Elyssa was supposed to be in Kadir’s arms, flying to the Van Cartier Cosmetics platform to see Aya.

Instead, she was forced to wear a harness that was dragged by four mer warriors and one surly Soren.

They were trying not to touch her. She got that. And she was still slow. She’d barely practiced with her new fins.

But if she had to hear one more time how badly she was to blame for Kadir’s injury, she was going to strangle the beefy male with the harness cable like Princess Leia strangled Jabba the Hut in Return of the Jedi.

“You should not have wandered off, you should not have dismissed your guard, and you should not have ordered a cave guardian to attack the ruins,” he told her, for the five hundredth time, when it was his turn to drag her.

She bit her lip. He was right. But she had already apologized. What else did he want?

“The old brides never left the city. Consider your short-comings. You should have taken more care.”

These mid-ocean currents were supposed to be the fastest route to the surface platform, but from her perspective, they were not fast enough.

“You know you are not the brightest bride.”

That was it.

“Fine, Soren, I shouldn’t have done all those things. I’m very, very sorry. Are you happy now?”

“No. You do not mean your words.”

She was going to strangle Soren with her bare hands. If only she could get her hands around his thick neck.

“I wish you were not here now,” he said.

“You know what? I feel the same way about you.”

He stiffened.

“I wish I was swimming with Kadir. I wanted to show him off and tell Aya all about our new life together. I wish you had gotten injured instead!”

Soren rounded on her, growling with fury. “He was injured because of you!”

She kicked forward, facing him head-on. “I know that!”

“And still you think you did nothing wrong?”

“I’m not saying that.”

The other mer quickly formed a barricade between her and the enraged black-tattooed warrior.

Yes, she was to blame. She had seen the amazing giant octopus and all she’d thought about was meeting him up close. She hadn’t meant to frighten everyone.

Then, when the needlefish flew out of the wreckage, she had tried to summon the Life Tree to form a protective barrier. Lucy could make one, so why not Elyssa? But just when she thought one might be forming, her warriors had slammed into her. She’d startled and lost her concentration. Everyone suffered.

She should have forgotten the barrier and just gotten out of the way.

“I wish I would have done everything differently.” Tears pricked her eyes. She fought through them. “And if I’d known that ‘Octopus Kong’ would smash through the side of the tower, I would have chosen my words more carefully. So you know what? You can take a hike, you big hulk.” She struggled with the harness. “I’ll swim the rest of the way myself.”

Iyen intervened. “We must make speed.”

Even her desire to show up Soren was thwarted. She wasn’t going to take it out on Iyen. She crossed her arms. “Fine.”

Soren shoved free of the harness. Iyen shouldered it and pulled steady and hard. Soren floated back to growl at her.

“I do not know what this ‘hike’ is, but I have no desire to take it. I will do my duty here. Even if it is protecting a selfish woman who I do not like.”

He swam ahead.

She shouted at his broad back. “I don’t like you either!”

The ocean passed by really fast after that. Even though she couldn’t get out of the harness, she kicked because she was enraged. The other warriors fell behind. Maybe they were afraid of her now and trying to give her space. Well, good! Soren might get lost. See how he liked that!

Too bad that didn’t solve her real problem.

Because honestly, he was right. Aya wouldn’t have been so stupid. Gailen and Tial had tried to keep Elyssa from exciting the cave guardian. Both were recovering with needlefish injuries in their arms and legs, but neither were hurt as severely as Kadir.

And he was already recovering. How much more hurt could he take?

Iyen reduced his speed to swim close to her. “Queen Elyssa. Do not become so angry at Soren that you do not return to Atlantis.”

What?

Iyen and Pelan were watching her with concern. Lotar was too far ahead.

She was going to leave because of a fight with Soren? Really? Was that what they thought?

“Don’t worry,” she assured them. “I’m not going to leave because of one jerk. I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction.”

And anyway, if she judged the whole of Atlantis by a few outliers, she’d have to kick that adviser guy in the tail fins too.

They were still regarding her cautiously.

“What’s up?” she asked. “Am I ‘swimming angry’? Or did I get ‘dim’ or something?”

They shook their heads.

“No.” Iyen’s maroon tattoos moved as he flexed. The cable between them remained slack as she kicked her fool fins off. “Your light brightened since your fight.”

So, fighting brought out the bright lights in her. No shocker there. Her desk never got organized until after she’d had a good fight. This one with Soren probably built up a healthy glow.

“It is impressive,” Ciran said, kicking hard behind her. “Most warriors find it easier to face down ten bull sharks than Soren. He is a powerful warrior. Yet, you only glowed brighter to match his. Do you not fear him?”

Soren’s anger was like a flash-bang, only growlier.

“He feels bad about what happened. But he has to get used to it. I’m going to make stupid mistakes. If you wanted a queen who’s smart all the time, you should have chosen Aya. Soren had better learn to cope after disaster’s struck.”

As she spoke, Soren changed from a tiny speck to a dropping well within earshot. Could he sense her anger the way the other warriors did? Hopefully, it smarted.

“You also communicated with the cave guardian,” Ciran continued. “We have never seen one respond to a command.”

“Octopi are smart.” They regularly escaped out of their tanks and feasted on unfortunate fish in nearby aquariums. They were the Houdinis of the marine world. “Octopus Kong probably picked up English at your weekly lessons.”

The mer exchanged thoughtful glances.

“I’m just kidding,” she said.

Although honestly, who knew the limit of octopus intelligence? She was no marine biologist.

She started mowing down Iyen. He glanced behind him and focused on his speed. His fins brushed the slack sling cables and threatened to tangle.

“I’m feeling pretty good about my fins. Please can I get out of the sling?” she asked.

Iyen and Ciran both looked at Soren.

“On the return journey,” he finally growled. “Rest now.”

Fine. She stopped kicking and slacked. But it seriously felt like Iyen must be dragging her like a wall through the water.

As they neared their destination, Soren allowed her out of the sling after all and then began issuing orders. “Iyen, point. Lotar, scout. Ciran, stay with me until Elyssa is on the platform. I will provide security from the humans.”

Security? From Aya? “I don’t need security.”

“We are not bringing the second payment.”

“I’ll explain everything,” Elyssa promised. “Aya’s in charge. She’ll understand.”

Soren growled. “My promise is to Kadir.”

“Didn’t you say you don’t honor any promises?”

He blackened. “I honor what I want.”

She rolled her eyes. “Okay. Whatever. Secure me. But just out of curiosity, what are you so afraid my cousin’s going to do? Last I checked, I’m still an American. It’s the land of the free.”

Ciran spoke up. “We are not going to American land. We are going to a platform on the sea.”

“Which I can’t exactly leave.”

“Except by their underwater platform, helicopters to the mainland, and a submersible,” Soren snapped.

“Except that,” she said. “But I’m not going to. Wait. They have an underwater platform with a submersible? Since when?”

“A short time.” His face brooked no disagreement. “I will secure you in the air.”

What he was really saying was that he wanted to make sure she came back. They all did. And she was. So she shut up and stopped fighting.

They reached the surface platform. In the last hundred feet to the surface, the water changed texture. Looking up, the 3-D, holographic ocean flattened to a grainy photograph. Gravity lightened to moon-gravity. She could break right out of the ocean like a humpback whale and go flying off into the sky.

She surfaced with a mouthful of salt water. Ugh, not only her mouth but also her throat. The waves slapped and tossed her. Horizons tilted like crazy. She choked.

Descend!

She escaped to the cool, calm ocean.

Soren grabbed her wrist.

Right. No, she was supposed to surface. She had to ask Aya to stop the demand for Sea Opals. Aya had to understand.

Elyssa kicked to the surface again. Chaos. Waves bounced her up and down, the worst ever water park ride. Soren and the others tried to help her to the stairs leading up to the platform.

It was bigger than she’d envisioned, like the deck of a large ferry boat, and its glassed-in shelter top bristled with antennae and satellite dishes. Was it a scientific platform, then? The stairs heaved up and down, making their own waves, and splashing her away. Finally, a small aluminum dinghy descended from the platform, and the warriors brought her to it.

She grabbed the lip and heaved herself onto the hard metal. The sky rotated. Seawater sloshed in her lungs. Ugh. She leaned over the side and puked her guts out.

A motor whirred above and the boat lifted from the water.

She gasped her first ragged breath of air in a month.

And coughed it out again. Air stabbed her throat in a hundred places. Each breath seared and she coughed raggedly like the water was full of broken glass.

Then, her nose clogged with mucus and her throat coated with it too, and she coughed like a normal person with asthma and bronchitis and pneumonia all at once.

The chaos of the surface eased into a soothing, gentle roll of the open ocean. Her little dingy reached the top and the winch stopped.

Aya stood on the platform. She held out a towel.

Had it already been a month? She made her red jumpsuit and tennis shoes look businesswoman-sharp.

Her welcoming gaze passed over Elyssa and hit Soren. Her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open.

Elyssa stepped onto the corrugated metal and grabbed for the towel.

It dropped out of Aya’s limp hand.

Elyssa continued to reach for it. Her legs felt weird and shaky like she wasn’t used to walking. Her bare feet slipped. She slammed face-first into the metal mesh.