful news, I’m afraid. It seems one item you collected for the spell had been tainted somehow. Impure. The spell will continue to fail because of it."

I accepted the talisman back from her and scrutinized it. "What do you mean ‘ tainted ?’ I got exactly what you asked for."

"Yes, my child, but you must have damaged the piece of seaweed cloak somehow. Did you seal it in a clamshell for protection before bringing it to me, like I’d explained?"

The seaweed in question came from one of the rarest plants in the entire ocean. Similar to Finley’s magic, the plant’s properties rendered itself and anything under it invisible, which made it invaluable as a fabric. That scrap had come from a cloak hanging in my palace’s Hall of Mysteries.

My mouth slammed shut. All of this, everything we’d worked so hard to achieve over the past ten years, would be lost because of a simple error. I hadn’t sealed it in a clamshell, even though she’d told me it would be wise to protect it.

But there was a big difference between should and must . I hadn’t realized failing to seal it would alter the spell and cause it to fail. Now we were destined to return to the sea because of a careless mistake.

My careless mistake.

Devastation gripped my stomach in a vise, clenching painfully.

There was no way I could pay the witch to make new talismans or even fix our current ones.

The only way I could even try would be to beg my father for payment or for him to create them for us, and neither of those options was going to happen.

I had failed. Worse, I had failed my sister. I had made a promise to our mother before she died to protect Marissa, no matter what, and I couldn’t even do that.

I’d let Frankie down, Dominic, and now my sister.

My heart was about to shatter.

"I may have a solution for you." The corners of the witch’s blood-red lips tilted up slowly as if tasting something delicious. "But, as with everything worthwhile, it’ll cost you."

"What solution?" Apparently, I was a sucker for pain. There was no chance I could afford her price, but I had to know what she proposed.

Calypso slid off her throne and swam toward me, curling her tail around my waist in a way-too-friendly move. It was weird and unnerving, but I remained still.

"I happen to have a potion on hand that would allow you to change shapes at will…permanently."

My pulse raced as the possibilities of such a life ran through my mind. Never having to worry about wearing a talisman again? Never fearing what would happen if someone removed it or if it broke? She was talking about a dream come true for Marissa and me.

"There’s just one tiny catch—I only have enough for one of you." Calypso pouted. "It’s extremely difficult to create."

Of course there was a catch. "Why didn’t you offer it the first time I visited?"

"It was a risky spell I’d never tried before.

I couldn’t possibly test it on you first, especially if it had deadly consequences.

Your father would’ve done far worse than banishing me.

" She still pouted, but the glint in her gaze didn’t match the look.

"Thankfully, I’ve had plenty of years since then to fine-tune the spell. It works beautifully now. Perfectly."

Her reasoning made sense, but I still felt uneasy. Like she was hiding or holding something back from me, which was more than likely true. Her pitying expression gave nothing away.

However, my paranoia could have been jumping into high gear, seeing danger where there was none. But it could have been my intuition just as easily. Unfortunately, I didn’t have any other options but forward. I couldn’t afford to get stuck in analysis paralysis right now.

"What would your price be?"

Calypso’s gaze traced my figure from head to tail. "You."

I blinked. That was certainly not what I expected. "Excuse me?"

"The price is you. You will remain here with me."

"Like, as your partner?" I swallowed the knot forming in my throat. "Or as a…a sex slave?"

Her lips curled up into an amused smirk. "Neither, sweet child. I have no need for such things. No, you will simply be mine to do with as I please. You will obey my every command."

Her price was too high. And yet…

…it was a price I could afford. She wasn’t asking for gold or priceless artifacts. She simply wanted me .

Okay, sure, it was an odd request. Beyond odd. She wanted me to be her slave, just not for sex, thankfully. If she was telling the truth, anyway, which was highly questionable. I wouldn’t dwell on that for too long and hope for the best.

But why me?

Was this some sort of weird revenge against my father? Would she use me as a slave to get back at him for exiling her and her kind?

The more I thought about it, the more it seemed too easy.

What was I missing?

"Why me?" I asked. "Surely there’s something out there you want more than just a cleaner fish."

A darkness gathered in her eyes, a swirling tempest of emotions. But it was gone in a blink. She smiled and plucked a bottle off a shelf. "You are my price. Take it or leave it."

She tossed the bottle to me as though I’d already agreed. I stared at the contents swirling within. This was the key to saving Marissa, this small potion in my hands.

How could I not do this for her?

Agony twisted at my heart as the weight of the life I would leave behind pressed against my chest. The quiet mornings, the freedom I’d fought so hard to claim—they’d vanish the moment I agreed.

For my sister, I’d give up everything. I had to. But as the words formed on my tongue, a jagged ache clawed at my ribs and silenced me. I didn’t want to say yes. Not this time. Not when the price was everything I’d fought for—the fragile little life I’d finally called mine.

Not only that, but I’d be giving up a chance to see if maybe, just maybe, I could fix things with Dominic. Dive headfirst into the potential for love. The kind of fairytale I’d only fantasized about.

But that was just it. It was a fairytale. A fantasy. What I’d experienced with Dominic was likely the result of raging hormones after a nearly celibate life. Nothing more…

Right?

I needed to stop analyzing it because this wasn’t about me. It couldn’t be. There was only one way forward, and I was wasting time I didn’t have.

"Okay." I met the witch’s gaze. "You have a deal."

Her grin was almost feral, madness swirling within her eyes. "Wise choice, child. We’ll go over all the formalities later, but for now, simply sign here."

With a snap of her whip-like tail, a piece of parchment appeared before me, floating in the water. The script was tiny and difficult to read but covered just about everything I could think of. A line at the bottom indicated where I needed to sign.

"How do I sign it?" I looked around for something to write with.

Her tail wrapped around my wrist in a deadly grip, pulling my arm toward her. Before I could yank it back, she sliced my thumb with a claw.

"Hey!" I tugged at my arm, which she released.

"Sign with your blood."

This was it. My last chance to change my mind. But my decision had been made the day my mother had died.

Without another thought, I gulped and smeared my blood across the line.

The paper rolled up by itself and drifted into Calypso’s hand. "Add in a strand of your sister’s hair and get her to drink it. She must drink every last drop. Then you only need to return to me."

There wasn’t much in the bottle, so I didn’t expect to have too much trouble getting Marissa to drink it. I would just have to mix it with something like one of her protein shakes.

I frowned. "How did you know I’d give it to Rissa?"

"Oh, child," her sinister gaze pierced mine, "that was never in question."

As I turned to leave, I paused. "But how do you know I’ll return?"

" So many questions." Her tone dripped with condescension. "As with all my contracts, breaking it comes with near-fatal consequences. Should you attempt to flee… Well, trust me—it won’t be pretty."

Gripping the potion tight, I swam away.