“Has Mother ever been to the surface?”
“That’s the same question I had. She didn’t want to answer. But Aunt Molly said that when she was a young mer, she would sneak to the surface all the time, drinkingand partying with the surface folks. She was constantly in trouble with her parents about it. It only makes me all the more annoyed that she never wanted me to go up.”
The bemused look on Iris’s face made Finn believe that the queen must be a very serious woman, and Iris was finding it hard to reconcile the woman she knew with the girl she’d been.
“Anyway, I’m so glad you came. I can’t wait to come up for the wedding. Please tell me our gowns won’t be hideous.”
“Have you met Arden? He doesn’t do hideous.”
“That’s true.”
“I have to admit that I’ve loved every idea he’s had, even when I wasn’t happy about the arrangement.” She squeezed Finn’s hand to soften the blow of her words. “Is Mother here? We should probably say hello.”
“She’s not. She had to go tour that new school.”
“And Juna?”
“She and Osiren have taken off on a little holiday.”
“Juna. On a holiday?”
“I know. She’s really softened since her engagement. You seem happier too.”
“Things have been good,” Iris agreed. She leaned closer to Finn. “You should come visit.”
“I have a lot of responsibilities here.”
“You?”
“I know,” Shelly said with a little eye roll. “Things have changed for all of us so quickly. But for the better, I have to believe.”
“Princess?” someone called, making Shelly’s posture stiffen.
“Sorry. I have a meeting. If you want to stay, I can tell the staff to prepare more for dinner.”
“I wish we could, but I don’t know if we could figure out how to get back to shore in the dark.”
Finn was thankful he didn’t have to be the one to admit that.
“Well, it was nice seeing you,” Shelly said. She pulled her sister in for another long hug. Then wrapped an arm around Finn. “And to meet you.”
Once Shelly was off on official business, Iris led Finn around the rest of the palace, before she declared that Finn’s lips were starting to turn blue.
“Humans aren’t meant to stay down here so long,” she explained as they moved past the spires, the gates, the coral reefs, the shipwrecks, and past all the beautiful fish, turtles, whales, and stingrays.
When they surfaced, the bubble that had been providing him breath burst.
“What is it?” Iris asked from the swim platform. He hadn’t realized he’d been staring. But he also wasn’t surprised.
She reached for a towel, quickly drying her tail, and he watched as her skin split and transformed into her long, shapely legs.
Finn hauled himself up, dropping down, and looking out at the water.
“How can I ask you to give all of that up?”
She lifted her hand, pressing her palm to his cheek. “You’re not asking. I’m choosing.”
“But—”
