Riley flapped her gliders slowly and hugged her arms to her chest. She was not cold – the slow-moving drift current was warm and gentle – but she was still stinging from the exchange with Iliene. She wanted not to care, and knew that regardless of her birth mother’s opinions, she still had a home and a caring family, but the words still stabbed through to the core of Riley’s heart. She thought she had put barriers strong enough to shield her from the pain, but they had turned out to be feeble.

With her heart in such a defeated state, it was hard to muster the motivation even to swim. They were taking a drift current because of Karina, but Riley quietly appreciated that it allowed her a little time to sulk with her feelings without having to put much effort into swimming.

At the thought, she glanced up and over at Karina to check in on her. The pregnant Mer had insisted on coming, but the journey had not been incredibly easy on her as she was carrying extra weight and tired easily.

Aunt Becca had wanted her to stay behind, but she had argued that it did not make much sense for her to remain while the healer who would be helping with her delivery was away. And Nero had wanted to come, and there was no way she was going to be left behind while her mate and adoptive parents journeyed.

Knowing her history, Riley understood the Mer’s reluctance to let her new immediate family out of sight.

Nero and Karina had swum side by side most of the trip so far, and now Nero was rolled on his back with his arms wrapped around his mate. She was sprawled across his torso with her head on his chest and her tail fins flapping lazily through the water while Nero’s fluke did most of the work propelling them forward. Her one arm was wrapped around him while the other cradled her belly to keep her propped enough that the bump would not get crushed between Nero and her own body weight.

The thick, gossamer maternity fins were growing faster now, though they still hung limply from the sides of Karina’s chest. They looked delicate, but Riley knew that the membrane was strong and taut. They would protect the baby after it was born until he or she was old enough to swim on their own. At that point, the fins would shrivel and fall away, but since they grew steadily through the pregnancy, they were usually a good indicator of the timeline. It did not look like Karina would be carrying for too much longer. While that made this trip all the more burdening for her, Riley figured it was probably also a good thing she came along. She knew it was always preferable to birth with a trusted healer around, and she did not imagine that her aunt would have made it back in time if Karina had stayed behind.

Karina’s gaze slid lazily to meet Riley’s. Catching her looking, the pregnant Mer offered her a small smile and then her eyes slipped closed and she nuzzled closer against Nero.

He stroked her hair with one hand and Riley saw his lips move, but they were just far enough away that she could not listen in on their hushed conversation.

Whatever he had said, Karina responded by tilting her head up and kissing him. Riley wrinkled her nose and shook her head and the obnoxiously sweet display.

She glanced away from them, only for a shadow to fall over her and steal her attention. Her uncle fell in silently beside her. At first, his grim expression made her tense. Was something wrong?

Her concerns were abated when he stretched out an arm to wrap around her shoulders. “We had thought you dead,” he said.

Riley frowned, one brow quirking as she regarded her uncle and his curious statement.

“When you left; you were still young. A scrawny, scrappy child who lacked a lick of common sense. All you had was that stubborn determination in your gaze. Becca had faith in you – or perhaps it was a foolish hope at the time – but it was hard to imagine you surviving on your own like that. When you never came back, we assumed the worst,” he continued. “But you never were one to meet the expectations of fools. And Riley?”

She met his gaze as he paused.

“Iliene is a fool.”

Her heart sunk at the mention and shrugged her shoulders.

“Rebecca loves her sister – so I say nothing – but Iliene has wrapped herself in her layers of pain and mistrust and lashes out needlessly at innocents. If it were my choice alone, I would no longer associate. She treated you terribly, drove her own daughter to a life that should have been her death. But you persevered. It seems you always have, and perhaps you always will; but in this, I have faith that you will.”

For the first time in days, Riley cracked something close to a smile. “Thank you, Uncle Ixion,” she murmured.

He hummed in response. “Now, with that said…are you ready to tell us the real reason for this trip?”

Riley cocked her head and frowned at him. “I already told you; I need Aunt Becca’s help.”

Ixion quirked a brow at her and pursed his lips. “You are skilled at many things, Riley, but lying is not one of them. Rebecca and I both know that was a tale you were attempting to tell. We know it is something important to you, else you never would have faced Iliene, but I am concerned with why you do not trust us with the truth,” he stated.

“Yes,” Rebecca agreed. Riley jumped as her aunt spoke. She had not noticed her aunt catch up to flank her other side. “I was willing to believe your words at first, Riley, but if this were a matter as urgent as you were describing, you would have been far more insistent about Karina and Nero staying behind. Karina slows our journey down significantly, but you are not displaying any of the urgency I would expect.” She paused and ran her fingers through some of Riley’s free flowing hair. “I promised I would come – and I will – and I will choose to trust there is a reason you have spoken mistruths, but at least tell me this; is there any risk at all? If you are taking us to a dangerous situation, we need to know. Karina cannot properly flee or fight, and I will not risk her unborn child.”

“I met no trouble on my trip to you,” Riley sighed. “The open ocean will always have its risks, but there is none in my family who would wish you harm. We really do need you, Aunt Becca. You do not have to believe that, but it is true. There is no one else that can help.”

Her aunt sighed and shook her head. “You do not have to defend your reasons, Riley. I merely wish you felt you could trust us with whatever is burdening you.” Her aunt’s eyes glistened with sorrow and it was then that Riley realized what the cycles apart had really done. There was still trust and love, but she no longer knew her family, nor they her. There was a chasm between them now that none of them quite knew how to cross.

Riley reached out and caught her aunt’s wrist as she began to pull ahead. Rebecca’s dark eyes glistened as she glanced back.

“It is not that I do not trust you, Aunt Becca. It is the opposite, in fact. But it is not something I can easily explain. You will have to see to believe; you will understand when we get there. Until then, please just trust me that it will be worth it.”

“So, you do not need a healer?” Ixion countered.

Riley shrugged sheepishly. “No. No, we have a pretty good one. I am sorry for my dishonesty, but I was not so sure what to say. This is something you must see. But it is good, I promise,” she vowed.

“Nero knows?”

Riley twisted her attention back to her aunt and nodded. “Asking you to come as a healer was his idea.”

Rebecca chuckled and shook her head. “Of course it was. Alright, I will relent on you both then. If Nero agrees that it is best I do not know, then I suppose I cannot argue with you both. At least I know he is aware and will not be leading his mate into danger.”

Riley dipped her head in appreciation. “I am sorry for deceiving you. I hope you will understand when the time comes.”

“We can only promise to try,” Uncle Ixion replied. “But it sounds like you have your reasons. I reserve judgement until we learn what they are, however.”

“Fair,” Riley agreed.

“How much further do you estimate the journey to be?”

Riley paused for a moment to think it over, casting out her senses and feeling the powerful thrum of her homing instinct tugging at her. “At this pace? Just under a quarter of a moon,” she responded. It was unavoidable, and she would not ask that Karina push herself or put her baby at risk, but it prickled at Riley to know that they would be delayed a little longer than she had told Sophie to anticipate her back. She knew the woman was prone to worrying.

“Heading the way we are, that is going to take us very close to the continent,” her Aunt Becca mused. “Your reef is safe?”

“Cove, actually,” Riley correct. “And yes. Safe and secluded. We will not be bothered.”

Worry lines creased Aunt Rebecca’s expression and she physically hesitated. “I trust you,” she caved. Then her gaze hardened, and her lips pursed into a thin line. “Riley, it has been a long time. I trust you, but please do not make me regret that.”

Riley nodded. She gripped her aunt’s wrist a little tighter, flipping sideways in the water so she could take her other hand too. “I will not, I promise.”

Her aunt worried at her lip with a fang for a moment before nodding. Her gaze had darkened from the usual coconut skin shade to a near abyssal black. Bubbles were fluttering from her gills and hinted at her internalized worries by indicating the more rapid, shallow breaths she was taking. She swiped a hand up to shove some of her short tresses out of her face, and then forced a half-smile.

Riley grimaced and flicked her fins, pulling her aunt with her. “I know you do not travel much and that I have been gone a long time, but I would never lead you someplace I thought would put you in danger. I know I sometimes seem a little too reckless – and I do chase thrills – but it is one thing to put my own life in danger, and quite another to risk the lives of others; especially those I care about,” she kept her tone firm as she spoke, determined to convey her earnestness.

“You have grown so much,” her aunt murmured. “I am proud of you. You have my faith.”

“Thank you,” Riley replied. She pulled her Aunt Becca into a fierce hug. After a heartbeat of hesitation, her aunt returned the embrace.

When they parted, Rebecca seemed more at ease, so Riley lashed her fins and darted ahead. She was feeling a bit better, and decided to do something with some of her excess energy.

She made her way over to Karina and Nero, still swimming languidly as they embraced. Riley flipped on her back and grasped her cousin by his long dorsal, peeking up over his shoulder to grin with her tongue poked between her fangs as he turned to look at her. Nero’s brows were furrowed and his lips dipped into a frown.

“What do you want, Riley?” he sighed.

Riley felt the response was a little dramatic, but she merely chuckled and gripped harder. “Nothing much; this just seems to be the place to come if you want to catch a ride.”

Nero rolled his eyes and bucked his tail back so that his thick fluke smacked into the butt of her tail. It jarred her enough that she lost her grip and nearly flipped head over tail.

She flared her gliders to balance herself out.

“Swim on your own,” Nero growled with a half-amused scowl.

Riley grinned and caught back up, purposefully flapping her gliders so it would stir his hair into his face. “Nero, you wound me," she gasped cheekily as she stuck her tongue out at him again. “Why are you playing favorites?”

Riley felt a surge of encouragement as she heard Karina attempt to smother a giggle at her comment.

“Because Karina is my mate, and not an annoying pest come back to haunt me from my childhood,” he grumbled.

Riley splayed a hand over her chest scales. “Well that hurts my feelings,” she teased. “And here I thought we were the very best of childhood friends.”

“More like having a sticky barnacle I could not shake,” Nero countered.

Karina clucked her tongue at that point. “Nero, be nice,” she scolded gently.

“Do not take her side!” he protested. Riley’s grin widened as a smile split across Karina’s features and her brown eyes glistened with mischief.

“I am not,” Karina soothed. “But there is hardly much honor in throwing insults at a child who is vying for your attention. Consider her good practice for ours.”

“Hey!” Riley protested. She crossed her arms and scowled at the implications. “I am not a child.”

“Could have fooled me,” Karina replied with a wink. Riley’s lips parted to protest, but she decided to simply let that one go with a shake of her head. Arguing with a pregnant Mer felt a little like arguing with a rock. She would get nowhere and she knew it. But she could not stop the smile from stretching across her lips. She always enjoyed a verbal sparring partner, and Karina seemed much more open to playing than Nero did. Or at least more willing. Riley would drag Nero into it either way.

She watched as Nero ran a hand down Karina’s back. “Lay back down,” he murmured as he pressed his nose into her cheek. “You should rest a little more.” He tangled one hand in her hair and seemed determined to carefully press her back down.

Karina ducked away from his grasp with a soft snort and instead pressed her lips against his for a long moment. Riley rolled her eyes. “I have done plenty of resting,” Karina murmured. “You need not fuss so much, Nero. I get that enough from your mother.”

“You should listen to her more,” Nero encouraged.

“You cannot carry me the entire way,” Karina protested.

“Watch me. I like holding you.”

Karina rolled her eyes and kissed him again, her hand lifting to cup his cheek as she did. “Exactly,” she purred. “I do not want to spoil you too much.”

Riley pressed a hand over her mouth to smother an obnoxious chortle as Karina winked at him and then pushed off his chest. “Besides,” she continued. “Riley and I are going to take a bit of a swim.”

In the next second, Riley found Karina’s side pressed against hers as the woman locked their arms together at the crook of the elbow. “Right, Riley?” she pressed.

“Umm, okay,” Riley agreed cautiously. There was something in Karina’s gaze that made Riley’s scales prickle. She was not sure if Karina was out for mischief or trouble, but suddenly Riley felt like she was about to become a victim of circumstance.

Nero scowled, though he did not truly seem offended. He pressed close to Karina one more time and kissed her cheek. “Just please do not overwork yourself. If you get tired, tell me. I really do not mind carrying you,” he murmured.

“I know,” Karina whispered back. “I promise I will.”

As soon as they were alone – Nero had drifted off to swim beside his parents – Karina patted Riley on the arm. “You let me blather on like a fool the other day. Why did you not say anything?”

Riley frowned before she realized what Karina meant. “You know?” she inquired with a cock of her head.

“There are no secrets between mates, Riley. Perhaps one day you will experience that. Do not fret, I will not breathe a word to Rebecca or Ixion. I understand the predicament you are in. Still, I feel a little foolish now having gone on about it the way I did,” Karina replied.

Riley shook her head. “It is alright. Honestly, had you not, I would have simply told them. I do not think it would have been well received.”

“Probably not,” Karina agreed. “It is a little hard to believe, but also heartwarming. I have come to realize just how much Kera was for this family. The three of them still seem so heavily burdened by her loss. I have shared Nero’s grief though I never knew her, and I am glad that burden will soon be lifted from them.”

“It will not be without trials,” Riley sighed. “She is sweet, but a lot has changed over the cycles.”

“I imagine so,” Karina hummed. “But I am certain that there will still be a lot of joy. Any problems can be overcome in time.”

“I hope so,” Riley agreed. “She has been through too much, and deserves to be happily reunited with her family.”

Karina nodded, but said nothing. Though Riley was keeping her fin strokes gentle and the pace slow, and they had the drift current at their backs, pushing them forward, it was obvious that Karina was quickly beginning to tire again. She had one hand curled around her belly and her gills were flaring wider with every breath. She was still linked with Riley, but Riley was practically towing her now.

She did not want to offend the pregnant Mer – who seemed a little frustrated at everyone’s fussing – but she also did not want Karina overworking herself out of stubbornness and risking the baby. Riley glanced over Karina’s shoulder and managed to make eye contact with Nero. She nodded once and jerked her head subtly towards Karina.

Swiftly and silently, Nero darted back to them. He swam underneath Karina and rolled to embrace her once more. “I am alright,” Karina protested softly.

“I know,” Nero agreed, as he stroked her hair and made no move to remove the arm he had wrapped over her back. “But I was getting lonely. Let me hold you a little while.”

Karina yawned, her jaws parting massively and revealing her ivory fangs. “Alright,” she mumbled as she slumped down against him. “But just for a little while.”

It was not a few heartbeats later that Karina’s eyes slid shut and she seemed to succumb entirely to slumber. Riley smiled softly.

The drift current was coming to an end, and the weakening tug of the water was releasing them. It would be more work for Nero to propel them both, but he said nothing as he began to work his tail a bit more firmly through the water.

Wordlessly, Ixion and Rebecca came to flank his other side, and the five of them kept pace together. It had been a long time since Riley had traveled in a pod, and even longer since she had been a part of a close unit like this, but she found it almost pleasant to be so close to those she could trust.

She closed her eyes for a moment and hummed in the back of her throat. When on her own, she always had to keep her senses alert, but she felt safer in the travelling group and it was nice to be able to let her guard down once in a while.

She perhaps should not have, however, as Nero was preoccupied with Karina and her aunt and uncle did not travel through open waters like this very often. She had the best senses, and the moment she relaxed, hers faltered. So much so that by time she noticed the ship above them, it was too late.

A sharp whistling hum resonated in her ears followed by a sharp popping sound as the rough tendrils of a net smacked against her flesh and squeezed. Riley’s eyes snapped open in surprise as she was thrown into Nero’s side. The trappings drove all of them together, and Riley’s heart thudded in her chest at her aunt’s panicked cry.

There was a reverberating cranking noise as the net was hauled up through the water at a dizzying speed. Riley contorted her body in the strands and – despite the foul taste – locked her fangs around one of the fronds and began to chew. She wanted to slash at it with her spines, but they were pressed too close together for her to take the risk. She might cut into Nero – or worse, Karina – in her efforts. The tendril in front of her face snapped, but they were close enough that she could see the subtle scratches along the metal belly of the ship. They would not get free in time.