When I opened my eyes again, I immediately knew I was dreaming. A merman floated in front of me, his brown eyes wide as they beheld me. I bowed, my hair falling into my face as I did so. The merman took my hands as I rose, gripping them gently.

This was Jay's father, I realised. I quickly took out my notepad, scribbling a message. What are you doing here? You're supposed to be... I swallowed hard, hesitating. Dead.

Oliver shook his head, not fazed by my blunt use of the term. I don't have much time. But I had to see you. To warn you.

My skin prickled as I stared at him. Me? W-why?

His eyes were wide with fear as he gazed at me. Noah.

Shivers ran down my spine at the mention of my husband's twin brother. What about him?

His gaze hardened. He's always been jealous of Jay. Alicia and I were worried he would snap one day. Keep an eye on him. Jay, as well.

I fought back another shiver. He wouldn't... hurt Jay, would he?

Concern flashed in his brown eyes, replaced by fear seconds later. I wish I knew. He suddenly squeezed my hands, looking around anxiously. He found me. I have to go.

Before I could so much as open my mouth or raise my hands, his image started to fade. A heartbeat after he vanished, green eyes met mine, a snarl on Noah's face as he stared at the empty place where Oliver had been moments before. I froze, breathing heavily.

He swam up to me, the snarl replaced by a sneer. Why would you listen to anything he had to say? He was weak.

Anger flared through me, heating my whole body. How could you say that about your father?

He opened his mouth to reply, but before he could, my eyelids started to flutter. I suddenly couldn't keep my eyes open. Focusing on even one object became incredibly difficult. The last thing I saw was Noah's face before darkness opened up and swallowed me whole.

My body jolted forward as I jerked awake, my heart racing. Jay swam in, balancing a tray of bubble tea and shrimp on his hip. I gave him a shaky smile, refusing to let the terror and dread from the dream spill over into reality. He swam to me, took one look at my expression, and kissed my forehead before sliding his arms around my waist.

My heart stopped as I realised I couldn't breathe. The deep, even breaths of sleep had quickly turned into shallow, restricted breathing. He immediately pulled away, grabbing my hands. Inhaling deeply, he squeezed my hands, encouraging me to do the same.

I copied him, filling my lungs with water until they could hold no more, then exhaling deeply. As I did so, I was also pushing all the terror, dread, and apprehension into the water where it could no longer touch me. When my breathing finally returned to normal, he grinned. Get dressed. I've got a surprise for you.

His green eyes sparkled, which made my heart flutter. I got dressed faster than I ever had in my life. The locket rested against my chest, a comforting presence. He grabbed my hand as I swam up to him, leading me outside. Aegrem was in full swing. Mermaids and mermen were outside just enjoying the sunny day.

They bowed as we passed them, eyes wide as they noticed me. Still, after all this time, it was hard to believe that this was my life. That I was here, surrounded by people I loved and who appreciated and loved me.

I was so lost in my thoughts that it took me a minute to realise that we had stopped in a little patch of seafloor near The Bronze Mermaid. I looked at Jay, who was beaming, but I noticed his smile held a hint of sadness. His eyes widened as he suddenly squeezed my hand. I followed his gaze and gasped, a hand going to my mouth.

Happy tears formed in my eyes as I gazed at the life-sized statue, the likeness of the mermaid so accurate it stole the water from my lungs. Meri's face and body were carved of pure marble, her porcelain skin perfectly represented by the paleness of the marble. My eyes travelled from her face down the length of her cerulean tail.

If I closed my eyes, I could imagine her brown eyes sparkling with laughter or shining with happiness. A sudden tug on my hand had me back in the present—in a nightmare. My brain didn't register the scene in front of me at first—the faces whizzed past me in a blur as I met twin pairs of green eyes, both mermen grinning maliciously.

Noah. Tyler. As I stared in horror, the dream came back to me in fragments: the shock of seeing Jay's father; the stark fear in his eyes; the warning he gave me before he disappeared; Noah reappearing in his place. Tears welled in my eyes as I gasped for water. My notepad was in my hands before I even tore my gaze away from the mermen.

Please don't hurt them. I'll do anything. Just please don't hurt them. I knew I was begging, but I was desperate. I meant what I said: I would do anything to protect my family. David and Bella weren't even here, but I had no doubt Tyler could reach them if he wanted to.

Noah and Tyler shared a smirk, then turned their attention back to Jay and me. The former trained his gaze on me, an expression of mock pity on his face as he spoke. "Well, well, well. Look what we have here. The broken queen and her pathetic husband." The glee that shone in his eyes as he looked into my own told me he knew his words had hit their mark.

Tears burned in my eyes as I looked at the seafloor, refusing to let him see how much the words affected me. When I had finally gotten my emotions under control, I stared them dead in the eyes. What do you want?

They made a show of considering. Noah's eyes gleamed as he met my gaze; my heart stopped dead in my chest as I read the words in his eyes.

His signing was impeccable—where he had learned, I had no idea. We've been preparing for you at Rosewood Manor. It's time to come home, Nerissa.

My question must've shown in my eyes. You have three days. Say your goodbyes, Nerissa.

The wrath in Jay's eyes, though not directed at me, sent a shiver down my spine. He gripped my hand as we sped home and didn't let go until we were safely inside. I turned to face him, my face deathly pale. What are we going to do?

I'm not sure what scared me more—the identical expression on Jay's face or the meaning of it: for the first time in a long time, he had no idea how to help me. And that terrified him.

I wordlessly swam into bed, the sobs hitting me in full force. Jay pulled me close, stroking my hair. Once my sobs had subsided, I fell into a fitful sleep.

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