She looks up at me sharply, the flicker of pain replaced by ice. Her eyes gleam like frozen sapphires, slicing through me. “I suppose you need me, then?” she says, too calm. “That’s the only reason you’d come searching. Not for me. Not with your little toy on board…” My thoughts flick to Mira, hoping she’s still in our quarters, out of earshot. Jealousy spews from Adella’s every word.
“I do,” I admit, meeting her gaze. “I need your help. I trust you. And I know you have the answers I’m looking for.”
She flips backward into the water with a splash, vanishing beneath the surface. A moment passes. Then she emerges again, only her shoulders and head breaking the tide. The moonlight catches the strands of her hair, setting them ablaze. “Now why would I help you?” she purrs, voice slick with bitterness. “My heart was only ever soft for you, Kai. Now?” Her smile is a shard of glass. “Now it’s stone.”
“Because I know you care,” I say, refusing to look away. “No matter how much venom you spit, I know you. You know who Mira is, what she means to the sea, and what she’ll mean to you. If you don’t help me, it hurts her. And if she’s hurt…” I pause, letting the weight hang. “You know damn well that’ll hurt you too.”
She rolls her eyes, slowly, a hiss slipping through her teeth. “Mira.” Her voice is edged with disgust. “She’s the Soul of the Ocean. There hasn’t been a new Soul in centuries.” Her gaze sharpens. “She’s valuable.”
I watch her, still and quiet, as her mind begins to churn dangerous thoughts. This isn’t just about love lost. This is about power. Adella was born to wield it but was never given thechance. She’s a powerful mermaid from an even more powerful heritage. But she’s the youngest in her family, so the throne doesn’t belong to her.
“Adella,” I warn, voice low. “Don’t do anything reckless. Don’t make me kill you.” Her head snaps up, icy blue eyes wide, then narrowing, sparkling with dark amusement and wounded pride. “Oh? You’d kill me? For her?” she purrs, mocking me, but there's a raw edge beneath her words. “She must be quite the treasure for Kai Eldoris, thePirate Lord, to unsheathe his sword so quickly. Especially towards the one he used tolove.” She laughs bitterly. “So what is it you need, Kai? Why must you seek me out?”
“I need you to tell me where I can find Anya.”
Her expression shatters as fear flashes like lightning in her eyes. “Anya?” she echoes, voice tight.
“Yes.” I narrow my gaze. “Is that a problem?”
She doesn’t answer. She turns from me, the silence swelling, then slowly swims back, stopping just beneath the cannon. “She’s… a very dark creature.”
My brow creases. “What the hell does that mean?”
She props herself back onto the cannon, saltwater trailing down her hair and glistening tail. “She’s dangerous, Kai. I wouldn’t recommend going after her.” Her tone turns sly, too casual to trust. “The sirens and her hunt mermaids for sport. That’s what I’ve heard, anyway. But what do I know?” She shrugs, lips curling into a bitter smile. “I'm just a stupid, jealous mermaid.”
I grab her face, fingers digging into her cheek. “Stop playing games, Adella. Tell me where to find her.” She tries to jerk away, but I don’t let go. Her eyes flash with something in between rage and need. “Don’t kiss me, Kai.” Her voice is a hiss. “Wouldn’t want your little pet getting jealous.”
My blood simmers.Enough. I shove her back, releasing her. “Anya is at the Wonder Lagoon,” she snaps, eyes bright with venom. “You’ll find it easily enough. Just don’t say I didn’t warn you.” She sinks lower into the water, but pauses for one last dig. “Good luck training your new pet, sweets. See you soon. Or maybe not.” With a flick of her shimmering tail, she vanishes into the onyx waves, leaving behind nothing but salt and silence.
Chapter seventeen
Mira
Flame & Ashes
It’s time to finally go through my mother's and father’s things. Part of me doesn’t want to know the truth. Another part is terrified of what I might find. My parents had their fair share of secrets and enemies. I pray they hadn’t crossed paths with the sirens.
I start with my mother’s belongings. I reach for one of her journals, the cover worn and soft, the pages delicate, so fragilethey feel like they might dissolve at my touch. Her handwriting is beautiful, flowing, like waves etched in ink. The date at the top reads over twenty-one years ago. Around the time I was born.
I settle onto the bed, the moonlight pouring through the window and over the pages. I slip into the past.
Mira. That’s the name we’ve chosen for our daughter. It means female ruler, ocean, and admirable. Fitting, isn’t it? She’s not even born yet, and already we can feel how special she is. It’s rare, nearly impossible, for a child to exist between someone like Bleu and someone like me. This is a blessing, a true miracle. I can’t wait to meet her. To see who she takes after. If she’s anything like Bleu, gods help us. We’ve agreed not to tell her everything. Not yet. If she’s like him, she’ll need time to grow into the truth. We’ll wait until she’s older, and when the time comes, we’ll tell her together. For now, all we can do is protect her.
Taika granted me eighteen years in human form. Eighteen years to be her mother. When that time is up, I’ll return to the ocean. If I die before then, my body will be cast back into the sea, and I’ll return to what I truly am. She gave Mira the same blessing, or perhaps it’s a curse. My only hope is that she survives. That she becomes strong, strong enough to face what’s coming. Bleu and I will train her to be a weapon. That much we can do.
My heart stops. I stare at the page, rereading the words over and over, but they don’t change. “Return to what I truly am.” What the hell does she mean by that? She can’t be what I think she is. She can’t be. And if she is… Is she still out there? Is she alive? After all this time, the heartbreak, the tears, the suffering.
My pulse hammers in my ears, too loud, too fast. I can’t tell if it’s fear or rage crawling beneath my skin. My chest tightens, every breath shallow, like the world itself is closing in. The words blur, my vision swimming as I fight to steady myself, but theweight of what they might mean presses harder. If she’s alive, everything I thought I understood—everything I’ve mourned—shatters.
I remember my father’s face the day she died, haunted and hollow. I remember how carefully and gently he placed her in the ocean like it was some sacred ritual.
But I never asked why. I was so young. And now Taika’s name is here. My blood runs cold. Why was she involved with my mother? And why didn’t either of them ever tell me?
My mother looked so at peace as the ocean carried her away. But now that I think back, the water wasn’t just red. It was black. I thought it was just the depth, the blood darkening against the salt. But no. Not anymore. Sirens bleed black. Mermaids bleed blue. Mortals bleed red. And my mother… My mother bled black.
The truth hits like a cannonball, tearing through everything I thought I knew. If my mother was a siren, what does that make me? All this talk about my blood being blessed. This isn’t a blessing, this is a curse.
A violent chill snakes down my spine. I feel sick. Like the blood inside me isn’t mine. Everything I’ve believed about myself has been a lie. And worse, Kai. Gods, Kai hates sirens with a fire I’ve felt in his every word, every warning. If he finds out what I am, what happens then?
