CH54
Peter is right on my heels as I barrel down the hallway toward Marina’s lab. "Phoebe, stop!" he shouts, his voice urgent, but I don’t slow down. I can’t.
I burst into the lab, my eyes zeroing in on Marina, who’s lying in what looks like the mermaid version of a hospital bed. Her body is partially submerged in saltwater, just enough to cover her tail and most of her torso, leaving her face and the mounds of her breasts exposed. The water shimmers softly under the lab’s sterile lights, but there’s nothing serene about the scene before me.
She looks so… vulnerable.
“Phoebe, what are you doing?” Peter’s voice is frantic behind me, but I ignore him. I’m too focused, too desperate. I spot the vial of epinephrine on the counter. I grab it and without thinking, inject it straight into her IV.
Peter lunges for me. "No! Stop!"
Marina gasps awake, her eyes flying open in terror.
"Marina!" Peter shouts, stepping in front of me as if to shield her. His voice is thick with worry, his hands gently reaching out to her.
But Marina’s wide, panicked eyes land on me, and I freeze. Dread fills them, making my heart hammer painfully in my chest. Her breathing becomes rapid, her chest heaving, and I can see it—the moment her eyes start to roll back into her head, as if she's about to fall into another fit.
"Marina!" I rush forward, ignoring Peter’s protests, grabbing her face in my hands. “Marina, calm down! Please, just listen to me! I understand what you’ve been through. I know about Coraline.”
Her breathing hitches. She stops struggling for a moment, her heavy-lidded eyes locking onto mine. "Coraline?" she mumbles, the name coming out in a broken whisper.
For a split second, I think I’ve reached her. But then her beautiful face twists into something darker—something filled with pain and rage. Her lips pull back in a snarl, and her voice is venomous as she hisses, “Never utter that cursed name to me again.”
Peter rushes to her other side, his voice soft and soothing as he helps her sit up. "Easy, Marina," he whispers, his arms wrapping around her protectively. She leans into him, her breathing still erratic but slowing.
I take a step back, guilt washing over me, but I know I can’t stop now. “I didn’t know her by that name,” I admit, my voice shaking. “But I know who she was. I know what happened.”
Marina’s eyes snap to me, filled with suspicion. "What do you know about my sister, or about me for that matter?" Her tone is sharp, accusatory.
Peter glances at me, silently pleading for me to back down, but I can’t. Not yet.
"I know enough," I say, forcing myself to meet her gaze. "I know you were both taken. I know Becker betrayed you. I know—"
"You know nothing!" Marina cuts me off, her tail twitching in agitation. “You stink of that wretched male, and you’re just as reckless. You’re just like him.”
I freeze, the accusation hanging heavy between us. For a split second, I think she’s talking about Wake, but something in the way she says it… it’s not Wake we're talking about anymore. "Becker?" I ask, my voice small.
Marina hisses, her eyes narrowing as if the name itself is a poison. "I knew the gods were cruel to send my sister a betrayer for a mate," she spits. "He took everything from us, and now they send me my sweet sister’s reincarnate, mated to that ravenous Pit Dweller."
Her words sting. I struggle to find my voice, feeling both confused and heartbroken. "Wake didn’t mean to hurt you,” I say quickly, trying to keep up. “I mean… he did, but he said he was only following your society’s laws. He was adamant about that.”
Peter shakes his head beside me. "That’s no excuse, Phoebe," he mutters.
"It’s a lie!" Marina snarls, her voice sharp and filled with righteous anger. "My people are gentle, as loving as we are noble. We would never condone wanton violence against a female, not even the savages from the Abyssinian Clan."
I blink, trying to process what she’s saying. I hadn’t been able to pry too much from Wake, but from what little I could gather, his culture seemed much harsher than what Marina described. How much had changed while she slept? How much had been lost?
"I don’t know your world, Marina," I say, my voice soft but insistent. "I’m a stranger to all of this, and I’m ignorant of your ways, but my intentions are honest. I’m not here to hurt you. I just want to understand."
Marina studies me for a long time, her eyes narrowing, as if she’s trying to determine whether I’m telling the truth. Finally, she asks, her voice cold, “What is it that you want from my people? What are these honest intentions of yours?”
Her words knock the wind out of me. I bite my lip, unsure of how to answer. What do I want? I’ve been chasing inklings and hunches for so long, I can’t even picture an end goal. I want to free Wake, I know that much, but to what end? To be with him? That’s what he wants, but I have no idea what lies ahead. Everything feels like speculation.
But now, standing in front of Marina, there’s a mystery unfolding that could change everything. Questions I hadn’t even known to ask are beginning to take shape, and I need answers.
I take a deep breath. “For right now,” I say slowly, “I want to know why Coraline—your sister—looks exactly like my grandmother.”
Marina’s eyes go glassy, her expression hardening. "Whatever legacy my sister may have had died with her on that ship at the hands of Felix Becker."
But I’m already shaking my head. "No," I whisper, my heart pounding. "That’s the thing. My Grandma Cara is alive."
Marina’s breath catches in her throat, her tail stilling in the water. She stares at me, her lips parting in disbelief.
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
