To say the revelation about the pendants had left us all shaken would be a severe understatement. Mom and Dad returned to the palace while Ani stayed with me overnight. They'd wanted to stay, but we'd convinced them they'd get a better night's rest at the palace in their beds. Dr. Murphy had bandaged the wound on my back, but it still hurt whenever I moved. Breathing was still a struggle; every inhale felt like knives piercing my chest.

Ani didn't move from where she lay beside me, her head resting on my chest. Exhaustion threatened to pull me under, but I fought against it. I exhaled heavily, rubbing my good hand down my face. Who would dare knock Raina unconscious and leave the pendants with her? Especially since no one outside of our family knew of their existence.

Ani took a deep breath and stirred, shifting to look up at me. "Are you okay?" In the silence, her voice was loud.

I considered my answer. Was I okay? I didn't know Raina as well as Faye had, but I still had no reason to think that she could want me dead. "I can't stop thinking about what Raina said." 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.

Could she have been kidnapped? If so, by whom? No one outside our family, save for a few choice individuals, even knew about the existence of Rosewood Manor. I rubbed my temples, wincing as a sharp pounding began at the base of my head.

"It makes no sense," I replied by way of answer. "No one outside our family, save for a few choice individuals, even knows about the existence of Rosewood Manor. Aunt Nerissa's father lived there for years before his death, and it's been sitting vacant for at least a decade, if not longer. Indeed, if someone had taken refuge there, one of us would have eventually heard about it. My first thought was Sara, but she would have told us if she'd been there."

Weariness and confusion filled my voice. Ani gently put her arm around my right shoulder, carefully avoiding my injured arm and collarbone. "From what you've told me about her and what I've seen of her, I don't think she'd keep something like that from you. Let's list everyone we believe could have a motive to do something like this." Her voice was soft, but I sensed an undercurrent of confusion. 

I mentally checked everyone off in my head that could have even an inkling of a motive; admittedly, it was a short list. Raina; Leena

When the latter's name crossed my mind, it sucked the water from my lungs like a punch to the gut. I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. The pounding in my head intensified, and I let out a low groan as I rubbed my temples. Ani sat up, worry in her voice when she spoke. "What's wrong? Should I get Dr. Murphy or your parents?"

I managed to respond without opening my eyes or moving my head. "No. It'll pass." Even before the words left my mouth, I knew I was lying. The headaches had started yesterday with the revelation about the pendants. Tonight's was a killer. It was as if someone had wrapped a tight band around the base of my head while simultaneously driving a dagger into my skull.

Ani gently took my hand. "Tell me what to do to help." Her voice swam in and out of my ears as my vision blurred, then cleared. Lights flashed behind my eyes like when the bolt hit me. Her grip tightened when I didn't respond.

After a few minutes, the pain lessened enough for me to speak, albeit weakly. "I'm fine." As I said it, I felt the energy draining from my body to the point where breathing became a struggle. I closed my eyes, taking slow, deep breaths.

Ani's voice rose with fear. "N-no, you're n-not. Please, l-let me h-help." Every other word was a stutter, and my heart clenched painfully at the sound.

I opened my eyes and realized I couldn't stay awake for long. I needed to let Mom, Dad, and Jonah know. "Okay. Send Mom, Dad, and Jonah a note telling them I'm not feeling well."

I knew she would have to let go of my hand to do so, and I think she knew it, too, because she didn't move for a long second. When she finally did, the pain and worry in her eyes hit me like a dagger in the gut. I squeezed her hand gently, encouraging her with my eyes. It was how she looked at me—like she believed I might disappear if she took her eyes off me even for a moment—that had me speaking despite the pain that flashed through my head.

"Ani." Her name was barely a push of breath, one that had me gasping for water the second it left my mouth. She choked on a sob as she leaned closer to hear me. "It's okay..." The last word was a breathy exhale as my eyes fluttered closed, and the exhaustion and pain finally sucked me under.

When I opened my eyes again, I knew I was dreaming. For one thing, the three mermaids that floated before me were grinning at me with such joy in their eyes my breath caught. For another, I was in a relatively small house that was semi-familiar. The furniture looked worn, and I sensed a feeling of comfort I hadn't felt in a long time. The realization hit me like a punch to the gut, and I suddenly gasped as Ella (that was Ella floating before me, happy and healthy and alive) took my hands, squeezing them. "Happy birthday, Drew!"

Only when the other two mermaids chimed in, their voices just as enthusiastic, did I recognize them. Faye, and... Carla. I hadn't spoken of or thought about my birth mother in years, but looking at her, I couldn't believe I'd nearly forgotten what she looked like. Her face had laugh lines and more wrinkles than I'd noticed before, but her red hair and brown eyes were as vibrant as ever.

Tears filled my eyes, and a shuddering gasp escaped me as I took a stroke backward. As much as I wanted to believe the mermaids in front of me were alive and breathing, they weren't—because this wasn't real. It was a figment of my imagination, a scenario conjured up by my desperate subconscious.

If Faye were alive, she would be around nineteen now and Ella twenty-one. When Carla swam to me and gently kissed me on the forehead, I couldn't help the sob that shuddered through me. "Oh, Drew. You're growing up to be such a kind, caring merman. And I can't wait to experience it with you."

That last sentence—just nine words—reopened a wound I thought had long since healed. I sucked in a breath so hard it made me cough as I clutched my chest. I swore I felt something vital crack inside me. When I heard Ani's voice, muffled and faint, I clung to it with everything I had. "Drew? Drew, wake up." Her sudden urgency made me open my eyes for real this time.

My vision was blurry, but when it cleared, I noticed two things almost simultaneously: Ani was perched on the edge of the bed, clutching my hand so tight her knuckles were white, and a merman close to Dad's age was floating in the middle of the room, a cautious expression on his face. With a jolt, I realized he must have been the one who sent the note all those weeks ago. Ani opened her mouth to speak, but he beat her to it. I studied him as he did, a mix of confusion, fear, and wariness flowing through me.

"I'm not going to hurt either of you. I just want to talk, Drew." He had a deep, smooth voice. His dark blue eyes seared into mine, and I could not look away. His curly brown hair brushed his forehead, strikingly contrasting with his porcelain skin. From my quick scan of his body, I saw no weapons on him, but the muscles rippling on his arms told me he could do plenty of damage with his fists.

"W-who are you?" Ani's voice floated through the room, cutting through the tension like a dagger through flesh. I certainly didn't recognize him, and judging from the fear emanating from Ani, she didn't either.

He acknowledged Ani with a dip of his chin but kept his gaze on me. "I knew your birth father. Jacob was an old friend of mine. When I heard the news of his death, I was shocked. I'd heard that the king and queen of Pelathas had adopted children, but I had no idea they were Jacob's kids."

The way he so casually said my birth father's name told me there'd been a history between them. My voice was surprisingly level despite the tearstains on my cheeks. "She asked you a question. Who. Are. You?" Though my voice was calm, my body was taut. After he introduced himself, I'd move on to the subject of Faye's death—something I was positive he knew nothing about. 

The merman's face and voice were emotionless when he finally answered Ani. "My name is Ross Blackstone. I presume by that diamond on your finger that you're his wife?" He spoke without any hint of condescension; his tone was simply curious.

She merely gave him a look in response, yet I was sure he didn't miss the way her fingers tightened around mine. She pulled the note out of her pocket with her free hand, clenching it in her fist. "Yes. And we don't appreciate someone threatening us."

Pure steel coated her voice, made more so by the cold look in her eyes. Ross extended his hands forward, indicating that he posed no threat while keeping his gaze fixed on the note. "Oh, Your Highness," he said mockingly. "That wasn't a threat—merely a warning. You'd do well to heed it."

My expression never wavered, even as the words hit their mark. "If you claim to know so much about me, surely you know about the death of my youngest sister, Faye." Grief flashed across my face as the words left my mouth, but I quickly shook it off.

A somber expression crossed his face when he opened his mouth. His voice quickly changed from mocking to sincere. "Of course. My sincerest condolences. I know you and your sister didn't have the easiest upbringing, and losing both Carla and Jacob so suddenly must have been awful. Losing your only remaining sibling on top of that..." He trailed off, looking down at the ground.

I didn't let that deter me. "You said you were friends with Jacob. Judging by that scowl on your face, I assume something happened between you two that caused a rift?" The scowl that had indeed spread across his face deepened at my words.

He was about to respond when there was a soft knock on the door.  "Come in," I called out, never taking my eyes off Ross.

I let out a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding when Dr. Murphy's head popped into the room. She blinked as she took in the scene before her—Ross floating a few inches from the bed, Ani currently floating beside it, clutching my hand, and me still as a statue staring at her. As she swam inside, her voice was loud in the fallen silence over us. "I was just coming to see if you needed anything. How are you feeling?"

I saw Ani open her mouth at the same time I did, and, thinking fast, I beat her to it. "Fine." Thankfully, Dr. Murphy didn't see or react to the shadow of pain that crossed my face when the word left my mouth.

She nodded, glancing at the chart at the edge of my bed. "Good. I will inform your parents of your release. Feel free to contact me if you encounter any future problems." Giving Ani a kind smile, she slipped out of the room, not sparing Ross a second glance.

Before the door closed, he spoke again, his voice soft. "Before Jacob met Carla, we were as close as brothers. But after they met, everything changed. We played cometball together every weekend, usually just a pickup game. One afternoon, I was heading to the cometball court when I passed the Bronze Mermaid and saw a familiar face in the window. Jacob was sitting in a booth across from a pretty red-haired mermaid."

My heart clenched as the words echoed in the water between us. Ross swallowed before continuing. "When I saw the grin on Jacob's face and the light in his eyes, I knew he was smitten with her. After that day, it was as if I'd never existed. All he wanted to do was be with her. He was still friendly with me but from a great distance. If he and I went anywhere, he'd always ask Carla along. If we played cometball, he'd invite Carla to watch."

His hands clenched into fists at his sides. Ani let out a breath but didn't speak. "Imagine my surprise years later when I heard rumors of his... activities. I knew that if we crossed paths, there would be no sign of the merman I'd known in his eyes. He was a murderer. I was already jealous of his relationship with Carla. Hearing he'd gone off the deep end was like a dagger to an open wound. You're his son, Drew. Surely, you've felt that anger inside you, the urge to inflict pain as you have suffered."

I blinked several times, Wyatt's smug face flashing in my mind. "You're right. I have felt that before. But I have never—and will never—act on it. Because I may be his biological son, but he is not my father. My father is kind, loving, and good. All the things Jacob wasn't." My unspoken words settled like anchors in the silence that followed my statement. Like you aren't.

I clenched my hands into fists right before they began to tremble. "You've inflicted enough damage and said your piece. Now leave. And don't come back." No sooner had the word left my mouth than a lightning bolt of pain sliced through my head. A tremor shuddered through my body, but I didn't break his gaze.

Wordlessly, he gave a mocking dip of his head, and then left the room. The minute the door closed, I collapsed back against the pillows, squeezing my eyes shut. Later that night, Ani and I returned to the palace, both silent and weary. Whether Mom and Dad noticed the tension in our bodies, they didn't let on.

For the first time in a long time, I fell asleep the moment my head hit the pillow. My body and mind were spent, and I wanted nothing more than to sink into that familiar oblivion of sleep. The only question was, how prepared was I for what I might see in my subconscious?

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