Alexandros gestured to a beautiful dark-skinned Mer-couple. “King Kaiholo Pacificus and Queen Moana Pacificus rule the Pacific. Beside them, the Sundara Sirens from the Indian Ocean, Mai and Malik.” I followed his gaze to another striking dark-haired Siren—this one with atail—and beside her, a long-limbed male Siren with scaled legs and wavy hair swept into a bun.
“I can’t keep up,” Morgana muttered.
Alexandros ran a hand through his amethyst hair. “I find drinking helps.”
She looked to Finn and Glacies, then King Neptunus. “I think I’ll stay off the wine tonight.”
“And who else... Ah yes, the House of Krumos from the Southern Ocean,” Alexandros said, gesturing toward a burly man with a bronzed chest clad in gleaming steel. Beside him stood a queen, regal and pale as ice, with sweeping red hair that floated like fire in the water. “And their son’s here somewhere. Ah, yes.” He pointed to a handsome merman with auburn hair and pale skin like his mother’s. “Prince Hurley. Now, I wouldn’t mind sleeping with him.”
“Is that everyone?” I asked, my throat tightening as I scanned the room.
Alexandros rubbed the dark stubble on his cleft chin thoughtfully. “Yes, we’ve got Neptunus, Okeanós, Krumos, Niveus, Pacificus, and Thálassa Mer representatives. “And Agápe, Sundara, and Kaimana Siren representatives, as well as Queen Asherah and the other Mors survivors. We’re just missing—”
“The Lugh Sirens,” a voice said from behind us. Smooth as honey, sweet with temptation, yet tightening something deep within me like a drawn bowstring.
Aranare.
I turned, and my stomach knotted as I took him in—caramel skin, golden eyes, and a bronzed chest with a smattering of dark, glistening scales that matched his inky tail. He looked utterly at home in his Siren form.Beside him was an older, yet equally handsome, man with shoulder-length brown hair and a chiseled chest adorned with the same black scales.
“My father, Dylan.” Aranare waved a hand to the man.
“Nice to meet you.” Dylan’s kind eyes lingered on me, then he turned to Morgana. “It’s lovely to see you like this.” He grinned broadly at us while Aranare’s face stayed tense, a faint flush in his cheeks as if he were struggling to keep his expression composed.
My gaze slipped to Aranare’s right arm, and my mouth went dry. There, between bronzed skin and glinting scales, was a pale scar, the one I’d left when I slashed him moments after taking Parker’s life.
I glanced at him from under my lashes, wondering if he’d read my thoughts—if he was thinking the same thing. But he stared straight ahead as if determined to look anywhere but at me.
So, that’s how it was now? I’d told him I hated him—that I’d never forgive him—and I meant it. But I hadn’t expected it to feel like this. Like a knife in my chest was being twisted. I pressed my lips together to stop the sudden unwelcome tremble, placing a hand on Alexandros’s forearm.
“More wine, bella?” he asked, reaching behind me to grab the vat and top up my glass.
“Father, we must go and say hello to the Sundara Sirens,” Aranare said coolly. Dylan shot us a final friendly smile before his son led him away.
“You okay?” Morgana whispered as Aranare and his father greeted the stunning Sundara Siren, Alexandros had called Mai. She adjusted her hair casually as she spoke with Aranare, her attention fixed on him.
“Yes, of course.” I brushed off her comment, watching Aranare again. He was still speaking with Mai, with not even the hint of a glance in my direction.
I turned back to the others to find Alexandros’s eyes darting between me and Aranare.
“Perhaps I should guess whoyou’veslept with here.” His indigo-flecked eyes twinkled.
“We haven’t slept together,” I snapped.
“No, but you want to, don’t you, bella?”
A few hours later, after too much Mer wine, I found myself wandering the gardens. I seated myself at the edge of the crystalline pool, trailing my fingers across its glistening surface. As I moved, bioluminescence clung to my skin, lighting my hands. The water had to be magic—there was no other explanation for how a pool like this could exist beneath the ocean. I’d heard of brine pools deep in the sea, but this wasn’t like those. It was clear, reflective... almost otherworldly. Maybe they had bewitched a brine pool.
I chuckled and tipped back more wine, my curls brushing against my back. I tried not to dwell on the logistics; it made my head spin. Thankfully, I’d never been much of a science enthusiast, so accepting the mechanics of this world came easily enough. I stretched my scaled legs into the pool, letting them drift through the water as bioluminescence glittered in the ripples they stirred.
Edward had stayed inside with the Thálassian Mer, and Morgana had already excused herself, claiming she needed rest, but we both knew the truth: her eyes hadn’t left Finn or King Neptunus all night. Something had warred behind her expression. The merman was under her skin, coursing through her like a drug, sweet in small doses, but I feared the darkness within him meant too much could be fatal.
I stood, sipping from my intricate golden goblet as I paced beside the pool. My mind filled with images of Aranare and the beautiful Siren hewas still inside talking to—Mai. When I left, she was biting her lip and looking up at him as he laughed at something she’d said.
Guilt flushed my cheeks; I couldn’t believe how badly I’d wanted to throttle her, especially when she’d done nothing to deserve it.
Why should I care? I hated him.Hatedhim.
I tossed back more of my wine. If it hadn’t been for him... I shook my head angrily.
