I hand Kai my father’s journal. “Be gentle,” I say quietly, my thumb brushing over the worn spine before letting go. He takes it like it’s something sacred, his fingers careful, reverent even. I point to the first sentence my father ever wrote.
Kai’s eyes widen as he reads, the sun setting his hazels ablaze. His jaw tightens, a slow exhale slipping through his lips as if the words are sinking in too deep to ignore. “I see,” he says finally, his voice low. He's processing.
“And my mother’s journal says that if she dies in her human form, she returns to her original one.” I meet his gaze. “When my father placed her body in the ocean, her blood turned black.” Kai’s eyes narrow slightly, piecing things together. “And we both know,” I continue, my voice firm despite the quake in my heart, “Sirens bleed black, just like the water they swim in.”
“And what happened after?” Kai asks quietly, his voice dipping low. “Where did her body go?”
I look down again, my voice small. “I was so young. I just remember her body slipping into the ocean. It was peaceful. Like the sea was welcoming her home. And my father, he never stopped staring out at sea, always looking for her.”
Kai’s eyes darken with thought. He glances away for a second, jaw tightening. “Hmm,” he murmurs, more to himself than to me.
“I know it sounds insane,” I say quickly, trying to fill the silence. “But I think they’re alive. Both of them. I don’t know where, or how, but”—I press my hand against my chest, right over my heart—“I feel it. Like a tide pulling me somewhere.”
I hesitate, then say quietly, “There’s something else. Anya, she's my mother’s sister.” Kai’s head snaps toward me. I catch the flicker in his eyes, the realization setting in. The pieces aligning. “That makes her my aunt,” I add, barely above a whisper. “I’m only just starting to make sense of it, but it changes everything.”
“I believe you,” Kai says without hesitation. “We’ll find your parents. Or they’ll find us first. With the ocean blessing you like she did, creatures will talk. If your mother really is the queen…” His gaze locks with mine. “She’ll feel it. She’ll come.”
I nod slowly, the weight in my chest beginning to lift, just a little. Then he smirks softly. “Also, Mira, nothing you say will ever sound insane to me.” I feel my face grow warm, and a small smile tugs at my lips.
I glance at him. “With your father killing my mother the way he did,” I say carefully, “you and he might’ve been targets this whole time. From both sides. The sirens and the mermaids.”
The words hang between us, heavy with implication.
Confusion swirls beneath the surface of my thoughts. How could my mother and Anya be sisters, one a siren, the other a mermaid? It doesn’t make sense. But maybe it’s not supposed to. Not yet. It seems that hybrids run in the family.
Kai doesn’t flinch. He just steps closer. “Then let them come for me. I’ll handle whatever comes at us. Sirens don’t scare me, treasure,” he adds.
I’m not sure he fully understands what he’s saying, not really. Sirens aren’t just deadly, they’re nightmares. A glance at his arm reminds me that he should know this better than I do.
But Kai’s fear isn’t of them. “What scares me,” he says, standing now, “is knowing how unsafe you are. You’re a massive target, Mira. Every creature, every pirate, anyone worth their salt, is looking for you. One mermaid whispering in the wrong ear is all it takes. And there are too many cursed ears to whisper into.”
He moves to the door. “We should see how close we are to Wonder Lagoon. And Mira, never, ever trust a mermaid. Their beauty blinds, their words deceive, and their loyalty is paper-thin. That includes Anya. Family ties or not, they are untrustworthy. Veyra sent us to her for a reason. We find it and then we leave.”
I rise, following him toward the door. “We’re not just looking for answers about me,” I say, voice calm but certain. “We need help finding the fountain.” I pause, glancing out at the waves. “And something tells me Anya won’t give it up so easily.”
Chapter nineteen
Kai
Holy & Haunted
“How close are we, Jay?” The sun is just beginning to stretch its golden limbs across the horizon, my favorite time of day. The world bathes in amber, shadows long and soft, and the ocean shimmers like molten gold beneath us. There’s somethingsacred about this light, like the sea is holding its breath, waiting for the day to start.
“I’d say we’ll be there shortly.” Jay takes a drag from his pipe. “Mermaids, Cap? That’s what you’re after now?”
I cut him a look, sharp and quick. “We’re not after them to hurt them. We’re after answers.”
“Aye, and what of the one that always used to pay you late-night visits?” he says.
I hold his stare. “We are not to speak of her. Not with Mira on board this vessel.” My voice doesn’t falter.
Then, after a beat: “Mira is something special, isn’t she?” His glance is sly, half-curious, half-knowing. He shouldn’t ask, but if anyone could, it’s Jay.
“Yes,” I say, my gaze turning forward again. “She is. And if you ever see her in danger, especially if I’m not there, I want you to protect her with your life.”
Jay doesn’t hesitate. “Understood, Cap.”
I leave him at the helm and head down to the main deck. Morning silence wraps around me, broken only by the rhythmic crash of waves and the occasional whistle of wind through the rigging. I lean over the edge to watch the dolphins trailing us, sleek, silver shapes leaping in and out of the surf like they’re escorting us home.
