Shattered Souls

Chapter 9

"Faye." The dread in Jonah's voice jolted me from sleep. My eyes flew open before I even knew what was going on. I took one look at the expression on his face and just knew. For a moment, the panic paralyzed me.

It was then that I saw that we weren't alone in our suite. Mom, Dad, and Drew were floating around our bed, faces pale and eyes wide. "Who?" Even though I was almost positive I knew the answer, I needed to hear him say it. My heart was beating so quickly in my chest that I could almost feel it skipping beats. Jonah put a hand on my arm, his grief all but palpable.

"Laguna heard the news this morning. Same as Mica—Kailani's body was found in a ravine a few leagues from the palace. I'm so sorry, Faye," he whispered, swallowing hard as he took a ragged breath. When he exchanged a glance with Dad, I lost it. Mom caught me as I faltered, clutching me as tightly as I'd held Raina. The tears came faster than I could breathe, gasping sobs that ripped from my throat.

In the back of my mind, I'd always suspected that Zander would eventually snap, but I never expected it to be so soon—and not this catastrophic. He'd gone completely and utterly insane. Murdering his daughter? No matter how often I turned it over in my head, I couldn't rationalize it.

Despite the agony and grief swirling around inside me, I managed to get out of bed. My hands shook violently so that I couldn't pull my dress over my head. Tears blurred my vision as I struggled, a whimper slipping from my lips—the calm before the storm.

Only when I felt a pair of warm, steady hands cover my own did I falter. "Let me," Jonah whispered, those two words filled with such agony and grief I could barely stand it. I merely nodded—I didn't have the breath or the words to respond. Silently, he pulled the dress over my head, his hands stroking my shoulders.

When I turned around to face him, my eyes were brimming with tears, my mouth quivering. "I need to see her," I said, my voice trembling slightly. I didn't even have to mention a name—they knew who I meant. Dad exchanged a glance with Jonah, the latter shaking his head as some wordless exchange passed between them.

Jonah took a stroke towards me, reaching for my hand. He nodded, his eyes searching mine. "Ok."

My entire body felt like it was made of stone—every stroke took enormous energy, so much so that I nearly faltered as we arrived at Waverly and Laguna's suite. Even through the door, I could hear mother and daughter sobbing. I took a breath before knocking on the door.

"Wave?" My voice broke. The door swung open a heartbeat later, and all I saw was a blur of caramel hair before she was clinging to me, her grief and anger palpable. I felt how she clung to me, gripping me as if she was a sinking ship and I was her lifeline. I held her tightly, my heart breaking anew.

Tremors shuddered through her body, drawing guttural sobs from her throat. I felt Laguna wrap her arms around both of us, and at that point of contact—feeling both mermaids' agony, grief, and rage mixed with my own—I lost it. Everything from the past two days—hearing Raina's story, the various emotions that had accompanied it, realizing why she'd been so skittish around Jonah—hit me head-on.

I crumpled, my own body shaking with the force of my tears. I was so lost in my emotions that I didn't notice Laguna speaking until I felt her grip my arms. "Faye? Honey, what's wrong?" Even amid her agony, her voice never lost that soft, concerned tone. Slowly, my vision cleared as the sadness, grief, agony, and rage ebbed from my body, replaced by overwhelming exhaustion. Her grip tightened on my arms as I faltered.

Dimly, I felt Waverly take my hand as they led me to their sitting room. "I'm sorry," I whispered, hurriedly wiping my cheeks, though my motions were slow and clumsy. I felt more than saw Waverly and Laguna exchange a glance before the former spoke, her voice filled with concern.