I looked around the pub at the people who’d gathered here. This had become a safe place for supernatural members of the town, so my wolf felt a strong connection to most of the people who were here. There was quite a crowd for it to be so early in the day, so I was relieved when Sable arrived.
It seemed like word of Winston’s death had spread, and it was all anyone could talk about. Everyone had an opinion or atheory about who might have wanted the vampire dead, but the one thing everyone agreed on was that Elwood shouldn’t have been taken in for questioning. The witch was a good man—was always available to help members of the magical community here in Ravenstone.
The talk was typical small-town gossip, so I didn’t see any reason to step in—at least not until Missy Tempbeck opened her mouth.
“Well, you know who probably did it?”
“No, who?” another young witch, Sady, asked.
“Why, Brooke, of course.” Missy sneered. “Or is it Tulip now?”
Shit. I’d been so worried about Declan that I’d completely forgotten about Tulip.
“Sable, I have something I need to take care of. Can you handle this on your own?” I asked.
“I got it, boss. You got more important things to handle today. I didn’t like Winston, but being a pompous jerk doesn’t mean you deserve a stake through the heart.”
“Grady’s handling it. I just want to go check on Tulip and make sure she’s okay.”
I hated to leave Sable to handle the crowd on their own, but I wanted to get out to the lake. Mermaids weren’t exactly nocturnal, but she did tend to keep close to the water for most of the day, so there was a good chance she hadn’t yet heard the news. I wanted to be the one to break it to her if she hadn’t. I should’ve gone straight there, but it hadn’t occurred to me.
I considered asking Declan to come with me. I didn’t like the idea of him sitting there next door by himself worrying, but mermaids could be unpredictable. There was no telling how she would take the news, and humans were delicate creatures. Not only could he get physically hurt, but seeing a mermaid at their worst could be quite frightening—and since he’d already seen adead vampire today, I didn’t think it was a good idea to subject him to an unhinged mermaid. Besides, Tulip adored Elwood, and she would hate for his grandson to see her that way.
I made the short drive to the lake and parked near the landing. Then I walked down the dirt path to the bank where the water met the reeds near the rocky inlet I knew Tulip favored.
The pond shimmered under the midday sun, reeds whispering as the wind stirred the water’s edge. It looked peaceful—almost idyllic—but I knew better.
I crouched near the bank and reached out, drawing circles in the water. I knew she would feel the disturbance and pick up my scent in the water.
I continued to stir the water while I waited. There was no response, but the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. The water stilled, went glass-smooth, and that’s when I knew she was close.
“I need to talk to you, Tulip. It’s important.”
The surface broke without a ripple, her green hair rising first, slick and wet against pale iridescent skin. Her eyes breached last—those strange, bottomless things that weren’t quite human and never tried to be. She said nothing.
“Winston’s dead,” I said gently. “Someone murdered him.”
Her face didn’t change. Not at first. But the water around her went still and dark, roiling with shadows. The pond’s peaceful hush turned to a strange silence—the kind that made prey freeze and predators sharpen their claws.
“You think I did it,” she said, voice flat and cold.
“I didn’t say that.”
“But you thought it.” She surged forward, stopping just short of the bank. Not a splash, not a sound—just movement so fast I barely had time to shift my weight. Her eyes blazed, teeth just a little too sharp behind parted lips, making me glad I hadn’t brought Declan. He would have no idea how much danger he was in, and he might say the wrong thing. “How did he die?”
“Someone stabbed him through the heart with a crystal point.” I kept my voice calm and matter-of-fact. I could tell she was on the edge, and I didn’t want to push her over.
“If I’d killed him, you wouldn’t have found a body. I would’ve dragged him to the bottom and let my fish feast on his flesh.” Her tone was cold and unfeeling. That was why mermaids were so scary.
“I know you would have.”
“Then why did you come here and disturb my sanctuary with his name in your mouth?” She was trying to sound hard and tough, but I could tell she was hurting.
“I needed to tell you because you cared about him.”
Her face crumpled then—just for a second, a flicker of something raw. She sank lower into the water until it kissed her chin, her arms trembling as she braced herself against the mossy rocks near the edge.
“I loved him,” she whispered.
