Forever (An Unfortunate Fairy Tale #5)

“So you just surrendered yourself to Teague?”

“Yes, and I’d do it again if it meant protecting everyone. That’s the sacrifice I made.” She paused and looked over at Ever’s clothes. “But how did you end up here?’

“Well, you left me with the seam ripper, so the first thing I had to do was come over. But then, instead of storming the castle like I wanted to, I needed help. So I went looking for your family.”

Ever leaned her elbows on the railing and nodded at a cute siren boy with sun-bleached blond hair past his shoulders. “I didn’t know that sirens were this good-looking. It took a few weeks of searching since they spend most of their life sailing and exploring underwater caves. They’re pretty much the gypsies of the sea, and it’s kind of better for all Fae that they are. They’re too powerful in large groups.”

“How’d you find them?”

“She didn’t. I did.” Nix swung down with a rope from the crow’s nest.”

“Nix, you’re here on the Fae plane, and you’re okay?”

He looked relieved. “Yeah, I wasn’t sure if I could cross back over since part of me died on this plane. The Godmothers weren’t sure I’d survive the crossing either, but you were worth the risk. Turns out I’m fine because I’m fully human now. You didn’t abandon me, and I won’t abandon you.”

“Nix insisted on coming with, especially when I told him I was going to search for your family.”

“Yeah, I know enough about them since nixies and sirens are both water races, though the two don’t particularly get along. They don’t trust us when we turn sea witch, which I understand. But I’m not a nixie anymore, so don’t worry. I have no power, no gifts. So far they’ve been putting up with me.”

“Oh, I’ve heard them talk of throwing you overboard a few times,” Ever chided.

Nix didn’t miss a beat. “That’s because of my good looks. The men feel threatened.”

Ever rolled her eyes. “That’s not what I hear. I hear you cheat at games.”

Nix looked aghast at the accusation. “I only cheat to win.”

“Is there another reason for cheating?” Mina chuckled.

His mouth gaped opened, and his finger froze midair as he began a rebuttal but thought better of it. “Um, nope there isn’t.”

“So how’d you find them?”

Nix recovered and became serious. “It’s always wise to know where your enemy is, so you can avoid them at all costs. Growing up, we always heard the water sprites and sirens inhabited Dead Man’s Cove, so Ever and I had to make it there and wait for one to come up from the underground caverns or for a ship to pass by. Well, we got impatient and built a boat.”

“A raft,” Ever corrected.

“It was a fine ship.”

“It was barely staying afloat. It was nothing more than logs tied together with vines.”

“It had a mast,” he said.

“With no sail.”

“Stop dismissing our vessel. She was the finest one I’ve ever captained,” Nix pouted.

“She fell apart when we got near the cove and the rocks.”

Nix’s cheeks went beet red, and he scratched his head. “Yeah, well that was my plan all along.”

“Oh, that’s not what you told me. We were going to go out to the cove, sail near the rocks, and wait for one of them to try and lure us to our death.” Ever placed her hands on her hips.

“But it didn’t happen, did it?”

“No, our boat fell apart, and we began to sink. The sirens saved us.”

“Yeah, who’d have thought the myths were wrong?” He offered a sheepish shrug. “Sometimes sirens are the good guys too.”

Ever turned her back on Nix. “Well, anyway. We found them, and it took some convincing that we were legit and knew the daughter of Sarafina. It turns out your family is one of the oldest and strongest family lines, and… well…” She paused, and her head dropped. “If you had really lived on the Fae plane all those years ago, you probably would have been sent to the choosing ceremony for the prince.”

“But I wasn’t even born then.”

“It doesn’t seem to matter. You always find a way of surprising everyone. But it seemed that Ternan and Winona knew right away who we were. They had been keeping an eye on you for some time. They didn’t even ask questions but sailed straight here to save you. I gotta admit. Your family rocks.”

Mina looked over at the water and watched in amazement as something large and white shot out of the water and dove back beneath the waves. It looked like a creature that was half-fish and half… unicorn.

Ever coughed to get her attention, and Mina apologized. “They’re strangers,” Mina added.

“They don’t have to be. You were worried you didn’t have anyone to take care of Charlie. I’d say your family is a great place to start,” Ever coaxed.

“I’m his family.” Sure, her mom had told her to find them, but they were making things worse. Not better.

“They’re his family as well, Mina. Don’t you think Charlie would like to meet his grandparents?”

“We don’t need them, if you could help me go back,” Mina whispered urgently.

“To the human plane? No problem.”

“No back to the palace.”

“Mina, have you gone mad?”

“I promised him I wouldn’t run away.”

Ever scoffed at her. “Well, that’s a dumb promise. Of course you’d run away. Who’d want to stay with him as crazy and evil as he’s become? I bet he treated you horrible while you were there.”

“Uh no, it actually wasn’t that bad. For the most part, he was reasonable and okay company. Or he was until Annalora showed up.”

“What does that ugly gnome-head want?’

“She seems to think he’ll choose her as his next queen.”

“Well, that would explain her sudden appearance.”

“How so?”

“Because he does—”

One of the sirens came and beckoned for Mina to join him.

Ever stayed where she was, but Mina followed the young man down a few steps and into the captain’s quarters. Ternan stood at the window, looking forlorn. Winona was sitting in a chair, her hands folded in her lap. Mina stood in front of her siren grandparents and waited for one of them to speak first.

It was Winona who stood up and approached her. “There’s something we should tell you.”

“We’re not really related. I knew it,” she said, a defense mechanism.

Winona frowned. “No, you’re the spitting image of our daughter. There’s no doubt that you’re kin. But with Sarafina’s death, we’ve been left without an heir.”

“You mean you don’t have anyone else? Why would you let my mother go to the human plane then?”

Ternan was the one to answer. “We had two daughters. Sarafina was the youngest and always followed her heart. Our oldest displeased the Fates and was turned to stone. She now rests in the bottom of the lake beside the palace.”

Mina’s heart pounded, and she felt sick. That was her aunt? She’d been so close to joining her in death.