I dipped in and out of consciousness over the next few days. Ghostly faces and far-away voices swarmed around me, but every time I tried to focus on any one thing, it disappeared before I could. Almost a week went by before I fully regained consciousness.

I cracked my eyes open, then immediately shut them as blinding light caused a burst of pain in my head. I took a deep breath, exhaling as I stretched out my remaining senses, letting them tell me what sight couldn't. I smelled fresh water, shrimp, and bubble tea; I felt the familiar sensation of our bed under me and heard the sound of deep, even breathing beside me. When I felt arms wrap around me and pull me close, I tensed for a fraction of a second before relaxing.

I was home, and I was safe. My parents, Drew, and Jonah would know how to keep me safe and prevent the assassin from attacking again. No matter how often I repeated that to myself, it never sank in. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Uncle Kai's face as he held me in his arms; I heard his worried voice as he repeated the same thing. "'Hang on, Faye. Just hang on.'"

I shuddered, clenching the blankets in my fists so tight my knuckles turned white. The sound of rustling made me slowly crack open my eyes, breathing through the burst of pain that exploded in my head. I glimpsed a blurry face, my eyes filling with tears as a voice filled the silence. "Faye? Can you hear me?"

I swallowed hard before trying to speak, but nothing came out. When my vision finally cleared, my chest hitched as I saw Jonah's pale, tear-stained face hovering above mine. Taking a shaky breath, I raised a trembling hand to his cheek.

He leaned into my touch, closing his eyes as he, too, inhaled shakily. Pressing a kiss to my head, he said into my hair, voice muffled, "Gods, Faye. When your parents told me what had happened..." Jonah trailed off as he returned his gaze to my face like he feared I'd vanish if he looked away for even a heartbeat.

"I rushed over here as fast as I could. I heard from one of the doctors who removed the bolt, and he said it was a miracle you could remain conscious, let alone get to Aegrem. You lost a significant amount of blood; the bolt all but shredded your tail fin. After talking with your parents and Drew, they all agreed it would be best to stay in bed for the time being while you heal."

Before the last syllable had even finished echoing, tears were welling in my eyes and spilling down my cheeks. The shame, guilt, and anguish built up inside me until I could no longer contain them. Gut-wrenching, exhausted sobs came out of me, fueled by the warring emotions inside me.

I felt Jonah wrap his arms around me, stroking my hair as he murmured, his voice soft and gentle. "I'm so sorry, Faye. I promise you we will get to the bottom of this. We will do everything we can to keep you safe."

A soft knock on the suite door drew my attention away from Jonah. He glanced at the door, then back at me. I could tell by the expression on his face that he didn't want to leave my side, even to open the door. Taking a deep breath, I squeezed his hand, nodding. I had to resist the urge to grip his hand as he let go and swam to the door. I saw a crack of light spill into the room as he opened it and heard low voices as he spoke to whoever was on the other side.

My hands shook as I rubbed my face, then collapsed against the pillows. Jonah swam back into the bedroom a few moments later, followed by Mom and Dad. The latter's face was pale, and his hands were clenched by his sides. Mom's face was also pale and stained with tears, which she kept swiping away with her hand. I could tell by the look on Jonah's face that the news wasn't good.

Mom swam unsteadily to a chair beside my bed and all but collapsed into it. Her shoulders shook with silent sobs as she let her head fall into her hands. I cleared my throat, swallowing hard several times before trying to speak. My voice was scratchy and hoarse like I'd eaten a dozen rocks. "What happened?"

The sound of my voice was like someone had dropped a bomb in the middle of the room. Everyone's gazes snapped to mine as they froze. Dad was the first to speak, his voice filled with exhaustion. "After speaking with Izzy and Kai, the guards swept the palace's perimeter and the surrounding waters. They found no physical evidence of the attacker nor anything that could lead us to his identity."

I couldn't contain the defeated sigh that slipped past my lips. That's when it happened. A flash of memory, so quick I wondered if I'd seen anything. A blurry outline of a mermaid with coal-black hair, her face visible for a heartbeat before it vanished.

I would know those green eyes anywhere. A strangled cry burst from my lips as I slumped against the pillows. Leena. But why? Even as a voice in the back of my head warned me the memory could be a stress-induced hallucination, I knew in my heart that it wasn't.

I recalled the fear in my heart when I'd seen Mom and Dad for the first time since the attack. The pain and guilt there wedged beside the former. Where was she now? Was she lying in wait somewhere, biding her time until she could attack again?

The thought hadn't even finished crossing my mind when the suite door opened yet again. Drew swam inside, his expression identical to Dad's. In his clenched fist was a crumpled piece of paper, which he kept glancing at. When Mom spoke, we all flinched. "Drew? What's wrong?"

When Drew looked at me, my heart stopped and dropped into my stomach. A wordless conversation passed between us in that single look; I knew whatever he would say would change everything. He swallowed hard, steadying himself before he spoke. "I found this half-buried in the silt beside the entrance to the palace. I don't think this was a random attack. I think it was premeditated."

He extended the piece of paper to me, and when his fingers brushed against mine, they were trembling. Jonah wordlessly grabbed my free hand, clutching it like a lifeline. Like he knew that whatever was coming was bad.

Nobody spoke for a long moment. My eyes flew across the page, my heartbeat increasing with every shaky breath. Jonah tightened his grip as I faltered, a stifled cry escaping my lips. When he finally spoke, his voice was barely above a whisper. "I'm coming for you, Faye. I will stop at nothing until I have destroyed everything—and everyone—you love. Just like you did to me. You'll be alone. Just as you should have been all along."

It was word-for-word what Raina had said in an earlier nightmare. When she... died, it felt like someone had ripped half of my soul from my chest. But even as the thought crossed my mind, another was on its heels, equally shocking. What if she hadn't?

Hope rose inside me like a massive rogue wave. What if she was out there somewhere—alive? Seeing the look on my face, Mom took a breath before speaking. Her voice shook, and I knew she was holding back tears. "Honey, I know how badly you want this to be real. But we need to think this through. Someone could have just as easily learned about your friendship and be using it to lure you out defenseless.

"We also have to consider..." Her voice trailed off as she put a hand to her mouth and inhaled shakily. "We also have to consider the possibility that Raina is alive, but she could now be working with Leena. They could be waiting to ambush you again. I know you're tired of everyone leaving. You think it's your fault, and you fall so deep into that pit of self-loathing and depression that you think nothing can pull you out."

Dad and Drew swam behind her, putting their hands on her shoulders. Tears flowed freely down her cheeks, but she spoke through them, through the heartbreak written on her face. "I know because I felt it when our parents died."

I felt more than saw Dad stiffen, his body tensing as he swallowed hard. When he spoke, his voice was hoarse. "Don't rush into this. Don't swim mindlessly into something you know nothing about. If you believe in your heart that it's the right thing to do, then I support you. But if you have even a shadow of a doubt, listen to it."

I closed my eyes, blocking out everything around me until all I heard was my frantic heartbeat. I felt like I was being pulled relentlessly in two directions with no indication of what awaited me in either one. What if I was wrong? What if I swam right into a trap? What if I led my family right into a trap, and they got hurt—or worse?

When I opened my eyes, they were blank and emotionless. My voice was equally so, and it took everything in me to keep it that way. "I'll go alone. If I don't return in an hour, send Drew or Jonah."

Without another word, I gathered my strength and rose from the bed. Jonah immediately moved to steady me, but I raised a hand to stop him. I may have seemed calm on the outside, but on the inside, I was a mess. I strapped my daggers to my sides as I swam to the suite door.

When I swam out into the hallway, I closed the door soundlessly and finally surrendered to my emotions. Fear, regret, anger, exhaustion—they all hit me with the force of a dozen daggers. Whether I could get through to Raina or not, I knew one thing for sure. Multiple hearts would be broken by the end of this; I hoped I could find the strength to do what needed to be done. Before I did something that couldn't be undone.

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