It was no surprise that sleep had eluded me the previous night after the news had broken. I couldn't relax enough for sleep to fully drag me under, not with every noise and creak making me clutch Ani's hand tighter. Thanks to Mom and Dad, she had a permanent suite now, but neither of us was willing to let the other out of sight long enough for her to move in. Even with it being across the hall from my own, the nightmares had not stopped—for either of us.

She had taken to sleeping in a chair from the sitting room that I had dragged into the bedroom. She and I both had the same ingrained fear that something would happen if we left the other for a moment. When I jumped for the umpteenth time, the jerky motion caused her to stir, her eyelids fluttering open as she looked at me. We were so focused on each other that neither of us remembered to be aware of our surroundings.

That's why neither of us heard the all-too-familiar whistling of a crossbow bolt hurtling through the water. It was only when the window near the bed shattered, showering both of us with glass, that I reacted. Pushing Ani behind me, I used all my remaining strength to flip my bed over on its side.

We both flinched when the bolt embedded itself in the mattress. Fortunately, the bed was wide enough for us to crouch behind and make ourselves as small as possible. Unfortunately, the motion reopened the wound on my back. I groaned loudly, the sound causing Ani to look over at me in alarm. "Mom—Dad—get them—swim..." Every breath was a struggle; I pushed out each word on a pained breath.

Unconsciousness tugged at me with an unshakable grip, but I pushed back. She kept glancing between me and the shattered window, her breaths tight and panicked. "W-what about you? I-I'm not leaving y-you!" The way her voice broke as she breathed the last word with tears in her eyes cracked something in my chest.

I knew from her voice that there would be no persuading her. But if Wyatt found her... I shuddered as my grip tightened on her arm. I took her face in my hands and pressed my lips to hers. Neither of us let go as the minutes ticked by. Finally, reluctantly, I was the one who pulled away, scanning her face and memorizing her features.

Dad's voice was faint and muffled, getting closer with every breath. Full-on tremors wracked my body, but I took slow, steady breaths to try and stay calm. "Drew? Ani? Are you guys okay?"

Miraculously, I managed to keep my voice level as I responded. "Yeah, Dad. We're fine." My eyes blazed with emotion as I squeezed her hands one last time. "You have to go," I said, lowering my voice so Dad wouldn't hear. "I'll meet you in Aegrem. I promise."

My words were mainly true. I fully intended to follow them—after I dealt with Wyatt. After months of not knowing the identity of Faye's murderer, I finally had the chance to look him in the eye as I confronted him about that day. After months of having questions instead of answers—nightmares instead of peaceful sleep—I was finally going to hear the truth.

Her eyes widened as the hidden meaning behind my words became clear. She finally nodded, wrapping her arms around my neck and clinging to me. She wiped tears off her face when she pulled away, disappearing out the suite door without a word. I wasn't surprised to hear Wyatt's voice coming from not too far away. "Drew! You have questions—I have answers. But first, I have a question for you."

My hands automatically curled into fists at my sides as I bit back a roar of rage. After what Wyatt had done to me, to our family, he had the nerve to come here and ask questions? I used the time it took me to get from my suite to the entrance of the palace to center myself, pushing my rage and grief down where I couldn't reach it. As much as I wanted to see him pay for what he did to Faye, I couldn't kill him.

I didn't need that on my conscience. Not now. Of course, by the time I reached Wyatt, I was sweating and panting through gritted teeth. When I saw his face, he had his usual confident grin. It took everything in me to wipe any trace of pain off my face, but I responded by smirking knowingly.

"So you finally decided to come and face me. I shouldn't be surprised that it took you as long as it did. Cowards typically needed time to psych themselves up before confronting someone." Neither the harshness of my words nor my tone surprised me, but I certainly enjoyed the shock and fury that flashed across Wyatt's face.

Judging from the malicious gleam in Wyatt's eyes, I had a sickening feeling that I wouldn't like what he was about to say. When he spoke, each word was precise, ensuring his tone was void of malice or fury. "How's it feel to be the last surviving member of the Mercers? First, your birth parents, then both of your sisters—it must be hard having each of their deaths on your conscience. Living with the shame and guilt daily must eat you up inside."

I realized then that I would do everything possible to keep him from encountering or learning about Ani. If he knew of or crossed paths with her, it would only give him more ammunition, not to mention he would do everything possible to take her from me.

I didn't let the impact of his words show on my face when I responded. "If you just came to hear yourself talk, then by all means, go on. But if you don't have anything important to say, leave." I casually tucked one hand behind my back, clenching it into a fist to stop the trembling.

His eyes hardened. "Fine. I need your help. Sara has been acting strange lately—going out at all hours of the night and then not returning until late the following day. Whenever I saw her after she returned, she'd be cryptically vague about where she'd been."

I took a breath, exhaling slowly. "What does this have to do with me?" Even as I spoke, my mind was racing, desperately trying to figure out how to steer the conversation away from where it was leading. I knew what was coming. And it terrified me more than I was willing to admit.

Wyatt just stared at me. "Stop pussyfooting around, Drew. You and I both know the reason I'm here. Waverly Marshal was, as of yesterday, the last living Siren in existence. As it so happens, Waverly regained consciousness just before sunrise. This morning, Sara confessed some shocking news that changed her life forever. A few days before Waverly ended up in the infirmary, Sara had been desperate to find out if anyone else had experienced what she had—vivid dreams in which a mermaid called to her, telling her to come home.

"Sara had been having these dreams for a few months but had brushed them off as nothing. But when they started occurring more frequently, she began to think there might have been more to it. She told me that the mermaid in the dream had blue eyes, caramel hair, and honey skin." He raised an eyebrow as he stared at me. "Sara also said the mermaid never told her who she was, but her face became stuck in her mind, awake and asleep."

It took everything in me to keep my face impassive, to not show a flicker of emotion. I swallowed hard before I spoke. "Sara is a Siren." It wasn't a question, and we both knew it.

He nodded, his eyes hard. "I'm not going to kill my sister if that's what you're thinking. I had wanted to kill Waverly, but she's smarter than I gave her credit for. If only Faye had been that smart, maybe she'd still be alive."

With that vicious, pointed parting shot, he swam away, leaving me trembling with shock, pain, and grief. Tears welled in my eyes, but I brushed them away. Every stroke was agonizing, but I managed to swim inside the palace and back up to my suite before I let out a cry and faltered. My sister's face flashed through my mind unbidden—her kind, laughing eyes, the delicate mouth stretched in a grin, the feel of her skin under my hand. Sobs of grief tore through me like daggers, leaving a trail of agony and despair.

"Faye," I wept, my voice rough and ragged. Gods, I missed her so much that it physically hurt sometimes. I had no idea how long I floated there, lost in a fog of memories, grief, and pain. When I finally lifted my head, an emptiness had taken place of the shock, pain, and suffering. Hours, minutes, or days ago, I vaguely recalled telling Ani I'd meet her in Aegrem. Numb, I swam out of my suite in a daze, dodging the occasional mermaid or merman, none of whom gave me a second glance.

By the time I finally reached Aegrem, the sun had long since set. The moon shone over the water, casting soft light to guide my way. I managed to swim up to Aunt Nerissa and Uncle Jay's suite before my strength ultimately gave out. The latter let out a shocked gasp as he opened the door, and I sagged against him, my breaths sharp and uneven.

Spots swam before my eyes, but I clung to consciousness with everything I had left. Voices floated in and out of my ears, muffled and faint. "Drew? Oh, gods, what happened?" "Is he okay? Please tell me he's okay!" "He tore his wound open again. Help me lay him down."

When I opened my eyes, a blurry face was hovering above me. I wasn't sure if I had closed my eyes earlier or not. "You're going to be okay, Drew. Just hang on. Hang on, son." Dad.

I wanted to tell him I was okay, that he shouldn't worry about me, but I couldn't so much as open my mouth. Tired of fighting it, I let the blissful darkness drag me under, hoping when I opened them again, I could talk about who I'd seen and what I'd heard. If only to get the memory of Waverly's pale face out of my mind as she lay in that hospital bed. Wyatt had known precisely what buttons he'd been pushing. He'd wanted to break me and, in the process, had torn open a wound I wasn't even aware I had.

I made a silent promise to myself before I ultimately succumbed to unconsciousness. Whatever it took, I would do everything I could to ensure that Waverly didn't suffer the same fate as Faye—even if it killed me.

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