I swallow hard and turn the page, my fingers trembling. The next entry is written in a different colored ink.
Mira is stunning. She takes after her father in almost every way, his eyes, his fire, his stubbornness. But there’s something ancient in her too, something I can’t quite explain. Human life will be difficult for her. The more people who discover who she truly is, the blood that flows through her veins, the more danger she’ll face. There are those who would hunt her and kill her just for existing. She is the key to unlocking the fountain.
Bleu will make an excellent protector. A fierce teacher. He’ll show her how to wield her strength, how to fight, and how to survive. But gods, I hope she gets to live first. To laugh. To be soft. To be a child.
I wish she could stay that way forever.
Not long after her birth, the sea came for her. Mermaids and sirens alike appeared, uninvited yet strangely welcome. I’d never seen them in harmony before, sirens, who usually hunt mermaids for sport, swimming side by side with them. It was unsettling. Beautiful. Almost like a dream. But it made my blood boil at the sight of it. It wasn’t right.
Bleu went out to investigate. I remember the way he looked when he came back, ashen, urgent.
“We need to bring Mira,” he said. “Now.” I bundled her close and followed him outside. The ocean wasn’t reflecting the moonlight, it was glowing from beneath. A thousand shades of blue and silver shimmered as mermaids and sirens sang in unison, their melody so achingly beautiful it stole the breath from my lungs. It felt like the entire sea was singing to her. For her.
Sea creatures circled the ship, dolphins, rays, even a whale in the distance, all swaying to the rhythm. And then, through the water’s glow, my sister rose from the sea.
Anya.
“Dear Sirena,” Anya said, “your baby has been chosen. Mira is the Soul of the Ocean, the one the sea has been waiting for, for thousands of years. It glows for her now. Her heart is pure gold, as beautiful as the sea itself. We must perform the ritual. Please… let me take her.”
I looked at Bleu. He nodded. That was all I needed. With shaking hands, I gave Mira to Anya and followed them into the water. The ocean began to swirl the moment Mira touched it, like it knew her. Anya carried her to where the glow wasbrightest and placed her there. Then, a beam of light rose straight from the ocean, shooting up into the sky, connecting with the moon.
All of us stood, silent and still, watching in awe as my baby became something more, something the world would treasure, fear, and never understand. Mira, the Soul of the Ocean. The most powerful gift the sea had ever given.
The light slowly faded. Anya swam forward and lifted her gently from the glow, then handed her back to me. Her voice was soft, but there was weight behind every word. “She must be protected, Sirena. Her soul is rare. The ocean gave her to restore balance, but it will take her back if she’s left unguarded. Never let her out of your sight.”
I looked down at her. Mira was fast asleep in my arms. My precious, beautiful girl. My treasure. My soul.
I slam my mother’s journal shut, completely and utterly stunned. Bile creeps up my throat, burning it, making me feel like I might throw up. “I’m the Soul of the Ocean?” I whisper. And Anya… she’s my aunt? The weight of it all crashes over me like a tidal wave, my mother’s secrets, the glowing ocean, the ritual, Anya. My mind spins, trying to piece it together.
That was the memory Kai unlocked in the pub.
“You are.” Startled, I spin around so fast I nearly fall off the bed. Kai stands in the doorway, arms crossed, tattoos glowing faintly in the lantern’s flame and the moonlight pouring through the windows.
“You knew?” I snap.
He steps toward the bed, calm as ever. “Of course I did, Mira. I’ve known since the day you stepped onto my ship. I vowed to protect you.”
Anger surges through me like a rip current. “And you didn’t think to tell me?! Don’t you think that would’ve been helpful? What else are you hiding?” Kai shakes his head and sinks downbeside me. Gently, he reaches out, brushing his fingers along the side of my face.
“Your story isn’t mine to tell, treasure,” he says softly, his hazel eyes catching the flicker of lantern light. “It’s yours to uncover. But I’ll be here, every step of the way.” He glances past me toward the window, a slow, crooked smile rising to his lips. “And it looks like someone else is happy you’re finally discovering who you are.”
I turn, drawn to the glass. The ocean below burns like liquid starlight, glowing so brightly it stings my eyes. The water pulses with a rhythm that feels impossibly familiar, like a second heartbeat inside my chest. I look down and see my mother’s wedding ring resting against my skin, shining just as fiercely as the sea. Something inside me shatters.
I bolt from the room, bare feet flying across the ship’s wooden boards. Only the night crew is out, frozen at the strange glow rising from the depths. With a single sweep of his hand, Kai dismisses them.
I race to the railing, heart pounding like thunder. Below, sea creatures spiral through the illuminated water, carving patterns I can’t begin to understand. My breath catches, too shallow, too tight. The pull is undeniable. The ocean is calling me home. I tear at my clothes, desperate to break free, to answer it. Then, his hand. Gentle, reassuring. Kai.
“I’ll go with you,” he says, his voice steady, low. He’s already pulling off his shirt, moonlight tracing the lines of his skin like a blessing, igniting every single stroke of ink that stains his skin.
I hate to admit it, but gods help me. I love when his clothes are off. He’s the most breathtaking man I’ve ever seen. All golden skin, sharp edges, and that storm in his eyes. We climb onto the edge of the ship, barefoot and balanced, hands clasped like we’re anchoring each other to the world. We lock eyes. And we jump.
The second we hit the water, everything stops. Time. Sound. Thought. The glow swallows us whole. Moonlight flickers in his eyes and sparks through me, like the stars themselves fell from the sky and lit my blood on fire. All from one impossible look. Kai wraps his arms around my waist, steady and sure, holding me like I’m the very thing keeping him alive. He tries to hold on, but the ocean has other plans. And who are we to argue with her?
The current rips me from his grasp, dragging me under as if summoned by something ancient, sacred. Then, light. A radiant beam bursts through the deep, just like in my mother’s journal. It wraps around me, warm and blinding, lifting me from the sea’s floor like I’m nothing but breath and starlight.
I rise, suspended between sea and sky, hovering above the waves and under the stars. And then, I feel everything. I feel the waves battering distant cliffs, their fury echoing inside my chest. I feel whirlpools spinning like storms unchained, wild and endless. I feel sea creatures gliding far below, silent and sure, wrapped in the hush of the deep. I feel the ocean’s pulse. Her rhythm. Her rage. Her reverence.
For the first time in my life, I feel whole. I’ve found myself. I’ve found home. It’s as if the very heart of the ocean replaced mine with hers.
