Naia was still floating in the same spot where I'd left her moments ago with a smug smile as she gripped the shoulder of an unconscious Della. "What do you want with me?" I tried to make my voice emotionless, but it came out tired.

A glint appeared in her eyes as she opened her mouth, and, for a horrible, agonizing second, I saw her plan laid out in excruciating detail. She'd already murdered Irvetta. She'd kill every family member until I was completely alone—just like she was.

"I won't let you hurt them," I said, not surprised when malice entered my tone. I would cross any line and break any promise for my family. When that got no response, I switched tactics. "You would murder your own sister just to satisfy your thirst for revenge? Are you that selfish?"

Even though she'd never voiced it aloud, I knew she'd thought of murdering Aunt Nerissa—many times. She'd already lost one sister. Why not kill the only one left? Especially when said sister already had everything she had yearned for.

A shiver ran through me as I realized how completely and utterly unhinged Naia had become. Since Aunt Nerissa became queen, Naia had quietly raged in the shadows, plotting her revenge. And what better way to get revenge than to kill the queen of the realm she hated so much? No one had supported her after Tiger Shark's treachery, nor when their sister had died.

Having to navigate those treacherous waters alone had made her reticent and bitter. Underneath all the anger and bitterness was deep-rooted pain and resentment. So I wasn't surprised when Naia snapped back, her tone undercut by pain and resentment, "She ruined my life! Everything she has—the kingdom, love, and adoration—should have been mine!"

Even though she tried to hide it, I heard the tiniest crack in her voice as the last word left her mouth. That break in her armor was the opportunity I needed to continue. "Killing our family won't bring Meribella back. It won't—"

Faster than I could blink, she was in front of me, her palm flying through the water as it connected with my cheek. The sharp sound echoed through the water a heartbeat before the pain set in. My head snapped to the side as I let out a soft grunt. Uncle Jay and Aunt Nerissa had told me stories about the latter's upbringing and how the three sisters' relationship turned from loving and nurturing to distant and strained.

After Meribella's death, Aunt Nerissa and Naia's relationship fell apart. Naia had become jealous and greedy, craving the love and respect of Nepptheas' citizens. "Don't say her name," Naia hissed, her tone turning venomous and cruel. "I've considered bringing Meri back—you don't know many times. But every time I work up the courage to do it, I think of how disappointed and ashamed she would be if she could see me now."

Her voice broke as the last word left her mouth; her smug expression melted away, revealing a broken, lost mermaid. "She wouldn't want this for you," I said softly, putting my hands before me as if calming a skittish animal. "She would want you to be happy. To find love," I added, recalling Aunt Nerissa and Uncle Jay's stories about her and Brandon.

I don't think anyone could have predicted what happened next—least of all me. "Naia?" A merman's voice floated down to us, his tone laced with confusion and longing.

Naia froze, a hand going to her mouth as she turned around, spotting the merman floating above the reef. She let out a cry as she rushed toward him. I caught Della just before she would have hit the seafloor, her body limp and motionless.

I had a feeling Naia wouldn't notice if Tiger Shark himself appeared, so I slipped away without her knowledge. "Della?" My heart skipped a beat when I felt the bump on the back of Della's head. She didn't respond, and her body remained limp in my grip.

The gash on her forehead had thankfully stopped bleeding, but I quickly realized it was the concussion that was preventing her from waking up. I looked back at Naia, but she and the merman—whom I'd eventually recognized as Brandon—were deep in conversation.

Shock and exhaustion weighed me down as I swam, making the swim feel more prolonged than usual. When I finally saw the palace in the distance, I had to summon every remaining ounce of energy to keep from crying out. I saw two blurry figures ahead of me, and as I wiped the sweat from my eyes, I realized I was falling.

Della didn't move a muscle as Dad swiftly caught her a heartbeat before she hit the seafloor. Mom was a breath behind him, glancing from me to Della before speaking softly. "What happened?"

I could barely summon the energy to keep my eyes open, never mind shake my head. When we swam into the palace, I felt my head droop and my eyes slowly close. Mom's voice swam in my ears, muffled and faint. "Drew?"

When I opened my eyes again, the first thing I noticed was that I was lying down in our bed. The second—and more pressing—was that Ani lay beside me in bed, running her fingers through my hair. I took a deep breath and slowly sat up. "You're awake," she said softly, eyes scanning my face as I looked at her.

Exhaustion still weighed heavily on her, but I knew she wouldn't sleep even if I insisted. "How long have I been asleep?" My voice sounded rough and raspy. While I no longer felt drained, I knew I wouldn't be swimming to the Whispering Reef or anywhere outside the palace any time soon.

When I looked out the nearest window, dusk blanketed the water. Had I slept that long? Ani's words were heavy as she responded. "A few hours. Your mom said she would make sure Della was okay before coming to check on you. That was about an hour ago."

No sooner had she spoken than we heard a knock at the suite door. It wasn't until I met Ani's gaze that I noticed the seaweed sling supporting her left wrist. She followed my gaze, taking a breath before speaking. "How are you doing?" My voice was still weak, but I forced myself to push past the heaviness still weighing me down with the force of an anchor.

Focusing on the present—Ani's voice, the feel of her skin on my own, the breath in my lungs—was the only thing keeping me from replaying my tense conversation with Naia and the words we'd snapped at one another. The knock sounded again, followed by Mom's low and urgent voice. "Drew?

I exhaled a heavy breath before gesturing to Ani. She glanced from me to the door before nodding. I draped an arm over my eyes, taking several slow, deep breaths as I heard the door open and close. Mom's soft voice filled my ears, cracking slightly. "Oh, gods, Drew..."

I felt a firm hand slip into mine and squeeze. "Della's asleep in our suite. She roused long enough for me to ask her name and assure her that Ani was alright." Mom swallowed hard, then took a deep breath.

Only then did we hear multiple raised voices from outside the suite, getting louder with every heartbeat. "Bella!" "Is Drew okay?" "Is it true?"

Aunt Nerissa's voice broke as the last word left her mouth, and I looked helplessly at Mom. She quickly let them inside the suite, a sob escaping her as she fell into Aunt Nerissa's arms. My heart jumped into my throat when I heard Elle's voice, worried and afraid. "Mom? What's going on? Is Drew okay?"

As much as I wanted to get it off my chest, I wasn't sure if I had the energy to speak. And yet, even as the thought crossed my mind, I saw Naia's broken and lost expression as she confessed her deepest, darkest secrets.

I heard the pain and resentment, followed by the crack in her voice. "'She ruined my life! Everything she has—the kingdom, love, and adoration—should have been mine!'"

When everyone had crowded into the bedroom, I took a deep breath and tried to focus. Gritting my teeth against the growing ache in my head, I forced myself to speak, to dredge up the memory of our tense and emotional conversation.

"'What do you want with me?' I'd asked. I had tried to make my voice emotionless, but it came out tired. A glint appeared in her eyes as she opened her mouth, and for a horrible, agonizing second, I saw her plan laid out in excruciating detail.

"She already murdered Irvetta. She'd kill every family member until I was completely alone—just like she was." I swallowed hard, rubbing a hand down my face. "'I won't let you hurt them,' I'd said, not surprised when malice entered my tone. I'd cross any line and break any promise for my family.

"When that didn't work, I switched tactics. 'You would murder your own sister just to satisfy your thirst for revenge? Are you that selfish? Even though she'd never voiced it aloud, I knew she'd thought of..."

I trailed off, my breath catching. Aunt Izzy stared at me with tears in her eyes, unable to speak. Uncle Jay gripped Aunt Nerissa's hand as if to remind himself that she was here—that she was safe. I had to keep going. I had to finish.

"Murdering Aunt Nerissa. She'd already lost one sister. Why not kill the only one left? Especially since said sister already had everything she had yearned for. Since Aunt Nerissa had become queen, Naia had quietly raged in the shadows, plotting her revenge. And what better way to get revenge than to kill the queen of the realm she hated so much?

"No one had supported her after Tiger Shark's treachery, nor when their sister had died. Having to navigate those treacherous waters alone had made her reticent and bitter. Underneath all that anger and bitterness was deep-rooted pain and resentment. So I wasn't surprised when Naia snapped back, her tone undercut by pain and resentment, 'She ruined my life! Everything she has—the kingdom, love, and adoration—should have been mine!'"

Aunt Nerissa visibly flinched; her body shuddered as she faltered. There was no doubt that she was the one Naia was referring to. Uncle Jay glanced at Mom, but she was already moving. She dragged a chair from the sitting room into the bedroom, gesturing to Aunt Nerissa.

Uncle Jay eased her into the chair and put a steadying hand on her shoulder. I looked at Aunt Nerissa before I continued, putting as much sincerity and regret in my gaze as possible. Hoping she understood how much I hated having to reopen that old wound.

She met my gaze with compassion, and I knew she understood. That was enough despite the exhaustion tugging at me with every labored breath. "Even though she tried to hide it, I could hear the tiniest crack in her voice as the last word left her mouth. That crack in her armor was what I needed to continue. 'Killing our family won't bring Meribella back. It won't—'"

I flinched as my words broke off, recalling the pain that had bloomed when Naia slapped me. "Faster than I could blink, Naia was in front of me, her palm flying through the water as it connected with my face. The sharp sound echoed through the water a heartbeat before the pain set in.

"Uncle Jay and Aunt Nerissa had told me about the latter's upbringing—how the three sisters' relationship had turned from loving and nurturing to distant and strained. After Meribella's death, Aunt Nerissa and Naia's relationship fell apart.

"Naia had become jealous and greedy, craving the love and respect of Nepptheas' citizens. 'Don't say her name,' Naia had hissed, her tone turning venomous and cruel. 'I've considered bringing Meribella back—you don't know how many times. But every time I work up the courage to do it, I think of how disappointed and ashamed she would be if she could see me now.'"

Silence fell in the water in the wake of my statement. "Her voice broke as the last word left her mouth; her smug expression melted away, revealing a lost, broken mermaid. 'She wouldn't want this for you,' I said, putting my hands out in front of me as if calming a skittish animal. 'She would want you to be happy. To find love,' I added, recalling Aunt Nerissa and Uncle Jay's stories about her and Brandon."

I let out a tense breath, dragging a hand down my face. I was so tired. But I was almost done.

"I don't think anyone could have predicted what happened next—least of all me. 'Naia?' A merman's voice floated down to us, his tone laced with confusion and longing. Naia froze, a hang going to her mouth as she turned around, spotting the merman floating above the reef. She let out a cry as she rushed toward him. I caught Della a heartbeat before she would have hit the seafloor."

Every pair of eyes in the room was on me. "I had a feeling Naia wouldn't notice if Tiger Shark himself appeared, so I slipped away without her knowledge. My heart skipped a beat as I felt the bump on the back of Della's head. She didn't respond, and her body remained limp in my grip.

"The gash on her forehead had thankfully stopped bleeding, but I quickly realized it was the concussion that was preventing her from waking up. I looked back at Naia, but she and the merman—whom I'd eventually recognized as Brandon—were deep in conversation.

"Shock and exhaustion weighed me down as I swam, making the swim seem more prolonged than usual. When I saw the palace in the distance, I had to summon every remaining ounce of energy to keep from crying out. I saw two blurry figures ahead of me, and as I wiped the sweat from my eyes, I realized I was falling. I don't remember anything after swimming into the palace."

I collapsed back against the pillows, exhausted. Ani lay her head on my chest, and I wrapped an arm around her. Mom kissed me on the forehead, and Dad did the same to Ani before they left the suite, followed by Aunt Izzy, Elle, Uncle Kai, Aunt Nerissa, and Uncle Jay.

Ani waited until the suite door had closed before she spoke, her words barely above a whisper. "This isn't over, is it?"

After what Naia said, I felt this was only just beginning. The only question was, when would it end?

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