Forever (An Unfortunate Fairy Tale, #5)(79)

She felt adrift without him. It ached to admit it.

How could she ever smile again?

Until she heard it.

Thump… Thump… Thump.

And she remembered. Mina pressed her hand to her heart, and a tear slid down her cheek. He would never truly be gone, because she loved him.

Their small group on the beach started to grow in size as a meeting of the guilds and sirens coalesced on the shore.

“We have done all we can, for now.” Strong Arm’s voice rumbled deeply. “We must leave. It is no longer safe for us. Constance, your guild is welcome to join mine until yours is rebuilt.”

Constance nodded her head in agreement. “Thank you for the offer, Strong Arm. I think we will take you up on it until this boils over.”

She turned to Nan and Brody. “I think it’s best if you two head home as soon as you can. Don’t mention that you were anywhere near here. I’ll send someone up to help smooth over your parents’ memories, so you can try and slip back into your normal lives. I heard that with the school destroyed, you’ve been on a long break, so at least that bit should be easy enough.”

Just hearing the news about her school being on break filled Mina with relief. She knew the Godmothers would take care of Nan and Brody. Their parents wouldn’t even remember that Nan and Brody had disappeared. They had a chance at regaining their normal lives, and she was happy for them. As happy as she could feel with all these circumstances.

“Do we have to leave now? What will happen to Mina and Charlie?” Nan ran over to Mina and gave her best friend a hug. “I feel like I just got her back.”

“They will be taken care of,” Constance assured her.

“Will we see them again?” Nan asked.

“That will be up to them, but it might be better if you forgot all about them for the time being.”

“No!” Brody and Nan answered together.

Mina was pleasantly surprised at her friends’ determination.

“That will never happen,” Brody looked over at Mina and smiled, his eyes crinkling ever so softly. Mina tried to offer a half-smile back.

Constance sighed. “Very well, but there’s no time to waste. The sooner you leave, the better.”

Nan reluctantly pulled away from Mina’s side, and Brody came over to give her a hug. His embrace offered a familiar warmth and comfort. Mina sighed sadly as she struggled to keep her emotions at bay and her will from washing over him. Just because she was afraid of being alone didn’t mean Brody was hers to keep.

He gave her another squeeze before he pulled away and reached for Nan’s hand. Mina realized in that moment that maybe she was never meant to have a happily ever after.

Maybe, they didn’t even exist.

Mina watched as Brody walked hand-in-hand with Nan up the shoreline and to the sidewalk before they took off at a jog for the car. She prayed they’d have a safe journey.

“Thank you, sea witch, for your help,” Constance said.

Taz Clara remained, standing regally in the water. She smiled and brushed her hand in front of her in a mock bow. “I didn’t help to gain the favor of the Godmothers, but of someone much more important.”

Constance’s lips pinched together, and Mina picked up on the tension between the two women. “I understand. I’m sure the effort will be repaid.”

“I hope so,” Taz said as she slowly sank into the bay and disappeared.

The siren ship Serenity pulled as close as they could, and Reef and Genni brought the ship’s tender into the shore to pick them up and ferry them out. Nix, Ever, and Mina quickly sat down as the sirens swam them out to the ship. As soon as they were aboard, Ternan and Winona set sail.

Taz rose out of the water, her eyes black as night as she called forth a deep rolling fog to hide them. The sea witch raised her long green arm in a parting farewell. The sirens sailed out into the deep ocean, needing time to tend to their injured and find another way back to the Fae plane. The farther away they sailed, the less the damage seemed, until Mina could barely see San Francisco.

It all just felt like a horrible dream.

Charlie had been unwilling to leave Kino’s side since the battle. Kino had already dubbed him the Sea Prince. Winona and Ternan struggled to hold their emotions in check as they stood before their grandson. Winona’s face was washed with tears, and Mina swore she saw Ternan’s beard tremble with pride.

Charlie stared wide-eyed at the scars along his grandfather’s arms. His mouth opened but then firmly shut.

Ternan kneeled down, his eyes shining bright. “There’s no need to fear, my boy. You won’t hurt me with your gift. As the siren king, I—” His words were cut off as Charlie tossed himself into his grandfather’s arms.

Ternan held his hand out to the side, and her grandmother stepped into his arms and joined in the family reunion happening on deck. Mina met Winona’s eyes and simply nodded.

Maybe she should have joined them, but something held her back. She couldn’t have explained it, other than she felt too much was left undone.

She turned to look at the ocean and asked Ever, “When can we get back?”

“We just left. Why would you want to go back?”

“Not to the pier—to the Fae plane.”

Ever bit her lip as she tried to think. “I’m not sure. We may be stuck here for a while.”