“Get out!” Katie growled again when no one responded the first time. Lukshia stared back at her, but she could feel everyone else’s gazes on her as well. At the moment, however, her sole focus was on the woman who had helped and betrayed her. Her sail raised a little higher and she bared her fangs again.

“Katie…” Her mother’s voice was hesitant, but Katie couldn’t bring herself to look away. “Hang on a moment-”

“She should not be here,” Katie hissed. She slapped her fin against the ground and ignored the consequential sting that shot up the sensitive membrane. Her fingers curled into fists as she waited for any sort of response or reaction from Lukshia, but the woman merely matched her gaze.

She felt fingers brush her side and when she turned to look, Riley was staring at her with a sympathetic look. “Lukshia helped bring you back,” she stated. “I am not thrilled either, but not everything has been bad.”

The words made Katie pause for a moment – not because of what was said, but because it was the least trusting Mer in the room saying them – but then she shook her head. “She helped bring Luna and I home once before as well,” she growled. “That does not change how she betrayed us. I cannot forgive that enough to place trust a second time.”

“I started to tell you a story the other day, Katherine. Would you care to hear the rest of it?”

Dr. Auldon’s voice made her spine prickle with unease as she was reminded he was also in the room and that he also knew their new location. She could not understand how no one else found that alarming. She tore her gaze away from Lukshia to glower at him. Everyone around her seemed so calm and she hated it. It made her heart pound in her chest and her throat clench. She swallowed to help wash away the dryness in her mouth. She did not want to listen anymore, but she needed to know why everyone else seemed so willing to forgive everything that had just happened to them. “Whatever it is will not change my mind,” she warned.

Dr. Auldon inclined his head. “You should have the facts before you make a ruling.”

“Then start talking,” she hissed. There were two empty chairs beside her and Katie tugged one of them out and hauled herself into it. She wanted to be at eye level.

Dr. Auldon shrugged. “I knew before you’d gotten sick that I would likely wind up opposing my employers. They were already turning against me and taking away my control over a project that should have been my right to lead without question. Finding where you all were was not an issue until Miss Blake took you all on the run. Finding out who had been behind the initial break-in to the aquarium was the biggest challenge. You are impressively elusive,” Dr. Auldon acknowledged. He nodded in Lukshia’s direction before continuing. “It took some digging, but when I figured it all out, I got in contact. I knew what would have happened if Dr. Patron or one of my other associates had been given total control and I was not willing to subject you, Katherine, or your young friend…Luna,” he added quickly while raising a placating hand at Ixion’s sharp intake of breath. “Nor was I willing to step back and accept the status demotion after all my hard work; not if Lemuria was going to continue to profit while others got the credit and recognition for my groundwork.”

“When he contacted me, I had no interest in conversing,” Lukshia finally spoke up. “I don’t place trust easily and I wasn’t going to put innocent lives in danger on the say-so of someone who had already endangered those lives. But if there’s one thing I’m good at, it’s losing a tail, so when he warned me that your necklace was bugged, Sophie, I made my way to you as quickly as caution would allow. I didn’t want to risk being followed, but it needed to be taken offline as quickly as possible. After that, at least I knew the intel was good, but I wasn’t willing to risk further interactions, so I didn’t reach out. But I did keep feelers out just in case. I knew to move you all out to that cabin because I got a warning ahead of time that they’d finally decided to act after the transition went silent. But helping us stay a step ahead didn’t mean there wasn’t still a risk. I didn’t truly begin to consider taking that risk until you got worse. You were so sick that you were going to die, Katie. I wasn’t going to watch that after everything you’d all been through. So I risked the contact just enough to ask what would happen if I failed and Lemuria got ahold of the two of you again.”

“The security measures would have tightened,” Dr. Auldon took over again. “And I would have far less control over your situation. It would have been a long game of waiting for an opportunity again. There was no alternate, really, but it could have been done. You and Luna had enough self-preservation instinct at least not to stupidly or needlessly antagonize anyone. You were decently obedient under pressure.”

Katie hissed and her sail smacked against the back of the chair as it flared again. “And why was that?” she snarled. She slammed a fist against the table as tears prickled in her eyes. “Everything you did, everything you allowed others to do…it was not enough; you had to make sure. You knew Luna could speak, but you also knew that she was too timid to say anything to try to appeal to an audience for help; she was too afraid of people. Lemuria embedded that fear in her. But for me…I knew enough to have an idea of what to say and how to say it to get people’s attention. It had to be more than just revealing Mer could talk, which Luna was too scared to have known anyway, so it had to be me and the truth.” Katie closed her eyes and heaved a breath. “That threat…you abused my desire to protect her. Even if I had said something at any point to anyone who walked by that tank – made any moves to prove wrong the story you fed to them – there would have been an investigation, sure, but it would have taken time. Not a lot of time if people believed me and acted immediately, but enough. You told me that if I spoke out, you would separate us, that Luna would be taken somewhere secure where they would never find her and she would be punished for my ‘crimes’. Even if I got to go free and Lemuria took a huge blow, they would still have her.”

“I remember,” Dr. Auldon replied. She tensed at the empty tone of his voice. “Lemuria could have still made a profit off of her by selling her off to another institute, to a private collector, or our military. Even a timid, broken child could be weaponized for her ability to stay submerged indefinitely. It would have been far harder to make you disappear, but they could have done the same to you if they really wanted. There was some validity to the threat, Katherine, but I mostly used it to scare you. I knew you wouldn’t take that risk. Believe it or not, it was with your safety in mind. Yours and hers.”

“Yeah, well it worked,” Katie muttered. She was not sure if Lemuria actually could have pulled that off or not, but at the time, it had been enough to make her bite her tongue. Dr. Auldon and most everyone else had made her feel entirely helpless time and time again. She had been too afraid to counter the threats made and her heart ached to consider how weak she had been, how alone she had felt. But she was tired of playing that game and was not going to be meek or compliant any longer. “But it will not again.”

“Good,” Dr. Auldon replied. “That was my condition.”

“What do you mean ‘your condition’?” Her mom’s voice had a sharp edge in it that made Katie shiver. So, they were not all gathered on peaceful terms. Her distrust was shared.

Dr. Auldon shrugged. “The requirement I had, the final piece I expected before taking the risk that I did. Patience, Miss Brooks, there’s more to tell, first.”

Lukshia cleared her throat. Her attention had not left Katie. “The risk felt too great. That’s why we went with the plan we did, to separate you and Luna so that Lemuria couldn’t just whisk the two of you away. They would have had to bargain with us then, and hopefully, it would have given us a better opportunity to get you away from them again. But we needed Dr. Auldon’s help to save your life. There was no other choice.”

Katie growled. “I know all of this already,” she grumbled. “And none of it explains why you put everyone else in danger! You did not exactly do a good job of keeping my family out of Lemuria’s clutches, and taunting me with it was far from necessary either.”

Lukshia pursed her lips and nodded. “It was cruel,” she agreed. “And I took no pleasure in it. I promise there was a reason for what I said to you. As for giving up the location of the others…I never would have done it if Riley had not come after you and Sophie. We couldn’t stop her and she negated Lemuria’s need to bargain with us. Sure, they could want the others, but they only needed two Mer for their attraction, so the leverage we needed was severely weakened. I knew there was an underground organization dedicated to helping Mer get away from land safely if they happened to wind up here from injury or accidental capture. They’re nearly impossible to locate on purpose if Lemuria’s efforts are anything to show for it. I knew they existed and I was fairly certain I knew where, but it was going to take too much time to get their help. By that point, Lemuria could have had the two of you under lock and key, and we wouldn’t be able to get anywhere near. That was the point that I contacted Dr. Auldon. I didn’t have another choice, there were no more resources I could expend alone to keep you all safe.”

“Her call came just after yours did, Miss Brooks,” Dr. Auldon stated. “It was quite the morning. And we had to make some plans that were admittedly hastier than I would have preferred. Miss Blake needed time to stall our return to America. I gleaned as many details as I could about how many Mer she was shielding, and it was the pregnancy that gave us an opening. Between how sick you were, Katherine, and that young woman on the verge of labour, it was just the type of excuse I needed to encourage a base camp. They wouldn’t risk losing the infant in transit, and it sounded like you were too weak to move.”

“They would have had to transport you eventually, and would have been the perfect moment of weakened defences to get you all away,” Lukshia continued. “So I told him where to find the hideout, let him take the credit for finding you all.”

“Which gave me additional leverage to remain in a position to help. It was not ideal because I wasn’t in charge, but it was enough to offer some protection – though you all presented a unique challenge in realizing that goal – and give Miss Blake enough time to organize a rescue operation.”

“Katie, I came to talk to you, not to taunt you, but to motivate you. Dr. Auldon had two conditions to his help – though the second was added in a little later – and I needed to sway your behaviour as best I could at the time without telling you what was going on.”

“Your willingness to obey was convenient initially,” Dr. Auldon clarified. “But it was a liability to getting you out of the game for good. It takes strength to defy those in power, Katherine, and you had not shown me much strength at that point. If I was going to risk my career and quite possibly my life for you, I wanted to be absolutely certain you deserved it. You have had to depend on others for a long time now and I needed to see you could stand your own ground…metaphorically, of course.”

Katie felt her rage falter at the words. She frowned. “That was why you praised me when I stood up to you,” she realized. “When our plan failed. But, you told me before that point that my survival depended on my continued obedience.”

“I still had appearances to keep up,” Dr. Auldon responded. “I couldn’t be nice to you all and not raise some suspicions. Luna surprised me when she fought back against Dr. Patron – who’s still held up in the hospital after she won that fight – but I didn’t need to know she was strong, she had a family of fully capable adults to safeguard her while she healed emotionally. But you…I wasn’t going to accept anything less than self-sufficiency. No, you were never going to get yourselves out, but I needed to know you were capable of trying and of making decisions. You proved that at the end, which is why we moved you sooner than normal. It was the best time.”

For a moment, everyone else was silent. Then, Sophie coughed. “Why separate Katie from the others, then? Why put us through all that additional hassle of coming for her?”

“Because, Miss Brooks, you would not have trusted me to run another test on your daughter. The only reason you tolerated it initially was because of how sick she was and because you felt included in the idea. To ensure her continued survival, it was easier to separate her and return her to you when the time was right.”

“But you couldn’t let it go for a few more hours, so I had to take you there instead of just allowing Dr. Auldon to bring her back.” Lukshia shook her head. “You’re a stubborn group. Katie, I never wanted to betray you – and I won’t deny that I did – but I never held any malicious intent towards any of you.”

Katie chewed her lip as she mulled over everything that had been said. It was a lot to take in and she did not want to be caught unawares anymore. She glanced around the table. There were still introductions to be made, but Lewis and Riley were both calmly looking at her, her mother looked concerned and like she was biting something back, but had no trace of the spicier scent Katie sensed earlier when her mother had gotten angry, and Ixion seemed to simply be waiting patiently. “Did you all know all of this?” she inquired.

“Some of it,” her mother answered. “Not everything.”

“And how much about the future have you all discussed?” she pressed.

“Enough to reassure Luna,” Ixion finally spoke up. “From what I understand, we are as safe as we are going to get.”

“Yes,” Dr. Auldon confirmed. “Under normal circumstances, blackmail wouldn’t work. Lemuria has no qualms about taking out a potential risk and making it look like an accident, but in this case, there are a lot of additional secrets I can share that they will not want to have brought to light, and Miss Blake has been kind enough to set up a network that needs continual renewal. If someone from this group is not available, the data releases globally on its own.”

“Which means, if we all die or Lemuria doesn’t comply, the world is showered in enough bad press to kill several branches of Zentiac.” The comment was added by a woman Katie did not know.

“Zentiac?” she asked.

The woman smiled and inclined her head. “Lemuria is just a branch. Zentiac is the overarching corporation.”

“We were waiting for you to talk about some of the other stuff,” Lewis added. “Since most of it concerns you.”

Katie nodded. “Okay.” She glanced back at Lukshia and forced a grim smile. “Then please leave. I understand you did not do what you did out of a desire to hurt us, but that does not change what you did – or my opinion – you put all of us at risk needlessly and without consent. I understand acting without my opinion because I was unconscious, but you should have at least told the others what you planned to do. My mom and Lewis did not need to put their lives at risk, they should not have had to go on the run like that. You put us all in a lot of danger. Karina nearly died in childbirth and Dr. Patron could have really hurt Luna. Nero was injured when they were taken…I am sorry, but we all had a right to be included in those decisions.” Katie took a breath. It made her rather sad because she had liked Lukshia, but she could not take needless risks anymore. “I am grateful to you and to Olivia and everyone else who helped Luna and I get back home, I truly am. I do not hate you and I am not angry, but you told me I need to stop blindly trusting people and look out for myself and for the ones I care about most, and I need to start doing that. If you are willing to make choices that put us at risk – even if they are intended on our behalf – then I cannot trust you and I do not want you here. I hope you can understand that.”

After she finished speaking, Katie could not help glancing at her mother. Sophie shrugged. “Katie, this is your home as much as mine or Lewis’ or Riley’s. If you’re not comfortable with someone being here, you have every right to make that decision. I support you completely.”

Katie nodded and then turned back to Lukshia and braced for a bad reaction. She had been expecting an angry response or a lack of one, but instead, Lukshia’s eyes shimmered and she smiled and dipped her head. “I do understand, Katie, and I’m proud of you. You’re absolutely right that there was a better way to go about things, and you’ve taught me things too. You’re not alone anymore – you have everything you need – and you’ve learned to trust yourself and fight for your freedom. If you ever do need me, I’m happy to help, but I’m glad you’ve made the choices best for you. I hope everything works out for you in the end.” Lukshia made her way around the table and dropped a hand briefly on Katie’s shoulder before she slipped out the door and down the hall. Katie listened to the clack of the woman’s heeled boots until a heavy door opened and shut once more.

She took a breath and then glanced at Dr. Auldon. “And what about you? I never did trust you to begin with, but what are your plans now that you’ve betrayed Lemuria?”

Dr. Auldon shrugged. “I have some fallback fields I could dip my toes into, but I’ll admit to being curious about this facility dedicated to rescuing and rehabilitating-”

“Not a chance in hell.” the woman Katie still did not know cut him off with a shake of her head. “You’re a long way from earning my trust, and we don’t hire on a whim. I’ve had enough staffing issues lately to last a lifetime.”

Dr. Auldon nodded. His face was impassive, but there was a sour taste to his scent that gave Katie pause. Was that...sorrow? She pursed her lips and did not comment as he began to speak. “I’m not completely sure yet, Katherine, but I’m not going to come after you if that’s your concern. I might check in from time to time to make sure your system hasn’t started relapsing, but I imagine this is the last time we’ll have contact for a while.”

Katie shrugged. She had no desire to entertain ‘check-ups’ from the man, but the not seeing him for a while – or ever – part sounded pretty good to her. She licked her lips. “I do not imagine I am alone in the opinion of not wanting you here right now either. I am still not fully sure why you did this for us, there were other ways to betray Lemuria and still keep your precious ‘project’ I am sure, but I am too tired for any more risks right now.”

Dr. Auldon snorted and adjusted his glasses. “I do hope this isn’t going to go to your head, Katherine. I don’t want you thinking I did this out of compassion or guilt. I simply don’t care for being double-crossed and you have become far more troublesome than you are worth.” The words were smug, but that scent kept getting stronger. It was making Katie dizzy. One glance at Riley informed her that she was not crazy. Riley sensed it too. As Dr. Auldon approached her, Katie shuffled nervously on her seat but did not protest when he placed a hand on her head. “I warned you before that I would not apologize for what I put you through. If the clock was turned back, I would probably do it all again – though perhaps more efficiently – but I am sorry that you have had to endure additional suffering. Take better care of yourself and your loved ones in the future.” His hand left her head and he began walking away.

Katie’s heart sunk in her chest as she found herself glancing back. Something in her gut urged her to disregard most of what he had said. She had a suspicion that maybe it was compassion – or rather remorse – that had driven him to act, and that in a do-over situation, maybe things would have been different. “Dr. Auldon?” she called. She watched him pause and turn to look at her. She chewed her lip and shrugged dismissively. “I just want to make sure we are clear is all. I do not want you to leave with it in your head that I forgive you for any of it,” she stated flatly.

Dr. Auldon removed his glasses and wiped them on the corner of his shirt. When he replaced them on his nose, he inclined his head towards her, and some of the sour taste in her mouth dissipated. “I would expect nothing less…Katie.” He said nothing more to her as he disappeared around the corner, but Katie felt a weight lift from her as he left.

“What was that about?” her mother asked.

Katie shook her head. It did not matter. She turned to focus on the three people she had not yet met. “I am sorry that the first time we meet, I am throwing a bunch of people out, but I would love to actually meet you all properly. It sounds like you have done more for us than I currently know.”

The woman smiled first. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Katie, truly. You had us all very worried for a while, but I’m glad you’re feeling better now. My name is Devin, and these are my brothers, Carson and Azmexyoulnus.”

When she gestured to the Mer who looked to be in his late twenties or early thirties, Katie winced. That name sounded like a mouthful to pronounce. “Ummm…”

The Mer chuckled and shook his head. “Az is fine.”