I didn't sleep that night. Nor did I get out of bed the next day. Or the next. My body felt like stone, so much so that even the tiniest movement was challenging.

Every time I closed my eyes, I saw the dagger sink into Leith's neck—saw the light leave his eyes. Sometime during those initial hours after the attack, someone—most likely Mom—had replaced my blood-soaked dress with a fresh one. I didn't remember much after I regained consciousness following the attack.

I'd only heard Dad's whispered words, filled with such coldness, such anger. I think, deep down, some part of me had known Leith was dead the second the light had left his eyes—even if my brain hadn't wanted to acknowledge it. I didn't know where Calder had gone—hadn't seen him since right after... it happened. I wouldn't have been surprised to learn the Bronze Mermaid was closed until further notice. I shuddered as a trembling breath left my mouth, then slowly sat up, my arms quivering with the exertion.

When the knock sounded on the suite door, I hadn't moved before it opened. Every breath was a challenge, never mind speaking. A weight pressed down upon me, heavy as an anchor. My throat no longer felt hoarse from screaming and crying, but I knew that even if I did open my mouth, no words would come out.

As caramel hair flashed in my vision, blurred by tears, a sob shuddered through me. Laguna's eyes were red and glassy, so much so that I knew she'd been crying. She hesitantly approached me, hands fisted at her sides. "Calder reached out to us about Leith. I'm so sorry you had to witness that, sweetie. Waverly..." she trailed off, swallowing hard. I didn't press her—I could barely muster up the energy to hold her gaze.

"Waverly feels terrible about what happened between you two. After hearing the news about Leith, she wanted to see you but was afraid you wouldn't want to see her. I told her I would come instead."

I wasn't sure where the words came from, but suddenly, they were bubbling up inside me, waiting on my tongue. My voice was barely a whisper. "I don't blame her. Some part of me agrees with her. I've let something so trivial—something that may not even happen—poison my mind and break me."

The particulars of our fight came out in a rush, the harsh words on both sides burning me from the inside out. My cheeks flamed as heat built up inside me. I hated what had happened but, at the same time, wondered if we would ever speak again. Not having Waverly to talk to hurt more than being pierced by the sharpest dagger.

Laguna gasped at the words we'd spat at one another, the wounds we'd reopened. Her eyes filled with tears when I finished speaking. My eyes filled, tears spilling down my cheeks as I exhaled a ragged breath. I clenched my hands in the blankets, my chest heaving.

"I didn't mean any of what I said. If anything, I was talking about myself. I knew that Waverly had gone through trauma as terrible as my own—had wounds so deep they would never close. But hearing her tell me to keep living my life when she'd closed herself off and refused to speak to anyone? I felt like she'd punched me in the gut. When Jacob died, I did the same thing. I didn't speak to anyone—I had let my grief and shame consume me. I haven't gotten out of bed in days."

She put a hand on her heart as I finished. When she spoke, her voice was barely a whisper, the tears spilling down her cheeks dripping onto her dress.

"Both of you have been through unimaginable pain—things I can't imagine. But despite that, neither of you have let it dull your light. You and Waverly are two of the strongest mermaids I've ever met. You will get through this, honey. It may take months, or it may take years. But I promise you, it will get better."

My voice broke as I spoke. "Being a Siren has brought me nothing but pain and misery. I wouldn't wish that on anyone. I wish I could go back to before I heard the Siren Song when I was normal. But now that Zander's primary focus is on killing them—us? I feel this need to protect them. I won't let him hurt anyone else. Knowing I was responsible for Leith's death feels like someone reached inside my chest and tore out my heart.

"Based on what happened with Leith, I think it's safe to assume that whoever Zander targets next will be someone close to Waverly or me. I think you should stay indoors for now. Don't leave the palace under any circumstance. I will inform Mom and Dad, and they'll let the guards at the front know. We have to keep you safe." No matter what had happened between Waverly and me, I could not bear the thought of her hurt when I could have stopped it.

That's when the screaming began. Muffled at first, then slowly growing louder with every heartbeat that passed. Laguna and I exchanged a glance, and then I put a finger to my lips. She nodded, her eyes wide and face deathly pale. I went rigid as the rough, deep voice echoed through the now-silent suite.

"Faye? I know you're in here. I saw Laguna sneak in here, and judging from the absence of your husband, parents, and brother, it's just the two of you. As hard as it may be to believe, I don't want to hurt her. It's you I want. You're responsible for the estrangement between my daughter and me.

"Why do you think I let you go after our little... altercation?" His slight sensual emphasis on the last word made me shudder. "I knew neither Waverly nor Laguna would ever forgive me if I killed you, to say nothing of your husband, parents, and brother. Leith was an unfortunate casualty. I needed you to wake up."

His words were like lightning bolts; each syllable hit me with deadly accuracy. When I spoke, my words were surprisingly steady. "So you decided to move on to those closest to me?"

Silence greeted my question, stretching until I thought he'd left the suite, so much so that I was startled when he spoke again. "No, Faye. I'm giving you a choice. You can use your voice to end this mermaid's life, or I can go ahead and kill your family."

His unspoken words triggered more lightning bolts, causing me to wrap my arm around my abdomen. Or you can show your family who you are. I exchanged a glance with Laguna, who swallowed hard before nodding. She knew what I was thinking—it was an impossible decision no matter what choice I made.

That torturous vision—the one that haunted my sleeping and waking thoughts—reared its ugly head, and with it, all those negative feelings I'd tried to shove in the back of my heart these past few months. A chill shuddered through me as I realized Mom, Dad, Drew, Jonah, and Waverly were in the suite with him.

When the mermaid spoke, her voice was flat and emotionless. It wasn't familiar, so it was no one I knew—a small comfort in this tragedy. The common coping mechanism tugged at my heart. "If the loss of my life means others can live, I will gladly pay that price. I consider it a worthy trade to ensure the royal family lives."

I wasn't sure what it was—maybe the utter lack of emotion in her voice or the words she used—but before her words had even finished echoing, I exited the bedroom and entered the sitting room, stopping dead as if I'd hit an invisible barrier. As I met the mermaid's gaze, all the water left my lungs in a rush, as if someone had punched me in the gut.

I was frozen. I couldn't move. I couldn't breathe. Everything stopped. My mouth was open, but I couldn't tell if I was screaming, sobbing, or simply staring. Even though my brain whispered to me that it was a trick, a ruse to catch me off-guard, there was no denying what I saw.

Raina. The mermaid floating mere inches from me was identical to my dear friend. I had no idea if she was her twin—she'd never mentioned any siblings in our brief friendship—but the sight was jarring, so much so that I began to tremble almost uncontrollably, my face going white as death.

"Something wrong?" Zander asked, his voice tinged with cruel glee. He knew what I was thinking—knew who I saw when I looked at her.

I couldn't speak. I could only shake my head. The mermaid caught my eye, her gaze firm as she nodded, guessing my unspoken words. "If the loss of my life means others can live, I will gladly pay that price. I consider it a worthy trade to ensure the royal family lives." She spoke with a strong voice, and I heard no trace of fear.

When I finally tore my gaze from those eyes, I looked desperately at my family, searching their faces for a solution—for any other way out. I found nothing but pity, fear, fury, and disgust. Mom caught my eye, looking as if she was physically restraining herself from reaching for me. I'm sorry. Her mouth formed the words, but no sound came out.

Dad, Drew, and Jonah all had identical expressions. I'd never seen such untapped fury on my brother's face before—it took everything in me not to shrink away from that gaze.

As I swam up to the mermaid, I realized I was shaking. I forced myself to take a deep breath and blow it out. My hands trembled so violently that when I reached for the dagger at my waist, I could hardly grip the hilt. I knew there would be no going back—once the light left her eyes, so went the part of my soul that loved and smiled.

Only a shell would remain. "May you feel no pain as your soul rests for eternity." It was the only thing I could think of—an empty promise.

I went somewhere else—left my body entirely as I raised the dagger and plunged it into her chest. As the last breath left her body and she sank to the seafloor, I fell with her. A heartbreaking, primal wail shattered the silence left after my promise.

It wasn't even the shock of what I'd done that tore through me like a dagger through flesh. It was the thought of what Raina would say if she were here. That realization hurt more than poisoned lightning or the sharpest blade.

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