There had been a lot of long days and nights over the past year or so. The days of loneliness when she first believed Katie was dead, the days spent staying up and keeping an eye on Riley as she recovered the first time, and then the second. Those days when Katie and Luna first came back to live with her, and Sophie couldn’t sleep, had to keep checking in to make sure they were real and still there were a few of them. More recently, it seemed like long weeks, trying to move and keep out of Lemuria’s reach, and then Katie growing sick, and everything that had happened after, it had felt like she hadn’t had a chance to slow down, catch her breath, or even think.

Sophie had spent so much time frantic and stressed and exhausted that it left her shaky and nauseous most of the time. But this was pushing her stress to a whole new level. Sitting here, locked in this room, watched over by two wardens who were very practiced at their job, just waiting for some unknown person who probably didn’t have their best interests at heart to decide their fate, and all the while knowing that Katie and Riley and the others were in a lot of danger and there was nothing she could do to help them.

That was the worst feeling Sophie had ever experienced, that feeling of being powerless to help her daughters, her family. Her babies were in trouble and she couldn’t get to them. She had felt it in the hours after Riley had come home with her stab wound, while she waited desperately for her to wake. She trusted Lewis, but she had hated not knowing if Riley was going to be alright.

When Katie got sick, that feeling was so prolonged it nearly destroyed her. Now, she couldn’t even at least watch over them. She was just sitting there, doing nothing proactive, and growing increasingly twitchy because of it.

Last night had been a rough night’s sleep for them both. Sophie’s head felt like her brain had been trying to expand beyond the confines of her skull. She’d been unable to sleep and kept tossing and turning and waking Lewis. She’d apologized several times, and he’d assured her it was alright, but she still felt bad. The day had been uneventful. Mitch and Sara came together when they brought them food. Sara had checked on Lewis’ arm and replaced the bandages around Sophie’s head with a single gauze patch over where the skin had split on impact during the crash. It had stung, but at least her head was starting to feel a little better now, though she’d been nursing meds to keep it that way.

When Sara and Mitch were gone, she and Lewis tried as many things as they could think of to plan an escape. The window didn’t open far enough, even when they both put all their strength into it, and they’d tried to break the glass to no avail. There was nothing heavy enough to use as a weapon unless they wanted to resort to lobbing paperbacks at the couple holding them here, which didn’t feel overly effective. They’d even tried picking the lock on the door separating them from potential freedom, but it hadn’t worked. Sophie didn’t want to admit it, but she was beginning to lose hope that there was a way to get out before tomorrow when they let them out.

She glanced at the digital clock on the desk and sighed. It was pushing seven in the evening. Mitch and Sara wouldn’t be back until morning and they weren’t supposed to be meeting whoever orchestrated this until the afternoon. Sophie was fairly certain she would lose her mind before then.

Lewis was pacing back and forth across the room in front of her, muttering to himself under his breath. Sophie was watching him, but the frequent motion was starting to make her dizzy. “Lewis? Lewis? Hey, Lewis!” she called when he didn’t hear her the first two times.

Finally, it seemed to get through to him, because he stopped in his tracks. “Huh, what?” He turned and glanced at her, and a frown crossed his features as he did. “Are you okay? Did you think of something? Meds wearing off?”

She shook her head and patted the spot on the bed beside her. “No, you’re just making me dizzy. Come sit.”

Lewis moved to her side and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. She let him tug her closer until she was leaning against his chest. She wasn’t sure which of them he was trying to comfort, but he was warm and solid and she felt better just knowing that she wasn’t alone. Losing Katie had reminded her of a feeling she’d thought she’d buried. That empty, hollow agony that had been torn into her soul when her parents had passed.

She never wanted to feel that ever again, and while it still threatened her, having Lewis lessened the pain, made her feel less lost.

She sat up and smiled at him. “Have I thanked you yet?”

“For what?”

She placed a hand on his chest and sighed. “For everything. For being here, for putting yourself in danger, for just being you.”

His hand was warm as he curled his fingers around hers and squeezed them gently. “You’re never going to chase me off,” he replied as he stroked the bridge of her hand with his thumb.

“It feels like I’ve been giving it my best go,” she sighed. “You have had to endure a lot more than a normal relationship.”

Lewis chuckled and shook his head. “Sophie, you’ve adopted two ‘mermaids’ for daughters. There’s nothing normal about our relationship and there never was. But I love you, and I love Katie and Riley too. I’m not going anywhere. You seem to keep forgetting that, but I want you to realize that you can trust that. I am here to stay,” he insisted. When she stared up into his face, she only saw determination in his gaze.

She cupped his face and pressed their lips together. Lewis’ good arm curled around her back and pulled her closer. He was warm and solid, and Sophie leaned all her weight against him until he collapsed backwards on the bed and brought her down with him. She shifted to be cautious of his broken arm and just enjoyed the sensation of his chest rising and falling beneath her.

He didn’t seem to mind any of this as he pulled her even closer and held her tightly until it was hard to breathe.

She only broke the kiss when it finally became too hard to breathe. She pulled back gently to catch her breath and then crossed her arms over his chest and rested her chin on them. She shook her head. “All that wasted time,” she muttered.

Lewis sputtered, jostling her as he laughed and his lips split into a wide grin. “We got there in the end, that’s what matters,” he assured her.

She hummed in agreement. “Any regrets?”

Lewis pursed his lips. “I could have done without that first ‘venture’ of yours to bring more cash flow in the slow season that second year,” he teased.

Sophie flushed and smacked his chest. “I was still new to things,” she protested. “I got better.”

“You did,” Lewis acknowledged. “Still shaved a few years off my life.” He reached up and twirled one finger through her curls. Sophie knew her hair was dishevelled. The rest of her was too, and Lewis wasn’t much better, but it made her heart flutter that he had a look of adoration on his face. “I have no regrets, Soph. I could never regret a single moment I’ve spent with you, ever. I regret trusting Lukshia and that there’s not more I could have done against Lemuria, but you? Riley? Katie? Never.”

She stretched her neck and kissed him again. “Lukshia wasn’t your fault, Lewis. I trusted her too. We shouldn’t have, but we were in a bad position either way. We’d have ended up in more or less the same situation either way. Don’t beat yourself down about it like this.”

She kissed him again to cut off his next attempt to protest, and he fell silent. Instead, his hand tangled in her hair and rubbed the back of her scalp. It had always felt nice, but the massaging motion felt even better with how sore Sophie’s head had been since the accident, and she murmured happily against his lips. They were in a frightening situation and they needed to work out an escape, but for just a moment, it was nice just to put everything aside and enjoy a moment of intimacy with him.

Eventually, she broke the kiss again and rested her head on his shoulder. Lewis continued to rub her scalp and she couldn’t bring herself to ruin the moment just yet.

“It has to be Lemuria, right?” she sighed finally. “We don’t have any other enemies or know anyone with the means to orchestrate this, do we?”

Lewis was silent for a moment. “Not that I can think of, but it feels out of character for them. So far, Lemuria has seemed inclined to deal with their issues in-house. But the only other thing I can think of is a competitor. If someone figured out who we are…I have experience dealing with Mer medically and you…Soph, you’re valuable to anyone interested in keeping them under control. Lemuria saw you as a means to enforce obedience.”

Sophie frowned as she mulled over his words. She didn’t like that she was seen as some sort of tamer. She had no control over Katie or Luna or the others, and no one controlled Riley. The last thing she wanted was to be used against them. “I don’t think we’re making it out of this room until they let us out,” she admitted finally. “I think the best we can hope for is an opportunity to slip away in transition.”

Lewis sighed. “I didn’t want to say it, but I’m out of escape ideas. We’re in over our heads here. I want to help our family, and we’re going to do everything we can, but we’re up against people who seem to make a living out of doing this. I don’t imagine us winning. We might be better off putting our heads down and surviving until an opportunity presents itself. We’ll just have to be ready to take it.”

Sophie closed her eyes and chewed on her lip. She didn’t have a good response. She wished she could put on a brave front and come up with a flawless plan, but Lewis was right. And she was afraid. She was terrified something would happen to him, or to them both and they’d be unable to help their loved ones. She was afraid of the unknown, both for her daughters and for them. It was all too much and made her wish for some of the calmer days when things were as normal as they were going to get with three Mer around. She just wanted to go home and have her family safe and happy again.

Lewis kissed her brow and smoothed her hair back. “We’ll be okay,” he whispered. “Whoever’s done this doesn’t want us dead or they wouldn’t have bothered with any of this.”

Sophie nodded and hugged him as tight as she could. “I’m so sick of this room,” she complained.

“Me too,” Lewis agreed. His hand drifted from her hair to her back, where his fingers drew circles between her shoulder blades. In the months they had been together, Lewis had been nothing but tender and doting, and Sophie cherished him dearly. After everything they had been through, she was incredibly thankful for him. “But you’re still not fully recovered. Close your eyes and try to rest. I’ll wake you if anything changes.”

Sophie wanted to protest, but his touch was relaxing and his heartbeat steady in her ear. “You should rest too,” she argued. Her lips parted into a wide yawn as she spoke.

“I will,” Lewis agreed. “Go to sleep.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Sophie grumbled. Too many people had been twisting her protective nature back on her lately and despite how hypocritical she knew it probably made her, she did not care for it. Though she supposed it was nice to know those closest to her cared enough for her well-being to insist, she felt they had more pressing issues to worry about.

Still, she was tired, so she closed her eyes and allowed herself to drift while simply enjoying his presence.

Based on how heavy and disoriented she felt, she hadn’t been asleep long when she was startled awake by the shark click of the lock that echoed through the room. It was followed by a squeal as the door was pushed open on a squeaky hinge.

She sighed and opened her eyes to see Sara in the doorway. The woman had a small, mobile medical bag in one hand, and the other was braced against the frame of the door. “Sorry to interrupt a tender moment,” she said as she moved into the room. Sophie pushed herself up off Lewis’ chest and he sat upright with her.

Once Sara was completely in the room, Mitch appeared to block the doorway. Sophie wasn’t surprised. Neither of them came without the other. Even injured, Sophie would have liked their chances two to one. It seemed Mitch and Sara had anticipated that as well.

Sara nodded at Lewis. “How’s the arm?”

At the inquiry, Lewis raised his injured arm. The thick cast was wrapped all up his forearm and hand, with just his fingers poking out. He shrugged after a moment. “It itches more than it hurts so long as I don’t move it too quickly.”

“Can you move your fingers?”

Sophie twisted to watch Lewis as he stared at his hand. His face scrunched up with discomfort, but he managed to bend the tips of his fingers a little. “Not much,” he reported through gritted teeth.

“You’re healing well. It was a slender fracture, you’re lucky it wasn’t worse. You should be fine in two weeks or so, but you’ll need another x-ray before you get the cast taken off.”

Lewis scoffed. “Yeah, if I’m alive and in a position to make that choice in two weeks, I’ll keep the advice in mind,” he retorted bitterly. Sophie didn’t blame his hostility. She felt a fair bit of anger and frustration at their situation too.

Sara’s face was usually an impassive mask, but for a moment, Sophie thought maybe there was some regret glittering in her gaze as she nodded. “Yes, I suppose there are greater worries for you to focus on,” she agreed. Her attention fixated on Sophie next. “What about you? Have your headaches subsided at all?”

Sophie shrugged. “My head doesn’t bother me if I’m nursing meds, but off of them, the migraine comes back and I get a little dizzy.”

Sara walked further into the room and set the medical bag on the bed beside them. She opened it and pulled out a small light. “Stare straight ahead,” she instructed as she entered Sophie’s field of view and clicked on the light.

Sophie took a breath before Sara flicked the bright little light between her eyes. She turned away with a wince as pain flared behind her eyes, and she brought a hand up to rub at the creases of the eyes, on either side of her nose. Sophie groaned.

Sara tutted. “Your pupil response is normal and you seem coherent enough, which is good. There’s not much more I can say or do; you’re going to be sensitive for a few more days.”

Sara bent over her bag again and removed a bottle of pills. They rattled noisily in the container as she popped the lid and shook out two before offering them to Lewis.

He took them but eyed the two brown and yellow capsules warily. Sara returned the bottle to her bag and came back with a water bottle that she also offered to Lewis and another medicine bottle. This one had a measuring cap and when she opened and tilted it, a sickeningly green fluid emptied into the cap. This, she held out to Sophie.

While Sophie appreciated not having to choke on a pill, she couldn’t help feeling apprehensive. “What are these?” she asked as she gestured between the liquid and the capsules in Lewis’ palm. They looked different, but she had a feeling that perhaps she was just holding a liquid version of the same medication as Lewis had been given.

Sara shrugged ruefully. “A sedative,” she replied. “It’s slow-acting, won’t hurt you, just make you drowsy and then knock you out for a few hours. We got a call; the timeframe has been moved up and you’re leaving now.”

Sophie’s heart stalled in her chest. She hadn’t been prepared for things to happen now and she certainly had no desire to be drugged prior. She and Lewis needed to get out and away at the first opportunity, not sleep through any possible exit strategies. She set her jaw and held the liquid back out. “No, thank you,” she refused.

Sara pursed her lips and frowned as she closed off her bag once more. “I’m afraid you don’t have a choice but to take it. You can take it willingly or I get Mitch to hold you down and force it down your throat. Barring that, I have a much faster, more potent sedative I can inject, but especially with your current headaches, you want the gentler stuff, trust me. You aren’t leaving this room without something in your system, so what’s it going to be?”

Sophie licked her lips and turned to Lewis. She searched his face for his opinion, but he looked just as pained and conflicted as she was. He glanced between her and the pills in his hand, then up between Sara and Mitch. Finally, his shoulders sagged and Sophie’s heart sunk. Neither of them had a plan. In their present predicament, it would not be too hard for Sara and Mitch to forcibly medicate either of them and that knowledge made her gut twist.

She gritted her teeth and clenched one hand into a tight fist that made the skin of her knuckles turn to chalk. Her breath whistled between her teeth and she felt tears sting in her eyes as she tipped the little cup back and swallowed as quickly as she could. At least this way, Lewis wouldn’t have to feel more guilty about caving first.

Once Lewis had followed in suit, Mitch walked up and held up zip tie cuffs. He jerked his chin at Lewis. “Hands,” he ordered.

As she watched him secure the cuffs around Lewis’ wrists, Sophie’s heart sunk further and her stomach pretzelled itself into a sickening knot. Mitch turned on her next and she reluctantly held out her wrists. She gritted her teeth as the restraints were tightened snugly until she couldn’t move her hands apart. Mitch patted her arm before taking a step back and gesturing her up.

Sophie chewed her lip and rose on shaky legs. She wasn’t unsteady because of her head, but she would have loved to blame it on that. She was scared. She knew being a mother came with unforeseeable challenges, but she’d never imagined she would have to be prepared for a situation like this, and she was not at all prepared for it.

As soon as she stepped away from the bed, she had Sara behind her pulling a black piece of cloth over her eyes. Sophie grunted in surprise and tried to duck away, but a firm grip tightened around her arm and held her in place as the blindfold was secured.

“Is this really necessary?” Lewis protested. Sophie assumed he was being given the same treatment.

“Yes,” Sara replied. “Now let’s go. We’ve kept them waiting long enough.”

Sophie felt a tug on her arm. It was strong and firm, and she stumbled. When she regained her balance, she cautiously began to follow as she was led out. The blindfold was snug and effective – she couldn’t see anything – and it made her apprehensive about each step that she took. She was fairly certain it was Mitch guiding her, and she was thankful at least that he kept the pace slow enough that she could walk carefully without being pulled off her feet. She could hear Lewis and Sara’s footsteps echoing behind them, but only barely. She was fairly certain they were right behind, but her heart was drumming so loudly in her chest that it felt like the rest of the world was being drowned out around her.

She nearly fell over when Mitch abruptly stopped walking, and then someone new took her other arm and she bit her lip. There were no words exchanged as Mitch released her and the new person tugged at her other arm. Every part of her wanted to dig her heels in and refuse, but she found herself walking again regardless. She was too disoriented and had no way to gauge her situation when she couldn’t see, but every step she took forward felt like she was being led to slaughter.

“Watch your step,” a voice warned. It was a deeper voice, but she didn’t recognize the owner. Their tone sounded rather indifferent towards her and she wasn’t sure if that was good or bad, but it didn’t make her feel any better.

As they gave the warning, they came to the edge of the porch steps and Sophie fumbled around with her foot to descend each one. Then they were crunching across gravel and she heard a car door open. “Step up,” the voice instructed again. Sophie lifted her leg and found the lip of the car. When she leaned forward, a hand fell to the flat of her head and pushed her chin down. She assumed so she wouldn’t hit the top.

She sat down and shifted nervously on the creaking leather as her guide pulled her seatbelt over. She listened to the click as the buckle was secured. The car door thumped shut and seconds later the other one opened. “Lewis?” Sophie whispered as she felt the seat shift as someone else sat down.

“It’s me, Soph,” he replied in just as hushed a tone. She hated not being able to see, but she felt a little better when Lewis leaned to the side and their shoulders brushed. At least their captors – whoever they were – hadn’t seen fit to separate the two of them. She was barely holding herself together while she had Lewis. She knew she would fall apart without him. To lose every member of her family, even temporarily, would be her breaking point.

The other door shut and then there were two loud smacks on the side of the vehicle. Sophie started when the engine revved and the car began to drive away. Sophie reached over and fumbled for Lewis’ good hand. She squeezed his fingers and then licked her lips. They had two cars if the people who’d escorted them weren’t coming. She wanted to know what was going on. They needed to know what they were up against. “Are we allowed to speak?” she inquired bitterly.

A few moments went by with relative silence. Their driver didn’t answer, and the only noise that greeted them was the steady rumble of the engine.

Sophie cleared her throat and tried again. “What is going on? Where are you taking us? Who are you and why are you so interested in us? Do you work for Lemuria?”

“I’m afraid I can’t answer those questions, love. My job’s just to drive, nothing more.”

“Where are you driving to?” Sophie replied instantly. She latched to the fact that someone had answered.

The driver sighed. “Just sit tight. We’ve got quite a ways to drive, so you two lovebirds might as well get cozy and let me focus on the road, alright?”

“But-” Sophie broke off as someone new sighed.

“Sophie, try to relax. You’ll be asleep soon anyway and none of this will matter.”

Sophie froze at the familiar, clipped voice that she had gotten used to for a few weeks, and bitter ice jabbed at her heart. Beside her, Lewis growled softly. “Lukshia,” he practically spat the name. “What the hell are you doing now? I swear, if I get my hands round your neck, I’m going to-”

“I know you’re angry, Lewis, but I’m afraid violence and retribution will have to wait. We’re on a tight schedule,” Lukshia replied. Her words were spoken just as calmly and matter-of-factly that they almost didn’t sound sincere. It bothered Sophie that Lukshia didn’t seem concerned about them.

“You betrayed us,” Sophie whispered. “Why? What do you want now?”

Sophie heard the creak of more leather and assumed Lukshia was shifting in her seat. “Yes,” she agreed. “I did. I wish I could say I was sorry, but I’m not. I did what I had to do. I don’t like to make a habit of it, but my back was against a wall and self-preservation kicked in. You and Lewis threw a wrench into their plans when you took off. They were tracking you with that collar you kept.”

Sophie frowned and shook her head. “I got rid of that. I got worried that was a possibility.”

“Not in time,” Lukshia replied. “They ran you off the road the other day and they could have happily let you both die at the bottom of that ravine. But I didn’t sign on to let innocent people die. Despite what you think, I took no joy in driving away that night and letting them access the Mer.”

Sophie pursed her lips. She was angry, likely just as furious as Lewis sounded as he spoke up again. “So what, saving us was just some attempt to clear your conscience? Do you think it makes up for the fact that you sentenced an entire family to enslavement?”

“It’s not an attempt to clear my conscience, Lewis,” Lukshia rebuffed. “I didn’t come after you with personal intentions. I’m merely working a new job.”

“For-” Sophie broke off as she yawned widely. She was starting to feel incredibly drowsy and she knew the medication was beginning to take effect. “For who? Lemuria?”

“No,” Lukshia replied. “Go to sleep, Sophie.”

“Not…not until you tell us who,” Sophie argued as she yawned again.

“Even if I told you, it wouldn’t mean anything to you. You’ll find out for yourself soon enough.”

Those were the last words Sophie heard before a ringing rose in her ears and she felt her head bob. Her body fell slack against her will and she slumped against the seat.