I know I'm dreaming the moment I open my eyes. For one thing, the mermaid and merman floating a few feet before me are very much alive. For another, the merman floating across from them has such hatred in his eyes that I have to suck in a breath. "Enjoy this while you can, Jacob. Mark my words: one day, you will desperately wish for this, only to realize that your decisions—and your decisions alone—have led to the loss of your family."

His voice is hard as steel. I want to look away, but I can't. The sheer hatred in Ross's eyes burns like a brand. There's a look in Jacob's eyes that I can only describe as... bleak. Carla's face is deathly pale, her eyes impossibly wide as she looks from Jacob to Ross and back again. "W-what is he talking about?"

When Jacob responds, his voice is full of hopelessness. "I take full responsibility for my actions." His grip tightens on Carla's hand as his voice hardens. "Our children, should Carla bear any, will only know love and respect. We will raise them in a house full of love and light, not hate and darkness. You were my oldest friend, Ross. I only hope you can find that for yourself someday."

Stunned silence follows his statement, and when Ross finally responds, his voice is slightly weaker. "Any child of yours will have to live with the shame of having a murderer for a father. What kind of a legacy is that?" With that final, vicious parting shot, he swims away without a backward glance.

My eyes flew open as I choked on what might have been either a shout or a sob. Ani was fast asleep beside me, her arm flung over my abdomen and head resting on my chest. Though that was a nightmare, it had also happened in reality. I didn't know how I knew it, but something in my gut told me it was true.

"'Any child of yours will have to live with the shame of having a murderer for a father. What kind of a legacy is that?'" Ross's hateful voice floated through my mind, and I shuddered.

When Ani's soft voice reached my ears, I let out a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding. "What happened?" Her words awoke a slumbering rage inside me, followed by a burst of tense energy. Without a word, I swam out of bed and quickly pulled a shirt over my head. Ani may or may not have called my name, but I didn't hear her.

I could only release my anger and built-up tension once I found myself in the open water. I tipped my head back and let out a wordless, grief-filled scream. Everything—the nightmare, the aftermath of my injury, the revelation about the pendants—hit me with the force of a hurricane. Desperate to rid myself of the anger and tension still coursing through me, I swam to the nearest rock and, heedless of my still-tender collarbone and shoulder, punched as hard as I could.

The impact sang from my knuckles to my shoulder—the latter bursting with pain so violent I almost lost consciousness. Debris flew back toward me, slicing into my face and neck. When I pulled my arm back, I glimpsed blood on my knuckles and felt a stinging pain. I released a tense breath through my teeth. Rage and grief had consumed me to the point that I failed to notice someone approaching from behind until I felt a hand on my shoulder.

I spun around, eyes blazing and face red. Dad floated inches from me, his eyes wide with shock and confusion. "Drew? What are you doing out here?" Worry filled his voice, but I sensed another emotion buried under the former: concern. "Where's Ani?"

When I didn't answer, his eyes drifted from my bruised face to my bloodied knuckles, one of which he gently took in his hands. I couldn't help the wince that crossed my face at the movement. "I didn't mean to wake you." I think the emptiness in my voice surprised both of us.

Dad glanced up at the surface, at the sun barely rising over the water, and inclined his head back toward the palace. "Come on, son." I didn't have the breath or energy to protest. My shoulder, face, and knuckles were throbbing, and I was beginning to feel the signs of another primarily sleepless night.

Neither of us spoke until we were back in the palace and away from prying eyes. Aside from the occasional servant or guard, we were the only ones awake at this hour. Only when we'd swum into the dining room and sat down at the table did Dad speak, his voice soft. "Does this have anything to do with yesterday? I noticed some tension when you and Ani returned to the palace. Is everything—"

I quickly cut him off. "Everything's fine." Maybe too quickly. He arched an eyebrow, staring into my eyes.

"This is about the note, isn't it?" How he'd figured that out, I didn't know. Nor did I know how he'd gleaned enough to voice his next question. "Is someone threatening you?"

"No." The word burst out of me before I could take it back. Dad frowned, but I spoke before he could. "His name is Ross Blackstone. He was..." I trailed off, unsure how best to describe his relationship with Jacob.

"Ross was an old friend of Jacob's," I finally continued, deciding to be honest. "He said it wasn't a threat—merely a warning. He and Jacob were close as brothers before Jacob met Carla. But after they met, everything changed. Ross and Jacob played cometball together every weekend, usually just a pickup game. He was heading to the cometball court one afternoon when he 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.

"When Ross glimpsed the grin on Jacob's face and the light in his eyes, he knew Jacob was smitten with Carla. After that, it was as if Ross had never existed. All Jacob had wanted to do was be with Carla. He was still friendly with Ross but from a great distance. If he and Jacob went anywhere, Jacob would always ask Carla along. If they played cometball, he'd invite Carla along to watch."

I let out a tense breath, rubbing a hand down my face. "It wasn't until years later that Ross heard rumors of Jacob's... activities." I didn't need to elaborate; judging from the anger in Dad's eyes, he already knew what I was referring to. "He knew that if they crossed paths, there would be no sign of the merman he'd known in Jacob's eyes. Ross was already jealous of Jacob's relationship with Carla. Hearing he'd gone off the deep end was like a dagger to an open wound."

I blinked as Ross's words resurfaced in my mind. "'You're his son, Drew. Surely, you've felt that anger inside you, the urge to inflict pain as you have suffered.'"

My voice was rough when I continued. "Ross taunted me, saying there had to have been a time where I'd felt that anger inside me, the urge to inflict pain as I had suffered." I made eye contact with Dad and knew he could see my unspoken thoughts written all over my face. When he reached out, I was surprised to find my hands curled into fists, the bruised skin stretching taut over my knuckles.

Dad gently took my hands, mindful of the blood and bruises. "I think we've all felt that at one point. But hear this, Drew: you may have been his biological son, but he was not your father. I know that; Bella and Ani know it, too. The day we adopted you and Faye was the happiest day of both our lives. We wake up every morning pinching ourselves because we still can't believe it's real. You are our son, and we love you with every fiber of our beings."

His eyes shone so earnestly that I couldn't help nodding despite myself. He pulled me close, squeezing me tight. I gripped him so tight my knuckles turned white. It was only when we'd begun to swim back to the palace that I spoke. "He knew about Faye." Though my voice was soft, her name rippled through the silence like a stone through calm waters.

Dad froze, turning toward me so stiffly I could see the tendons in his neck. I blinked, letting out another tense breath. "When I mentioned her name, he immediately offered his condolences. His voice quickly changed from mocking to sincere. 'I know you and your sister didn't have the easiest upbringing, and losing both Carla and Jacob so suddenly must have been awful.'"

My voice broke off on the last word, and I took several deep, ragged breaths. "Do you think Ross could have something to do with the reappearance of the Lost Soul and Loyalty Pendants?" It was a long shot, but what harm was there in asking at this point?

He shook his head, looking up at the surface as the first rays of sun began to shine over the water. "I honestly don't know, Drew. But be careful around him. Keep an eye on Ani, too. The last thing we need is for Ross to ambush us without warning."

I kept Dad's parting words in mind as I swam back into the palace and up to our suite. I'd barely raised my fist to knock before the door opened. Ani's eyes met mine, and the fear in them stole the water from my lungs. I looked down at her outstretched hands and had to brace one of my own on the wall to stay upright. Dangling from each string was a pendant, and the stones seemed to shine from some inner light.

I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. "It must have been Ross," Ani said at last, answering my unspoken question. "The only question is how he even knew about the pendants. As you said yesterday, no one save for a few choice individuals even knows about the existence of Rosewood Manor, much less the pendants; the former is where the pendants originally came from."

When I entered the suite, Ani closed the door and quickly placed the pendants on the table in our sitting room as if she couldn't stand the feeling of them. She flexed her hands several times as if trying to loosen the muscles in her fingers from gripping the strings so tightly. A heavy pulsing started at the base of my head, but I ignored it. Ani's voice was quiet when she spoke, and her words were hesitant. "Are you okay?"

I knew what she was referring to without her even saying the words. Her eyes searched my face, darkening as they no doubt glimpsed the bruises and debris. Only when the words left her mouth did they begin to sting. "'Any child of yours will have to live with the shame of having a murderer for a father. What kind of a legacy is that?'" My voice was heavy when I spoke. "That's what Ross said to me in the nightmare."

Ani swam to me, gently taking my hands, mindful of the still-healing bruises on my knuckles. "Ross is a lonely and jealous merman. That's the only reason he would have to ever say those things to you, whether in a dream or real life. It looks like he's a coward, too, if he ever said them in real life. Besides, we all know the truth. You may have been Jacob's biological son, but he was not your father. He had years to integrate himself into your family and assume his designated role, but he chose not to. He decided to tarnish his reputation and commit unspeakable acts.

"You are a kind, gentle merman, and those qualities made me fall in love with you in the first place. Nothing anyone says will ever change that." She kissed my cheek, drawing back to look into my eyes as her words lingered in the water.

I clung to Ani's words as the day slowly turned into night. When we were getting ready for bed, I suddenly swam over to her and wrapped my arms around her abdomen, pulling her against me and placing a kiss on the top of her head. "I will be forever grateful that you chose to take my order that day in the Bronze Mermaid."

Ani grinned as she turned and kissed me again. She swam into bed, and her words were heavy with sleep when she responded. "Me, too, Drew. I love you."

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