But even as I say it, I can feel the familiar ache in my chest—her emotions swimming through me due to the Faerite stone.
I'm beginning to have a love-hate relationship with this damn thing.
This whole making friends and then leaving them behind thing? It sucks ass. I mean, first Axilya, Faderyn, Meadow, and now Mirella and Gideon? The universe is determined to make me the savior of the realms and the queen of goodbyes.
Mirella pulls me into a hug, and damn, the girl smells like the perfect beach day—ocean, sea salt, and a freshness that makes me want to bottle it up and sell it as a perfume.
"Thank you for helping me, Dani," she sniffs, wiping her nose adorably. "You will never be forgotten."
And that's it. The floodgates open, and I'm crying with her, our tears mingling like the sea and the rain. I want to blame it on the Faerite stone, with its annoying ability to turn me into an emotional sponge, but let's be honest—I've grown fond of Mirella. She's like the cool mermaid sister I never had, and the thought of saying goodbye is hitting me harder than I expected.
"I couldn't have done it without you; don't forget that," I choke out.
With her knowledge and her unwavering support, I don't know if we would have made it this far. She's been the unsung hero of this whole underwater adventure, and I'll be damned if I let her forget it.
I pull back, "Say goodbye to Nixie for me?"
Mirella nods her head, "Of course."
As much as it hurts, I know this isn't the end. We're connected now, bound by the threads of friendship and the shared experience of saving an entire realm. And if there's one thing I've learned on this crazy journey, it's that the bonds we forge along the way are more substantial than any curse or evil mastermind.
So yeah, saying goodbye sucks major ass. But you know what? It's not really goodbye. It's more like "See you later, alligator," or in this case, "Catch you on the flip side, mermaid."
Izabelle decides to sashay her skanky ass over, draping herself over Gideon like a cheap, pirate-themed curtain. "Aye, the land-lubber finally leavin'?" she sneers.
I turn to face her, my eyes narrowing as I remember all the crap she put me through. The backstabbing, the scheming, the whole "let's throw Dani to the sharks" thing? Yeah, not cool, sister.
"That's right, Izabelle," my voice as sweet as poisoned honey. "I almost forgot my parting gift."
She detaches herself from Gideon and saunters towards me, a smirk on her face that I'd love nothing more than to wipe off with a well-placed fist. "Oh? And what's that?" she snarks, like a cat about to get a face full of karma.
Without a second thought, I rear back and let my fist fly, connecting with Izabelle's face in a symphony of cartilage and regret. There's a satisfying crunch as she goes down, hitting the deck with all the grace of a drunken elephant. Blood gushes from her nose, probably ruining her "I'm a conniving pirate whore" aesthetic.
"That's for being a grade-A, certified bitch," shaking out my hand. "Hope you enjoy your new look. I hear broken noses are all the rage this season."
Behind me, Lucian's cackling like a hyena that just discovered laughing gas. He strolls to Izabelle's crumpled form, grinning like an idiot.
"Holyship, JIZZabelle!" he exclaims. "That looks like it hurts more than that one time when I tried to high-five a jellyfish. Here, let me help. How many fingers am I holding up?"
He waves his hand in front of her face, alternating between flipping her off and making other crude gestures.
Izabelle's pride is more bruised than her face, and she swats at his hand like an angry cat. Lucian dances back, still chuckling. "Whoa there, tiger! I was just trying to help. Maybe we should get you an ice pack... and a personality transplant while we're at it."
Rhyland's got a smirk that could cut glass, and Erik? He's giving me a look of pride that warms my heart.
It feels good. Damn good. Because sometimes, just sometimes, a bitch needs to get punched in the face. It's like the universe restoring balance, one broken nose at a time.
Here we are, another realm saved, another stone acquired, and another step closer to fulfilling this "savior" gig.
It's been one hell of a ride so far, and I wouldn't trade it for anything.
Danica
74
Istep into my apartment, ready to collapse on the couch, binge-watch some trashy reality TV, and stop dead in my tracks.
"What the hell?" I whisper, my eyes widening as I examine the scene before me. It looks like a tornado, a hurricane, and a pack of wild animals had a rave in my living room.
