We were both frozen in place, our eyes wide. The mermaid in front of me was my sister, that I was sure of, but... something was different. When she had been alive, her emerald-green eyes had been bright and sparkling, especially when she'd been with me or Meri. When I looked at them now... they were sunken, her cheeks hollow. Her blonde updo was messy, strands coming undone to frame her unnaturally pale face.

When she opened her mouth, I noticed her hands were shaking. Nerissa, please. You have to help me. She reached for me, her arm skeletal. The thing that terrified me, however, was the dark-blue pendant sticking out of her pocket. All thoughts of finding Alyssa disappeared from my mind as I realised I recognised the pendant. I remembered the coldness of it around my neck.

Almost immediately I had a dagger out. Naia's eyes widened, but she stood her ground as she signed. I'm unarmed. Please. I didn't know what else to do.

Even as my very bones warned me not to trust her, a voice in the very back of my head—one that I pointedly ignored whenever it spoke up—told me to listen, that she might be telling the truth. I relaxed my grip on the dagger, but didn't sheathe it. What are you doing with that? I didn't even have to mention its name; she knew what I meant.

She looked down at the pendant like she couldn't remember how it had gotten there. I have to find Alyssa. She can help me.

The mention of Alyssa made my heart stop. Before I could stop her, she was reaching for me. I flinched as her hand touched my arm, recoiling at the coldness of it. It took all of my concentration to keep breathing, keep my eyes open. When I looked at her, I didn't see the kind, considerate face of my youngest sister.

I saw the cold, sneering face of the mermaid who betrayed her sisters for a merman whom she hardly even knew, let alone cared for. I saw the mermaid who was willing to turn her back on her sisters, whom she had once loved and cared for dearly, and side with a murderer.

As she touched me, though, I felt something—something that caught me completely off guard: sadness. I could feel the sadness inside her, blue and dark and lonely. It consumed me, filling my head with images, one after another: a brown-haired merman with green eyes, a doting expression on his face as he gazed at Naia.

Another emotion quickly took the wheel, however, jolting me out of the haze I'd fallen into: dread. It was only then that I realised what she was doing. She was killing me in order to regain her life force.

It took all of my remaining strength to rip my arm from her grasp and turn my back on her. My head felt like it had been hit with a large rock. Repeatedly. The world blurred and faded at the edges of my vision as I continued swimming. Home—I just had to get home.

After getting turned around several times, I finally came upon a somewhat familiar house. I moaned as I swam up to the door, struggling to grip the doorknob with hands that wouldn't work. I was gasping now, my heartbeat a low, sluggish pounding in my ears. I managed to grip the doorknob, then I was falling, the ground rising up to meet me—

Warm, strong hands caught me before I hit the ground, easily supporting my weight. Worried grey eyes met mine, filled with concern. I managed to mouth one word—Naia—before I lost my grip on consciousness, taking one last breath before my chest ceased to rise.

When I opened my eyes again—a low, pounding in my head replacing my pounding heartbeat in my ears—I was lying on a bed, the blankets pulled up over my tail and torso. Multiple pairs of eyes stared at me, their faces creased with worry.

I blinked, struggling to clear my blurry vision. I felt a hand slide into mine, the grip warm and reassuring. I knew who it was without even having to look up. Breathing was a struggle—my lungs felt raw, like I'd been screaming nonstop—but I managed a few shaky breaths.

My husband brushed a limp curl off my forehead, his face deathly pale and green eyes wide. I sensed hidden, dark anger under his concern and had to bite back a shudder. David gently took my other hand, his gaze worried. What happened?

I started to shake my head, then froze, my face paling as the images resurfaced. My hands moved as fast as my thoughts, whizzing past each other with the force of a rogue wave. Naia. I found her, but... My chest heaved as I struggled to breathe. When had breathing become so hard?

Jay shook his head, never taking his gaze off me. You can tell us the rest later. For now, you need to rest.

I started to protest, but my eyes closed before I could so much as lift my hands. When I opened them again, I was floating in front of a young mermaid and a merman. The mermaid was gasping for water as the merman floated behind her, an arm around her throat. My heart stopped completely as I recognised them. Ella and Noah.

Ella's brown eyes were so wide I was afraid they'd pop out of her head. When she saw me, she tried to squirm free of his grasp, but he just tightened his hold on her. I put my hands out in front of me, showing Noah I was unarmed. I had a hidden dagger in my shirt, but he didn't need to know that.

My hands trembled as I grabbed my notepad, scribbling a message before showing it to Noah. Please, Noah. Let her go. I'm begging you.

He actually made a show of considering before scoffing and shaking his head. How stupid do you think I am? The minute I let her go, you'll just go to my idiot brother and tell him where I am.

My hands clenched into fists as my nostrils flared. How dare he talk about Jay like that—

It happened so fast I didn't have any time to react. He took Ella's face in his large hands, gazing at it like that of a proud father, and snapped her neck. The wrath in his gaze as he looked up at me was bone-chilling. That was just a reminder of what I'm capable of. Remember that.

I sank to the ground, my eyes frozen on Ella's lifeless body as it sank through the water. Her brown eyes were frozen open, face still arranged in an expression of fear.

Wetness appeared on my cheeks as I opened my eyes, and I realised I was crying. My face was deathly pale as I looked at Jay, barely able to remember how to use my hands. Noah. He's coming.

His face paled, mouth opening and closing several times. Before Bella or David could so much as open their mouths, the front door banged open. A mermaid and merman swam in, a young, scared mermaid trailing them.

The others' shock was palpable as they beheld Naia. Jay's shock quickly transformed into anger, however, as he saw Noah.

Noah grinned at Jay. "Are we interrupting?" Even though I couldn't hear him, I knew his words dripped venom. Poor Ella was trembling, terror written on her face.

Jay's hands clenched into fists, his nostrils flaring as he took a stroke forward. Faster than I could blink, Noah had Ella's face in his hands. He locked eyes with me, a wicked grin on his face, before snapping her neck.

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