Page 24

Bree

T he darkness inside the whale’s mouth was nearly absolute, broken only by faint streaks of sunlight filtering through the baleen like beams through stained glass windows.

As the whale’s powerful body surged through the ocean depths, water sloshed rhythmically against the rubbery walls.

The motion was both soothing and disorienting, and I clung to the ridged flesh of his tongue.

For the first time in weeks, I felt like I could breathe. Which was an interesting thought, considering where I was. But here, within this cavernous mouth, I wasn’t just hiding—I was part of something greater, something untouchable.

The whale loosened his jaws to filter-feed, the rush of water filling the chamber and flooding my senses. Sunlight and plankton danced in the currents. Outside, the open ocean called, endless and wild, and the ache in my chest sharpened.

Cradled inside this massive creature, I had never felt so insignificant, so weightless, and yet…

…so alive .

As the whale closed his mouth again, a soft blue glow illuminated the inside.

Pretty cool, huh? Finley spun around me, showing off the arcane symbols scattered across his skin.

I knew he didn’t mean the glow, since that was nothing new. The symbols were unique to luminara axolotls and were the key to their magic, appearing shortly after birth. His glow had been a welcome nightlight for Marissa and me while growing up.

The pretty cool thing he referred to was the whale. As in hitching a ride to freedom inside the literal belly of a whale—well, mouth. And yes, it was pretty cool.

"Where’s he taking us?" I asked as I swept a hand across the baleen plates. They needed a good scrubbing.

Finley let out a contented sigh and settled on my shoulder. Home .

Relief didn’t even cover it. The crushing weight of shame and dread that had been dragging me down, tethered to me like a stone to a drowning sailor, was finally gone. “How did you find me?”

You’ve been around humans for too long. His frills fluttered with amusement. Sea creatures notice many things, even siren things. Their gossip came in handy.

Well, that explained the dolphins showing up with the whales. Dolphins were notorious for being the gossip queens of the underwater world.

“As much as I wish you’d listened to me and stayed with Rissa, I’m more glad you didn’t. Thank you.” Gently, I brushed Finley’s cheek with my own.

I’d known that luminara axolotls could speak with most sea creatures, whereas sirens were mostly limited to our own kind.

But I had no idea this little guy could amass a small army of dolphins and whales and convince them to attack a siren palace like battering rams. My unexpected and timely escape had been a planned rescue by the teensiest of heroes.

I owed him my life, as well as the giant one carrying us across the ocean. How could I ever repay them? Finley, the whale, all the creatures that had risked themselves for me. I wasn’t used to needing a rescue.

The darkness and rocking movement of the water soon lulled me into a doze, which wasn’t that hard considering the day I’d had. I curled up on the whale’s tongue and closed my eyes.

What felt like only a few moments later, Finley nudged me awake. We’re here .

I frowned, groggy. That was impossible. The Thalasses kingdom was farther east than the Naftes kingdom. Even with a whale’s speed, it should have taken us several hours, at least.

The whale opened his mouth to let us out, and I had to squint against the bright light streaming down from the ocean’s surface. Sure enough, we were close to the Delaware shore. I had slept much longer than I thought.

After thanking and saying goodbye to the whale, I turned my gaze toward the distant horizon where my father’s kingdom lay. The sea witch might be on her way there already. To do what, I didn’t know exactly, but I couldn’t escape my duty much longer.

Although there wasn’t a siren alive who could have kept up with a whale, I didn’t stop swimming until I reached the safety of the shore, convinced Ateleíotes’ sirens would catch me at any moment.

We arrived in the morning, a few hours before the attempted wedding thanks to crossing time zones, and before crowds of people would line the Delaware beach.

After bobbing at the surface for a few minutes to ensure no one would see me, I hauled myself, tail and all, across the sand to where I’d stored my bag, hoping it was still there.

I wasn’t even sure how long it had been since I’d tucked it away. Two weeks? Maybe three? Anyone could have found and stolen it, or a storm could have buried it or washed it away.

My heart thumped wildly as I felt through the tall grasses, glancing up and down the beach every few seconds. I had no idea what I would do if my bag was gone. There was no way I could ask for help while scales and a flopping tail gave me away, and Finley would need help to get back to Marissa.

At last, I felt the fabric bag under a pile of sand.

I tugged it toward me and grabbed my phone out of the plastic bag I’d stored it in.

Fumbling it in trembling hands, I managed to turn it on and breathed a sigh of relief that a smidge of battery remained.

I ignored the hundreds of missed calls and messages and immediately called Marissa.

Her groggy voice answered on the third ring. "Who the fuck is this?"

I gasped. "Marissa! Language!"

A clatter sounded through the phone, followed by a shriek. "Bree? Is that you? For real?"

"Yes, but I need you to listen closely and follow my directions exactly. Do you understand?"

"Yes."

Well, that was a first. My absence must have really scared her. Or maybe it was my tone that made her agree so easily. Either way, I couldn’t worry about comforting her just yet.

"Bring your talisman to the location I send you as soon as possible." I dropped her a pin of my location. "I’ll explain everything when you get here, but my phone’s nearly out of battery."

"Okay, but Bree?"

"Yes?"

She sniffled. "I love you so freaking much, but I will kill you if you ever pull a stunt like this again."

I choked back a sob and laughed. "I love you too. Now come get me."

Only two hours later—a speed which suggested my little sister had not obeyed any driving laws—Marissa ran onto the sand. Her frantic gaze darted around the area.

I waved from my place in the water, where I’d had to retreat once a few beachgoers had shown up. Getting caught with my tail on full display was not on my to-do list today, even if I could try to play it off like I was one of those professional mermaids just testing out a new tail.

No, best to play it safe. There would be too many questions. Besides, I wasn’t sure how convincing I’d be without a photographer capturing my every move for social media.

Marissa dropped the duffel bag she carried and ran straight into the water. With no regard for her clothes getting wet, she tackled me.

I grabbed her around the waist and kept her afloat while laughing. The water barely came up to my middle, but it was enough to soak her from head to foot while the waves rocked us gently. That, and Finley’s excited jumps splashed water everywhere.

"I thought I’d lost you forever." Her voice was a whisper against my ear, her arms still wrapped tight around my neck.

"Never," I murmured, stroking her hair. Marissa might have been a full-grown woman these days, but she would always be my baby sister. More than a sister—I’d practically raised her as my own after our mother died.

For years, it had been just my sister and me, our father too busy dealing with his grief and ruling a kingdom. Yes, we’d had Demetrius and Finley too, and while we loved both like family, there was no replacing our mother.

Grief was an everlasting consequence of losing someone you loved. Eighteen years had passed, and the grief still ebbed and flowed like a restless tide inside me. It didn’t drown me anymore, not the way it had those first few years when every thought of her felt like sinking into a stormy abyss.

Still, it lingered, settling deep into the cracks of my soul. Some days, it was just a whisper, a shadow I could almost ignore. But other days, the grief hit like a sucker punch, a memory so vivid I couldn’t breathe. On those days, more often than not, guilt accompanied the grief.

Time softened the waters, maybe, but it never stopped the ache of missing her.

If I had only listened to my father’s warnings to avoid the human shipwrecks that littered the ocean floor. If I hadn’t run away that day after a fight with my father and swam to my favorite hiding place within a sunken ship, then my mother wouldn’t have followed me.

And after what happened next when the shark had appeared…

I swallowed the lump in my throat. I owed my mother my life. She was the bravest, most selfless siren I knew, and I was determined to make her proud, even from the afterlife.

As I stroked Marissa’s hair, I wondered what my sister would think of me if she knew the truth. That I was responsible for our mother’s death, and I’d robbed Rissa of the chance to know her. That my selfish actions led to all the years of pain and grief and poverty.

Would she ever forgive me?