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I wasn't even sure what felt worse: the memories of the past I’d never get back, stripped away by the curse, or the few hours of normality with someone who made me feel happy and normal.

That life was nothing more than a fantasy I’d never have and was cruel in every way.

The words on the fortune teller’s card came back to me: Your path leads through dark water. Victory and loss walk hand in hand.

I’d laughed it off in the moment, but I couldn’t shake the pit in my stomach as I thought about the grave misfortune. The omen’s words burrowed themselves under my skin like a splinter I couldn't dig out. As much as I wanted to shrug it off, I knew better than to not heed whatever warning was being sent my way.

My jaw tightened. How had I let myself feel anything? What a stupid thing to do. I’d never be normal again, so why did I even let my mind go there with Ethan?

The soft touch of a caring man and the feeling of longing that welled inside me, those were not things that worked with curses and warnings. I knew there wasn't a future beyond my revenge. It wasn't even something I’d thought about until now.

I stopped swimming and floated motionless, the frustration burning inside my chest, almost as much as the hunger did.

Ethan hadn’t divulged any useful information that I didn’t already know. None of it could be used to get closer to Preston.

Dead end, I thought, back to fucking square one.

“You’re brooding…” A voice echoed behind me.

My head snapped toward the voice calling out from the shifting shadows.

Layne materialized, floating forward out of the shadows and kelp. Golden eyes aglow, fixed on me with the same unsettling intensity as always.

Of course, he’s here. It’s like he knows when I have the least amount of patience for him.

I turned my back. “Go away, Layne,” I sneered. “I don't have the energy for you and your games tonight.”

He drifted towards me—a blur of shadow and golden light brushing past. “Now, now, princess, is that any way to greet the one who gave you this power?” His voice was light and sarcastic as usual, but with a sharper edge lying right below the surface. “You seem…troubled.”

As if you care, I thought.

“I’m fine,” I said curtly.

He raised his brow, flashing a playful grin. “You’re a terrible liar.”

I scoffed, glowering at him. “Don’t act like you didn't spy on me tonight. We both know you can't help yourself.”

He stopped in front of me, studying my face. The dark murk of the water and his shadows shrouded him even less tonight, and the bioluminescence of my siren’s gaze cut through it, revealing the heavy length of him.

My throat bobbed, face burning red as the slow crawl of heat crept up my chest.

Oh God, I thought, wondering if he’d seen me look. I fought against the prickling of scales that traveled down my body, but it was well beyond my control now.

Clearing my throat, I tried to keep my eyes on his face—the sharp jaw, annoyingly full lips—but my gaze slipped lower, again.

His broad shoulders and the defined planes of his chest stood out against the shadows. Dark veins pulsed across his entire form, although less visible than usual.

Tonight, he was solid, very solid, and far more lucid than the usual blur of darkness and skin I was used to.

As much as I hated to admit it, Layne was beautiful in a dangerous and overwhelming way. He always had been, but something about seeing him now bloomed a feeling inside of me that I didn’t want to acknowledge.

Layne’s brow arched. “If you’re wondering if I saw your little outing with the boy in the Market, then yes, I did.”

Amazing, I thought, already regretting this conversation.

Because of Layne’s ability to sift through the darkness I consumed—some abominable link I now shared with him—privacy was no longer a luxury I could afford. Just another casualty of the curse.

I rolled my eyes. “That man’s name is Ethan,” I said, more defensively than intended.