The journey to the Deep is too familiar. I can’t believe I’m once again traveling down there to seek help from a malevolent creature who only cares about herself. Every time I think Damarian and I have solved one problem, another comes up. Is this how it’s going to be for the rest of our lives? One problem after another, after another?

Our party consists of me, Damarian, Kiandra, Syren and our four sharks. Kiandra insisted she come along despite Syren’s pleads. Shoney hasn’t left my side since I got back in the ocean. But I don’t know if the shark’s protection will be of any use, since they weren’t allowed down there the last time.

I see the entrance to the Deep in the distance and my heart thuds in my head. Damarian takes my hand, gives it a loving squeeze, and leads me over there. I bend down to look inside, once again seeing the sci-fi fish. “Time to call the Sinisters,” I say.

They feed off desperation, despair, and pain. The four of us will have to revisit our most painful experiences. Lowering myself to the ocean floor before the entrance, I dig my hands into the sand so I won’t fall into the Deep like I almost did the last time. I close my eyes, thinking of all the hard times I’ve had throughout my life. My father abandoning me, feeling so alone when my mom was out working all the time. The breakup with Kyle, the betrayal of Damarian when I found out he lied about being the true king of the merpeople and how he was engaged to Flora. The sea serpents, the loss of my father, Zarya’s injured tail. How hurt I was when Damarian gave me the cold shoulder because he thought he was the cause of Flora’s miscarriages. And finally, the heartache and agony I felt at the thought that Damarian and I would be torn away from each other because of the poison I got from the coral. And last but not least, the torment I’ll feel if I lose my baby.

When I open my eyes, I find the shadowy beings peeking out of the entrance. I quickly look around to make sure every member of our party is okay. They all look fine, just a little shaken up from reliving their worst memories.

I move closer to the creatures. “Tell your queen that Cassie of the Sapphire clan is here and wants to speak to her. Take the four of us down there. The sharks will stay behind.”

They all look at each other like who the hell am I to order them around?

“Please,” I say. “Just take us to see her. I don’t know how much time I have left.”

Again, nothing.

“We risked our necks for her last year,” I say. “Because of us, she has someone to take care of her baby for the rest of its life. She knows how much it means to care for your child. She has to know where Damarian and I are coming from.”

I fall over as a deep voice enters my head. “The abomination and her mate have returned, along with the new abomination growing inside her.”

“Don’t you dare call my child an abomination!” I say.

“Tsk, tsk. Anger, anger.”

I grab the sand on the ocean floor as her voice nearly bursts my head open.

“You…are a mother…” I manage to say. “You know what it feels like…please, I’ll do anything you want. Just…help us.”

Quiet.

“Only the sea serpent and her mate.”

The next thing I see is darkness.

***

 When the blackness is gone, I don’t find myself in that cave Damarian, Flora, and I were the last time. We are in the Enchantress’s lair. She floats before us, looking exactly like she did the last time. Seven feet tall, a dark blue body, her face and neck resembling a human but with tentacles for arms. Her bottom looks like a jellyfish.

She grins. “Welcome back to my home.”

Damarian gathers me to his chest. “As you can see, Cassie is nearing the end of her pregnancy. Please do not send us to the Sea’s Abyss or any other location to procure a rare item for you.”

The Enchantress laughs. “She’s nearing the end of her pregnancy? She’s still got a few months left.”

Damarian’s hands fist. “I will not allow you to put my mate and fry in harm’s way.”

She swoops over and glares at him. “Did you think you could come down here and make demands without doing anything in return?”

“We’ll do anything you want,” I say.

“Cassie…”

Now I understand why Flora was willing to do whatever this witch wanted to save her baby. I’ve never felt so desperate before.

Damarian puts his hands on my shoulders and looks into my eyes. “I know how much worry you have, for I have it as well. But we must think over this very carefully.”

I know he’s right, but we’ll never have any leverage over this witch. I doubt begging would do any good. Sure it’s gotten me down here, but I don’t think it will get my any farther.

I kiss Damarian’s cheek before moving closer to the Enchantress. “What do you want from us?”

She starts fluttering around her room, tapping her chin. “What can I possibly want from the true heir and his mate?”

“We are no longer the true king and queen,” Damarian says.

“Maybe. But that doesn’t mean you’re not as powerful. Or that your child won’t have power.”

“You said that the last time,” I say. “That means our baby will be born.”

“Well, not without my help.”

I throw my hands up. “Then what the hell do you want from us?”

She shrugs. “Nothing.”

My heart slides down my tail. “What? You won’t help us?”

She folds her tentacles. “Oh, I never said I won’t help you. I just said I currently don’t need anything from you.”

“Currently,” Damarian says.

The Enchantress nods. “Currently.”

I wish I could strangle her. “Stop with your riddles. Will you help us or not?”

“I will. But I’ll need a raincheck on returning the favor.”

“No,” Damarian says. “My mate and I refuse to carry a debt for you.” He takes me aside. “What if we agree to help her and she one day asks us to take a life? We cannot agree to this.”

“But what other choice do we have?”

“Cassie, you are not thinking clearly. I understand how much fear you have, for I have it as well. But we cannot allow this desperation to cloud our judgment. The creature is vile and manipulative and—”

“You do know I can hear every word,” she says.

“I do not care if the entire ocean can hear my words,” Damarian practically yells. He looks into my eyes. “Let us leave and find answers elsewhere.”

“Hmm, I believe some time has passed since Cassie shifted into a human. How much longer do you think she needs? Tick tock.”

Damarian takes my hand. “We will not be seeking your help. Come, Cassie.”

“And where do you think you’re going?”

“We said we don’t need your help,” I say. “I’ll do whatever it takes to ensure my child is safe, healthy, and makes it into this world.” We turn toward the entrance to this place.

“Yes, but the thing is, only I can send you up there.”

The entrance disappears and is replaced with a wall.

Damarian and I turn to face her. “You’re going to keep us down here?”

“Sure, why not? My child has never feasted on mermaid flesh before.” Her eyes rake over my body. “I’m sure the organs of an unborn baby will be absolutely delicious.”

Damarian swoops in front of me. “If you dare lay a hand on my mate and fry—”

The Enchantress flicks her hand, hurling Damarian into a wall.

“Damarian!” I call, about to bolt over to him. The Enchantress’s eyes snap to mine. My breath gets caught in my throat. I back away.

She appears before me. “That man of yours? Such a drag. But don’t worry, he’s fine. Now, let’s have a talk, mother to mother.”

I force my eyes from the unconscious Damarian to her. “I can’t promise to owe you a favor when I don’t know what it’ll be,” I say.

“But that’s what makes it so fun!”

She’s crazy. I need to wake Damarian and find a way out of here.

“You want your baby to survive, don’t you?” she asks.

“Of course. Or else Damarian and I wouldn’t have risked coming down here.”

“Then you know what you must do.”

I shake my head.

“She is at constant war with herself,” the Enchantress says. “And in a lot of pain, I might add.”

My eyebrows shoot up. “Who?”

“Your child of course.”

I freeze, my fingers feeling numb. “She? You mean—”

“Yes, yes, yes. You’re going to have a girl. Oops? Did I spoil the surprise?”

I stare down at my stomach. “What do you mean that she’s at constant war with herself?”

“Well what did you think would happen if you created a child with half her DNA human and the other fish?”

I gently rub my stomach. “So she’s both human and mermaid. And they’re fighting with each other.”

“Much like your human side fought with your sea serpent aside.”

“That’s why when I’m in the ocean, I need to return to land, and when I’m on land, I need to return to the ocean.”

“Ding ding, you got it.”

“She’s in a lot of pain because of that?” I ask, hugging my stomach as though I can take away her pain.

“Do you not feel pain every time you shift?”

“Will it ever stop?” I ask.

“Eventually, when her body chooses one form.”

“How long can that take?”

“Days, maybe. Weeks. Perhaps until she is ready to be born.”

“What can I do to take away the pain? Is there a way I can stop the shifting?”

“Do you think I run a free service here? Now you know what ails your daughter.” She flicks out her hand. “The only question is, what are you going to do about it?”

I glance at the unconscious Damarian.

She takes hold of my chin and turns my head so I look at her. “Forget your wuss of a husband. What are you willing to do for your child?”

“Anything,” I say, feeling my tears in the ocean.

“Like any good mother would do.” She flutters around her room again. “So here is my proposition. I make a small spell to speed up the process. Your child will choose to be either a mermaid or a human. And you will pay me when I ask for it.”

“I’ll agree only if you promise I won’t hurt anyone.”

“I can accept that.”

“I want to talk this over with my husband first,” I say.

“Naturally,” she mutters. She swims over to Damarian and pokes a tentacle into his chest. His eyes open, scanning the area, and he bolts upward. “Cassie.”

“I’m fine. I need to talk to you about something.”

I tell him everything the Enchantress told me. At the mention that our daughter is in a lot of pain, his face falls. But then I tell him there’s a way we can help her.

“I didn’t know she was in pain,” I say as I gently rub my stomach. “My poor baby. She’s in pain because of us.”

Damarian nods. “We must stop her pain at once.” He turns to the Enchantress. “As long as you assure us that we will not be forced to harm anyone, we will accept your terms.”

She claps her hands. “Wonderful.”

I really hope we didn’t just give ourselves a horrible sentence.

She moves closer to me and lays a hand on my stomach. “I will speed up the process and help her choose a form. Remember, if she chooses to be a human, you will need to return to land as soon as possible.”

Damarian and I nod.

“But you understand the problem if she chooses to be a mermaid,” the witch says.

Damarian and I exchange a glance. “No, what?” I ask.

“You are a human, are you not?”

Damarian’s face grows white. “Cassie needs to travel to land at least twice a month when she’s in the sea because her true form is a human.”

My stomach twists. “Will my baby survive if I were to go on land?”

“Probably not.”

“Then what can we do?” I ask.

“Hope the baby will be a human?” She puts her hand on my stomach and closes her eyes.

“No, wait!” I cry. “I don’t want to do this. Not if there’s a risk she’ll choose to be a mermaid and will die inside me!”

The Enchantress eyes light up a lavender color. She mutters words under her breath. Some kind of spell. I grip Damarian’s hand. What have I done? If my baby chooses to be a mermaid, she won’t survive. The damn witch tricked us. She didn’t tell us all the details.

She stops muttering the words and the light leaves her eyes. “It’s done.”

“What did she choose?” Damarian and I demand.

“Relax. With my influence, she’s chosen to be a human. You only have a few hours before you need to get back to land—” Her eyes widen. “What the…” She quickly puts her hand on my stomach. “What is this?”

“What?” Damarian and I cry.

“I did not foresee this.” She closes her eyes. “Yes, I see. Yes, it would certainly kill her.”

I grab her. “Tell me right now what’s going on! What will kill her?”

She flicks her hand off me. “Touch me one more time and I’ll change you into tuna.”

“Sorry. Just please tell me what you’re talking about.”

“The human side and mermaid side were at constant war. The human side now reigns supreme. But if she samples the luscious taste of sea water, it will fuel the mermaid side. It will rage war on her human side. Her human side would not be able to conquer such a foe. It will kill her.”

The area around me grows dizzy. Damarian wraps his arms around me. “Cassie, Cassie, please relax.”

“She’ll die if she goes near salt water?”

“Yes. I suggest you leave at once and make sure she never goes near the ocean. At least until she reaches maturity.”

“Maturity?” Damarian asks.

“Yes, when her body will be able to withstand both the human and mermaid side. Only when she is of age will they be able to live harmoniously together. She will be tied to sea, just like her mother, but she will be able to shift from any form at will, just like you two can.”

“When will she reach maturity?” I ask. “At puberty? When she’s eighteen?”

The Enchantress shakes her head. “That I can’t tell you. But it definitely will happen. If she survives until then, that is.”

“She will,” I stress. I take Damarian’s hands. “We need to move to an area far, far away from the ocean. It’s the only way to keep her safe.”

He nods. “Yes, we will move immediately.”

“But you need to shift into a merman,” I say.

“We will figure it out later. But first we must leave this place.”

The Enchantress nods. “You are free to go.”