46. Annabelle

It's unreal.I reach down and run my hand over the scales on my thigh. I rub toward my toes and back the other way. "Ouch." It doesn't hurt that badly, but it certainly doesn't feel good. "They're really pretty."

"They certainly are," Castor says. He turns to the other guys.

I close my eyes. Holter's right, I don't have to rush it. I have time. I have time.

"Belle?"

I open my eyes and look down. I don't have legs. I have a fluke. It's longer than where my feet were. Blue and purple with a streak of fuchsia on the tip. I move it, and it's like watching someone else move. But it's definitely me. The guys are all at the end of the tub, their eyes like saucers. I pull it down and up, and a large splash of water flies at them, but Nico gets the brunt of it. And I laugh.

"You think that's funny, my tide and moon?"

"I do. I do think it's funny. I want to swim. Oh, crap, I want to swim, swim out with my sharks. And you guys too."

That has them laughing.

Back in the pod room, a chorus of dings ring from the discarded clothes on the floor.

"Whatever it is can wait, Belle. Let's go swimming."

I nod and try to get up, but that's hard to do when you don't have legs, so I slide back down the tub wall.

"Try to relax again. Think about the first time you shifted into a swim bladder," Holter says.

"You mean when I almost drowned in the shower?"

"Okay, more relaxing, less drowning, Sunshine." Eros kisses the tip of my fluke.

I close my eyes. Relax, don't wonder about why all our blocks went off at the same time. The Braesen who hurt my family are gone. We're good. Relax.

I open my eyes and catch Nico's expression. "You know what the message is?"

"Indeed. Your cousin and aunt are pulling into port now."

"What?" I push up again but this time slide all the way under, coughing out water because, well, normal lungs.

"We can swim later. Let's get you dried off. That might help you shift back." Holter reaches into the tub and pulls me out. He holds me while the rest of the guys dab me with a towel, and when I'm all dry? Yeah, I still have a fluke.

"I can't go meet them like this. They'll be scared enough as it is." I'm hyperventilating. I turn to Holter and kiss his cheek. "Can you lay me on the bed?"

He places me on the other side where the guys haven't spilled any water. I close my eyes and take deep breaths. I've never been one to meditate. My brain is too crowded with random thoughts to sit still for that long. But then Castor starts singing. At first, it's odd. He's singing in Dorian, and I can only pick out a few words, adjectives mostly. I catch the mermaid and happy. When he gets to the chorus, they all sing. The room vibrates with their voices. And I can only hear their voices; the voices in my head go blank. In-out, in-out, I breathe. And when they stop, I open my eyes. My legs are back, but there are a few purple scales on my upper thigh. It almost looks like a really detailed tattoo. "Wow, all it took was you guys to sing a whole song to make me shift back."

Holter leans over and kisses the shell of my ear. "You'd shifted back before we joined in."

"Oh."

"You're going to be just fine, Sunshine."

"No, I'm not. I need to go meet Marlee and Aunt Blair before they're overwhelmed by that docking ceremony."

"I talked to Atlas a week ago," says Nico. "He assured me they would forgo the ceremony in light of the circumstances."

"Thank goodness." I'm off the bed and pulling on my most human-looking tunic and leggings.

I sit in the front seat of the omada. "Are we sure the guest rooms are finished? You pulled out all your?—"

"There is no more agent tech left in the apartment, Sunshine. And the rooms you've prepared for your family are perfect."

"Okay."

We pilot around the sculpture garden, and an idea forms. But it will have to wait.

The docking dome where we park the omada is massive. And mostly empty. Which gives me hope that there really is no ceremony.

Castor helps me out of the omada, holding my gloved hand. I seriously doubt that my developing mark is a secret to anyone anymore, but it's one less thing to explain to Marlee and Aunt Blair. Together, the five of us walk down the long hallway, past the docking viewing stands and straight up to where the bridge will attach to the sub. There are only a few males here. Atlas, of course. Michio, who glares at Eros. They're both still angry at each other over Marina. She's been nothing but tears since she got back.

"She looks good," Castor says to Nico. And I know they're talking about the Centauri.

"There's a scuff mark on the starboard aft. What the hell is Broderick doing to her?" I know Nico's happy being with us, but part of him will always be the hard-ass commander of the Centauri.

"She's a fine-looking sub," I say.

"You're not jealous, are you, Sunshine?"

"Of a sub?" I laugh. "No."

The bridge moves just as a few more males jog up to the platform, including Forrest and his youngest mate. I eye him, giving him the I-know-what-you're-doing look. Delmar Mason waves at me. He was really nice when we danced at my first ball. He gave me a telescoping trident. And he took it really well that I wasn't going to accept a pre-made pod. But yeah. No. I'm not letting that shit happen to Marlee, either. I knew a little then, but I know a heck of a lot more now. I cock my head at Delmar, cross my arms over my chest, and shake my head no.

Delmar shrugs as if to say, "we'll see." We'll see, my ass.

When I turn back to the bridge, Broderick is walking across it. There's no formal line, no Dorian music. But Broderick still goes to Atlas and greets him in the traditional way. And then around the corner comes Aunt Blair. She's wearing an everyday traditional dress, like something Ophelia might wear. But something's different. Aunt Blair looks twenty years younger than when I saw her last. Her hair is braided around the crown of her head. And she's smiling.

I can't take it. I take off running for her. I run past the governors and the others at the bottom of the gangplank, straight into her arms. Tears are flowing down my cheeks. "Auntie. Oh, you're here. You're finally here." I hold her shoulders and lean back to look at her.

"I am. This is the most amazing adventure. I'm just... I can't even begin to elaborate on all the things we've seen." Blair turns around. "Now, where is Marlee?"

"I'm here," comes her voice from out of sight. "I got caught in that tube thingy."

"Oh, that's the worst," I project down the bridge, although I still don't see Marlee.

She turns the corner. Her hair is loose around her shoulders, and she's wearing tight-fitting jeans and a black hoodie with a skull on it. I leave my aunt and run up to her. She wraps her arms around me and squeezes.

"You look good," I say.

"Thanks. Kappler said he could make me whatever I wanted."

"Well, you look good." The jeans and hoodie can stay, but I'm going to have to braid her hair or she's going to have a trail of males a mile long behind her. I glance back at the dock. Forget it; it's not going to matter. She's going to have a trail of males behind her no matter what. "Okay, let's get you to my apartment. I'm sure you're tired after?—"

"I'm not tired. I've never been less tired. I'd love to meet some of these men—males—down on the dock." Aunt Blair squeezes my hand and leaves Marlee and me standing on the platform.

"Mom's gone a little boy crazy. It's cool but weird. Cool and weird. But you know she deserves it. So, good for her."

"And how about you? How are you doing?"

"The Omicron was scary, but Commander Lachlan was nice. He kept us safe. Captain Broderick of the Centauri? Yeah, he's... intense? No, he likes things more structured. But he was fine until we took the detour for the battle—then we were locked down for days." She shrugs. "But it is what it is."

"What it is, is a lot. You've been through a lot, and it's okay to find your footing."

"Footing. That's funny. So, do you have a tail now?"

I suck in my lip.

"No shit. You do. You have an f'n tail. I want to see it."

"It's new. But yes, I'll show you."

"And those four dudes out there? They're yours."

"Yeah, how did you know?"

"Because the rest are looking at me like I'm the daily special." She shrugs.

"Right, you kind of are. But you don't have to be. My mate, Castor, has a way of getting you to Athens, and then to wherever you want."

"I don't really have a home anymore. You're all we have. Here's good for now." Marlee pulls out a necklace from under hood. And my heart jumps.

"Is that mine?"

"I sure hope so." She pulls it off and puts it around my neck.

I stare down at it. "I can't believe you found it." I pull her into a hug. "Thank you. I thought it was gone forever." I smile at her. I can't believe she's here. "I'm sorry how everything happened. And if you want to go I understand. But with you here now, it really does feel like home."

Marlee glances across the platform. "I don't think I'm going to get Mom to go anywhere. I'll stay for a while, I guess."

Aunt Blair is holding Forrest's hand, laughing.

I smile. "Yeah, I don't think Aunt Blair's going anywhere."