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Behind me, Aya peeks out and waves with entirely too much enthusiasm for a diplomatic meeting. “Hi, Sirena!”

Sirena bows to her. Aya keeps her chin hooked past my arm with her scent gone giddy. “It’s an honor to see the Mer on land. I noticed that you communicate differently underwater. Through the mind.”

Sirena considers the question longer than a shifter would. “Sound behaves… differently beneath the surface. Water carries vibration in ways that distort spoken words. Mental connection allows our pods to communicate through the deep. It is how we have always coordinated. Spoken language is…” She hunts for the word. “New. For us.”

“That makes sense,” Aya says, and her face falls. “Sorry, that was stupid of me to ask.”

I give her a look over my shoulder. “Aya.”

She narrows her eyes at me and huffs, but she doesn’t argue. She gave me her word, and her wolf is keeping it. When I face front, she leans into my back again.

Sirena glances over her shoulder at the tall, lean males. The one with his talons curled has been staring at me since I opened my mouth. The one beside him stands relaxed, but he’s tracking every move Aya makes. I blow smoke out of my nose at him. I want his attention anywhere but on her.

“My brothers,” Sirena says. “Cael.” She gestures to the stiff one. “And Nereus.” She motions to the relaxed one. They bow to us and take their time doing it.

“I apologize for the misunderstanding the other day,” I say. “I thought you were drowning my mate.” I wait. “I’ve been told you’ve come to Wintermoon for refuge, but you’re choosing to leave. Why?”

“We have given disrespect to a Stormscale,” Sirena answers. “It is right that we leave.”

“No!” Aya lunges out from behind me with her hands balled at her sides. “You have to stay!”

I grab her wrist and tuck her in against me again. I want a wall of fire between her and them. But I’m smiling and don’t bother stopping it. That’s my stubborn wild wolf. She catches me at it and snaps her mouth shut. I slide my grip down and lace my fingers through hers. My dragon about lifts off. She tried to rein it in, and that counts.

“I know what happened when you pulled me under.” Aya squeezes my hand. “You introduced me to the rest of your pod. Your father listened to me.” She scans the water. “Where is your father? The rest of the pod?”

I clamp down on her fingers harder than I mean to. I search the surface and come up empty.

Sirena points toward the center of the lake. “In the waters. My brothers and I were bravest to step foot on land.” She turns and lifts a hand at the university building up the hill. “The young Blackwood witch is kind. The one with the braids.”

Aya pokes her head out. “Samara? She barely talks to her own pack.”

“She spoke to me.” Sirena faces Angie with her gills flat. “The old one is not kind.”

Angie sputters. “Old?”

Aya presses her face into my back and shakes with the laugh she’s trying to swallow. I bite the inside of my cheek and keep my eyes on the far shore. Mother Fate, don’t let Angie look over here. My dragon thinks it’s the funniest thing he’s heard all week.

Beside Angie, Josiah has already swiped the small vial from her apron pocket. I didn’t even see him move. He turns it between his fingers in the light to read the label. “‘For the fish.’ Subtle, Angie.”

Angie snatches it back and pops him on the hand. “Hands off.”

Josiah shakes out the sting. Angie tucks the vial away and turns her glare on Sirena, who stares right back. Then Sirena brings her hands together. The crack slaps off the water so hard my ears ring, and Angie flinches. My dragon goes on alert. Whatever that was, it wasn’t applause.

By the time I trust my face again, Aya has wiped her eyes and quit shaking. She’s giving me a look I know by heart. Fix this. Make them stay. She lifts her chin and purses her lips. Her scent goes sharp and bossy under my nose. If you don’t, I will, and you won’t like how I do it.

I sigh and step forward. My dragon sulks about it, but he’s on her side. “I would like to extend my apologies for not giving you the welcome you rightfully deserve,” I say to Sirena. “I’m not fully aware of my Stormscale abilities. I’m only now learning what my bloodline means.”

She studies me. “Why not?”

There’s no quick way to explain Ash Clan’s history to strangers. I give her the short version. “Politics.”

Sirena and her brothers stare back. Cael’s brow furrows, and Nereus glances at his sister.

“Please,” I plead. “Offer me a second chance to make this right.” I turn my hands up at my sides. “Let us show you Wintermoon and what it has to offer. We have clean water, rich soil, and a community built on unity. We are different cultures, different species, all of us living together.”

“Please,” Aya adds. My dragon rumbles for her. If she asked him like that, he’d hand her this lake.

Sirena presses a hand over her heart and lowers her eyes while she murmurs to her brothers in their own tongue. I hate not knowing what she’s telling them about me. Nereus straightens, and Cael uncurls his talons.