I was awake long before the sun rose over the water the next morning. The few times I'd glanced at Kai during the night, he had been asleep. Grief and pain had lined his face, my heart hurting for him. He'd slept soundly as I'd gotten dressed and swum downstairs, haunted by the empty look in his gaze.

As soon as I reached the dining room, all chatter stopped. Multiple pairs of eyes fell on me as I swam to our table, sitting across from Mom. Her gaze instantly met mine, filled with grief.

I glanced from her to Dad, worry etched on my face. The latter wouldn't meet my eyes. "What happened? Are Kai's parents okay?" Worst-case scenarios ran through my head, none of them pleasant. Even as I thought them, I knew they had something to do with his rare display of emotion last night.

Dad finally looked up at me, and my heart stopped. He looked defeated, like the world had shoved him down one too many times. "Late last night, we received a message from Queen Katrina. Apparently, the king died in some freak accident. Inquires are still being made, but his body was found outside their suite..." Here Dad trailed off, rubbing his face with a hand.

I collapsed against my chair, dread coiling in the pit of my stomach. Dad's unspoken words floated through my head. Completely drained of blood. I recalled the empty look in Kai's eyes, the sobs that had wracked his body. He must've gotten the news moments before arriving at our suite last night.

I was up and moving before I'd even registered it in my mind. Ignoring Dad's pleas for me to stay put, I sped through the palace, grief and sorrow propelling me forward. All I could think about was Kai and his mother. How she was handling the sudden and unexpected loss of her husband.

Flurries of movement met me at the entrance to Beltmare's palace. I sought out the nearest guard, clothed in gold and crimson. "Where is Queen Katrina? I need to see her," I said, wishing I could make my voice sound more authoritative. Instead, it came out small and meek.

Barely glancing at me, he pointed to a set of doors in the very back of the entrance hall. I quickly thanked him, then sped inside. My hands were trembling, but I forced my breathing to steady. I had to be strong for her and Kai's sake. I'd barely lifted my hand to knock before the doors swung open. Queen Katrina was perched on the edge of a couch in her sitting room, dabbing her eyes with her sleeve.

I carefully swam up to her, sitting down beside her. "It's Isadora," I said, my voice calm. "I just wanted to offer my condolences. I'm so very sorry."

She'd been staring off into space, her expression blank, but it was as if my words were a lifeline. Her topaz eyes snapped to mine, widening in recognition. "Isadora. I didn't know if you would come. It's awful. They found his body late yesterday evening. Gone..." she snapped her fingers, the sound making me jump. "Just like that."

I put my hand on her arm, knowing there was nothing I could possibly do or say. I wasn't sure how long I stayed there, but I flinched when I heard someone enter her suite. Kai wordlessly swam towards us, eyes blank. I gently kissed the top of his head as he sat down beside his mother. That was my cue to leave.

As much as I didn't want to admit it, I had bigger problems to deal with. My heart broke anew as Queen Katrina's sobs echoed throughout the small space. I was already clutching my daggers as I left the palace behind, blistering anger replacing the grief inside me.

I swam to Nepptheas without stopping, barely even registering the strain on my body. Uncle Noah swam out to greet me as I neared the palace, eyes filled with mock sympathy. "I just wanted to extend my condolences on the loss of King Drake." As the words left his mouth, I was at his throat, dagger piercing the skin.

"You don't get to extend condolences," I hissed, the anger writhing around inside me like fire. "You don't get to pretend like you're sorry about the loss, because we both know you're not. This was just part of Ronan's plan. Where is he?"

Uncle Noah smirked. "We all agreed that it would be best for him to remain behind, seeing as his presence would only... irritate you further. Looks like we were right." The smugness in his voice, the teasing glint in his eyes, were the final straw.

I pressed the tip of the dagger harder into his skin, drawing a thin line of blood. "How could you kill an innocent merman? He was a kind merman who loved his kingdom and his family." The words poured out of me and I was surprised to find my hands trembling again, this time with anger.

Faster than I could blink, he'd snatched the dagger out of my hand. One hand firmly gripping the dagger, he used his free one to roughly grab my hair, jerking it painfully behind me. I cried out, the pain nearly blinding.

"King Drake was just one of many casualties," he whispered, his voice low but filled with malice. "Since your charade clearly failed, Ronan is now working on getting as many souls as he can to bring his sister back. The murder was just a distraction. Now, no one is exempt from suspicion."

I was tempted to let that be the end of the conversation, but curiosity quickly got the better of me. "What do you mean?" I asked. As soon as the words left my mouth, I knew I wasn't going to like the answer.

He grinned, eyes filled with malicious glee. "There were no witnesses besides the guards. And their silence was easily bought. So, no one knows what the murderer looks like. If it's a merman or a mermaid."

The way he spat the last word had chills sliding down my spine, dread coiling in my stomach. Cold realization spread over me, like a rogue wave had smacked me in the face. Since no one had seen what the murderer looked like, anyone could be a suspect. No one was above suspicion. Especially the daughter of a murderer herself.

"No one will believe you," I responded, hoping I sounded more confident than I felt. "Ronan will be brought to justice eventually. He will pay for what he did."

His only response was a knowing grin. As he swam away, I had to clench my fists to avoid reaching for my daggers. As soon as I'd left him far behind, the tears came hot and fast. Between the rushing water and the tears streaming down my face, I could barely see three feet in front of me.

As if summoned by Uncle Noah's words, the negative thoughts returned, swirling through my head like a black cloud. "'He's right, you know. You're just as much a suspect as anyone else.'" I clenched my jaw, breathing heavily.

Lost in a haze of grief and pain, I barely registered arriving back at the palace. I couldn't breathe. Kai was swimming into the entry hall, but froze as he saw me. Thinking quickly, he swam to me and swiftly grabbed both my hands. He led me through countless hallways and passages until we finally emerged into the open water.

His eyes were wide, his gaze locked on mine as he offered me his hands. "Breathe," he instructed as I squeezed, my knuckles white. I inhaled, then exhaled in a huff, struggling to temper the swirling emotions inside me. The grief and pain had coalesced into anger, which was slowly beginning to smother me.

'"Yes. That's it. Let it all out. Let him see who you truly are. The daughter of a murderer.'" My own voice shouted the words at me, which only made me angrier.

I quickly spun around, the rage traveling through my body until I let it out in an ear-shattering scream that ended in a broken sob. All the strength left my body in a rush as I collapsed against Kai. His grip on my shoulders was the only thing keeping me upright. "Just make it stop. Please, make it stop," I sobbed.

Between the reappearance of the Lost Soul Pendant (which, I realized with a twinge of guilt, I'd completely forgotten to mention to Kai or my parents) and the sudden, unexpected news of King Drake's death, my depression had been at its breaking point. Learning that I was now one of the prime suspects was rock bottom.

When Kai spoke, his voice soft and soothing, I flinched. I hadn't realized I'd fallen silent. "Please tell me what's wrong," he murmured.

Once I started talking, I couldn't stop. "I ran into Uncle Noah earlier today. Apparently, killing your father was only part of Ronan's plan. He knows I'm still alive and wants me to pay. He's now set on gathering as many souls as he can to get his sister back. The murder was only a distraction. The guards were the only witnesses, but he paid them off, so no one will be able to determine if the murderer was a merman or a mermaid." I let out a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding.

"And being Nerissa's daughter makes you a prime suspect," Kai said, his voice hard. I nodded miserably.

He gently tipped my chin up to meet his eyes. "We'll figure this out. He'll get what he deserves."

The moon had just risen over the water, but I was exhausted, both mentally and physically. Kai brought dinner to our suite and I managed a few bites before I fell asleep, the stress from the day's events hitting me head-on.

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