When I opened my eyes again, spasms of pain wracked my body, the worst of them causing me to cry out. Living bolts of lightning tore through my collarbone and shoulder, coursing to my back before becoming almost unbearable. It hurt to breathe, but I took slow, deep breaths. A blurry face appeared before me, pale and frantic. Faint and indistinct voices swirled in and out of my ears. "How is..." "We managed..." "Is he..."

Unconsciousness threatened to drag me under, but I resisted with all that I had. Through great effort, I struggled to keep my eyes open until my blurry vision cleared, allowing me to recognize the face above me. Ani's wide eyes stared at me, and it was then that I realized I was lying down. Mom's face appeared a heartbeat later, followed by Dad and... Jonah.

I inwardly winced as the latter's gaze met mine. Concern masked barely concealed anger, but I could tell by his clenched fists at his sides and the throbbing vein in his neck that Jonah was holding back his words. The anger rippled from him, and I opened my mouth before knowing what to say. However, Dad spoke before I could, and the shame in his eyes sent bolts of guilt shooting through me.

"What were you thinking? You know better than to go out at night after w-what happened." If anyone else noticed the slight stumble, they didn't show it. I opened my mouth again but never got a chance to speak.

Dad's face was red, and he was shouting now. "Somebody is trying to kill you, Drew! Don't you see that? Faye is dead because an assassin caught her off-guard."

His voice broke when he breathed Faye's name, but he didn't hesitate, even as tears filled his eyes and spilled down his cheeks. "You and Bella are all I have left. The thought of something happening to either of you..."

When he trailed off, his chest heaved as he struggled to get his emotions under control. He'd never been this furious before, but instead of guilt, red-hot anger flowed through me as I used my good arm to sit up, gritting my teeth against the pain. "You don't think I know that? I have nightmares every night of Faye's death. I blame myself every single day, agonizing over what I could have done differently, killing myself with thoughts of regret."

I struggled to speak as I gestured toward my useless left shoulder with my good arm. "I deserve much more than this." My chest began to heave as I panted. My voice rose until I finally shouted, "It should have been me!" The words echoed until they rang in my ears.

For a moment that seemed to stretch on forever, no one spoke. There it was. My secret shame—the truth I had been carrying since Faye's death. It was as if a bomb had dropped in the middle of the room.

Mom's face was ashen, her eyes impossibly wide. Dad kept shaking his head as he took a stroke toward me. Even Ani stared at me with a mixture of sympathy and pain on her face. But it was Jonah's face that cracked something inside me. A thousand emotions crossed his face in a single blink: sympathy, anger, grief, exhaustion, emptiness. I forced myself to hold his gaze.

I had hated myself ever since Faye died, but it had never been this bad before. The shame, guilt, and regret were like anchors, keeping me under the surface until I suffocated. I genuinely felt like I should have died instead of her. Ani broke the tense silence that had fallen over us, her voice soft. "Faye's death was not your fault. Do you hear me? It. Wasn't. Your. Fault."

Her hands shook as she reached for me; tears glistened in her eyes, threatening to spill down her cheeks. "You are the kindest, most compassionate merman I have ever met. I see it—everyone else in our family does, too. Why don't you?"

The words emerged from deep within me, revealing a hidden wound I wasn't aware still existed. My face and voice were void of emotion as I responded. "Because I'm the son of a murderer. Why should I believe any different?" The note on our dresser flashed through my mind, the words clear as day.

I know what your family was. And I know who you are, Drew Ryan Mercer. The son of a murderer. I am the only one with this information, but I can do much damage with it if prompted. Imagine what would happen if Ani were to find out. She would leave you. And you would be all alone. Just as you should have been all along.

"It should have been me," I breathed, voice breaking as tears filled my eyes and spilled down my cheeks. The shame in my voice was the worst thing I'd ever heard.

Mom's voice was loud in the silence that had fallen in the wake of my words. "Where is this coming from?" Her words, though gentle, carried an underlying tone of concern.

Wordlessly, Ani reached into the pocket of her cloak and pulled out a folded piece of paper. My heart sped up as she handed it to Mom. I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. I understood Ani only acted out of concern for me, but I feared her reaction more than anything.

Mom frowned as she took the note. Her eyes scanned the words, and I swore I saw the wheels turning in her head. She let out a harsh, ragged breath as tears filled her eyes. "How long have you had this?" Her voice shook, and I saw her free hand curl into a fist. At her words, Dad moved to her side and took the note.

His nostrils flared as rage flashed in his eyes. He swore when he finished reading. It was only then that I answered, my voice heavy with exhaustion and shame. "A few weeks. It was after we'd had dinner at the Bronze Mermaid."

I could see the exact moment each of them put the pieces together. A collective silence fell over the room, and I forced myself to meet each of their gazes. When Dad spoke, his voice was level. "Do you have any idea who could want you..." He trailed off, his throat bobbing as his unspoken word filled the room. Dead.

I shook my head. "That's why I went to find Sara. She was the only mermaid I could think of who would hopefully be able to provide some insight into the mysterious note. But I realize now that I should have told both of you what was happening before we left. I'm sorry."

Mom swam to my side and gently took my hand. "You don't understand, Drew. When David and I saw you lying there, not moving..." It was her turn to trail off, her breath trembling as she exhaled shakily.

A lump formed in my throat, but I swallowed past it as I squeezed her hand. I knew what she'd feared: I'd suffered the same fate as Faye, and there was nothing anyone could do.

A collective shiver ran through us when we heard the sudden knock on the door. We all sighed in relief only when Dr. Murphy's soft voice floated into the room. "Can I come in?"

It was Dad who answered, never taking his eyes off me. "Come on in." Her eyes met mine as she swam inside, floating from face to face before finally finding mine again.

Her face was ashen, but relief shone in her eyes. "The doctors managed to remove the spear, but you lost a tremendous amount of blood. As you already know, one of your lungs collapsed, and the spear's tip missed your spine by a scale's breadth. Due to the invasive nature of the surgery, I'd like to keep you overnight for observation, and if everything looks good tomorrow morning, I should be able to release you."

Before the words had even finished echoing, we heard a voice from outside, familiar and muffled. "Drew? Are you okay?"

Hearing Sara's voice break on the last word made me open my mouth. "Let her in." Hopefully, she'd be able to enlighten us. I didn't even want to think of the alternative.

Wordlessly, Dr. Murphy opened the door, revealing a tearful Sara. The latter's face was deathly pale, and tears glimmered in her eyes and on her cheeks. We were so fixated on her that none of us noticed Dr. Murphy slipping out of the room and closing the door soundlessly behind her. "Drew, I am so, so sorry. This is all my fault." I knew she wasn't just referring to my injury.

I surprised myself when I spoke; my words were surprisingly gentle. "Do you know who could want me dead?" This time, we all flinched at the last word, even Sara.

She sucked in a harsh breath. "No. I couldn't even begin to think of..." She trailed off when Ani swam beside her and handed her the note. We all collectively held our breath as her eyes flicked across the paper.

My heart hurt as I saw the fear bloom in her eyes. Not for herself, I knew, but for me. Despite everything with Wyatt, I knew she would do everything she could to keep me alive. Her voice was steady when she spoke again. "Despite what happened to Faye and your birth parents, everyone in this room knows the truth. You are not a murderer."

Before I could open my mouth to respond, another voice spoke up from outside the room. It was a voice I'd never expected to hear again—the voice of a dead mermaid. "Drew? Let me in, please."

I struggled out of bed and swam, albeit unsteadily, toward the door. Every single muscle in my body protested, especially my shoulder and collarbone, but I ignored the pain. I knew my life would never be the same when I opened the door. And yet, it was that realization that had me placing my hand on the doorknob.

When Ani slipped her hand into mine, it gave me the courage to open the door. The second I met the eyes of the mermaid floating before me, I faltered. Only Ani's hand in mine kept me from hitting the ground. Mom, Dad, and Jonah all rushed to support me. I hadn't seen her in years, yet I'd memorized her features. Everything was the same: the bronze eyes that held a hint of wariness, the black hair pulled back into a knot, the ebony skin that blanched as she met my gaze.

Raina Jordan was looking alive and well, which was surprising since the last time I'd seen her, she'd been dead on the seafloor. But that wasn't what made the water disappear from my lungs as if someone had punched me in the gut. It was the two pendants that swung from either hand she had so casually positioned at her sides. Dad spoke first, his voice deadly soft. "What are you doing here?" Clearly, he remembered Raina.

She put her hands before her to show she meant no harm. Unsurprisingly, we all took a stroke backward at the sight of the pendants. When Raina replied, her voice was just as soft. "I was hoping you could tell me. I woke up about a half hour ago in front of a large manor with no memory of where I'd been or how I'd gotten there.

"I felt exhausted, as if I had swum nonstop a great distance; when I noticed the pendants hanging from the doorknob, I froze, panic surging through me. I remembered what your family had told me about the pendants and the damage they had done. I knew that you would know what to do."

I swallowed, my throat suddenly dry. How did Raina end up at Rosewood Manor? "How did you know I was here?" As far as I knew, no one in our family had disclosed any information about the nature of my injury nor how it came about.

Raina glanced nervously around the room before meeting my gaze again. "I went straight to the palace, and when I couldn't find you there, I checked the Bronze Mermaid, the school, and the cometball court. No one knew where you were. This was my last stop." The look in her eyes told me she'd considered this but had desperately hoped it wasn't true.

The last time our family had seen either of the pendants, they were trying to destroy them. That thought led me to a shocking realization that stole the water from my lungs in a rush. I swallowed hard, trying to contain the dread seconds away from consuming me.

"The pendants are indestructible." I rushed to get the words out of my mouth as if that would help them make more sense.

No sooner had the words left my mouth than we heard a commotion from outside the room. "Bella! David!" Mom and Dad both froze as they heard Aunt Nerissa's voice. She seldom spoke; when she did, something terrible had happened.

When the latter opened the door and swam inside, all eyes were on her. Her chest was heaving; her eyes were wild as she met each pair of eyes in the room. Ani gripped my hand tighter as Dad swam to Aunt Nerissa and put his hands on her shoulders. "Rissa, what's wrong? Where's Jay?"

His voice was calm as he spoke clearly and concisely—all the better for Aunt Nerissa to read his lips. She caught her breath before signing furiously. I had a dream about the pendants last night. It was as if they were calling to me. I remembered we destroyed them years ago, so I was initially confused. But when I swam outside, I was suddenly pulled to Rosewood Manor as if in a trance. The two pendants were hanging from the doorknob, as shiny and new as the day they were created.

She nodded toward Raina but didn't meet her gaze. I saw her lying on the seafloor, and once I realized she was conscious, I left before she could spot me.

None of this made any sense. I knew one thing for sure, however: the reappearance of both pendants was a game-changer for our family. The only question was, would we be able to determine why before it was too late?

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