Page 46 of Siren's Gift

Only two hours later—aspeed which suggested my little sister had not obeyedanydriving laws—Marissa ran onto the sand. Her frantic gaze darted around the area.

I waved from my place in the water, where I’d had to retreat once a few beachgoers had shown up. Getting caught with my tail on full display was not on my to-do list today, even if I could try to play it off like I was one of those professional mermaids just testing out a new tail.

No, best to play it safe. There would be too many questions. Besides, I wasn’t sure how convincing I’d be without a photographer capturing my every move for social media.

Marissa dropped the duffel bag she carried and ran straight into the water. With no regard for her clothes getting wet, she tackled me.

I grabbed her around the waist and kept her afloat while laughing. The water barely came up to my middle, but it was enough to soak her from head to foot while the waves rocked us gently. That, and Finley’s excited jumps splashed water everywhere.

"I thought I’d lost you forever." Her voice was a whisper against my ear, her arms still wrapped tight around my neck.

"Never," I murmured, stroking her hair. Marissa might have been a full-grown woman these days, but she would always be my baby sister. More than a sister—I’d practically raised her as my own after our mother died.

For years, it had been just my sister and me, our father too busy dealing with his grief and ruling a kingdom. Yes, we’d had Demetrius and Finley too, and while we loved both like family, there was no replacing our mother.

Grief was an everlasting consequence of losing someone you loved. Eighteen years had passed, and the grief still ebbed and flowed like a restless tide inside me. It didn’t drown me anymore, not the way it had those first few years when every thought of her felt like sinking into a stormy abyss.

Still, it lingered, settling deep into the cracks of my soul. Some days, it was just a whisper, a shadow I could almost ignore. But other days, the grief hit like a sucker punch, a memory so vivid I couldn’t breathe. On those days, more often than not, guilt accompanied the grief.

Time softened the waters, maybe, but it never stopped the ache of missing her.

If I had only listened to my father’s warnings to avoid the human shipwrecks that littered the ocean floor. If I hadn’t run away that day after a fight with my father and swam to my favorite hiding place within a sunken ship, then my mother wouldn’t have followed me.

And after what happened next when the shark had appeared…

I swallowed the lump in my throat. I owed my mother my life. She was the bravest, most selfless siren I knew, and I was determined to make her proud, even from the afterlife.

As I stroked Marissa’s hair, I wondered what my sister would think of me if she knew the truth. That I was responsible for our mother’s death, and I’d robbed Rissa of the chance to know her. That my selfish actions led to all the years of pain and grief and poverty.

Would she ever forgive me?

CHAPTER 23

Bree

When Marissa finally extracted herself from my arms, she gave me a sharp look that was only slightly ruined by the soaking-wet curls stuck to her face. "Not cool. Not cool at all."

"It’s the Atlantic Ocean," I explained. "The currents keep it pretty warm, even this far north."

"No, you turd. This whole deal you made with that witch."

Oh. That made more sense than commenting on the water’s temperature. "I had to, Rissa. If Mom can’t be here to protect you, then I’m honored to do it for her. It’s what she wanted."

She groaned. "No, she didn’t. I know for a fact Mom would not have asked you to throw your life away or even to take her place. You’ve protected me for long enough. It’s time to let me make my own mistakes."

I stared at my little sister, not sure when she had grown up on me. Was it because I’d disappeared and she’d had to worry aboutmefor a change instead of the other way around? Or had I just not noticed her maturing like this before?

She must have misunderstood the look on my face because she smirked. "I mean, yeah. We all know I already makemistakes. Plenty of them. I meant let me deal with the consequences. You know, on my own."

I couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled out of my mouth, and I pulled her in for another tight squeeze. I was so unbelievably proud of her.

This time when I let Marissa go, she removed the talisman from around her neck. My breath caught in my throat, but her legs didn’t join into a tail and no scales appeared on her skin. The potion had worked, thank the goddess.

"Once I found your note, I forced Cal to drive me to the nearest beach," Marissa said.

"You probably could have tested it out in the bathtub."

"Ugh, no, you dope. I was going to come after you."

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