Reed offers me the kind of smile that says, At your service. “I’m from Neptune. I didn’t catch your name?”

“She didn’t give it to you,” Galen says, tightening his grip.

“Emma,” I say, not daring to look back at Galen. “My name is Emma. Are there others like you?”

“That’s an odd question to ask,” he says. Curiosity drips from his handsome features.

I guess it is odd. I mean, if there are two of us Half-Breeds, there are bound to be more, right? But why? How? I shake my head. In his statement is a question, and answering one way or the other would be a half lie. I knew there was something here in Tennessee. Grandfather was adamant that Galen and I travel here, that there was something of interest I’d want to see. Now I understand why he didn’t tell me what it was, why he let me find out on my own.

Grandfather knew I would tell Galen. And somehow he knew Galen would not like it.

“How far away is Neptune? Can you take us there?” I blurt.

Reed is already nodding even as Galen grabs my wrist. “Emma,” he growls. “We don’t know him.”

I turn on him. “Antonis sent us here to find it. I think it’s pretty clear why.” Immediately I feel guilty for chastising him in front of a perfect stranger.

“Why wouldn’t he just tell us about it and let us decide for ourselves?”

And suddenly the guilt is gone. At first I don’t answer. Anger percolates in my gut. Because Galen doesn’t mean, “let us decide for ourselves.” He means “let me decide for both of us.” And I’m not okay with that.

I turn back to Reed. “I’ve decided for myself that I want to see Neptune. Will you take me?”

8

GALEN’S FOCUS darts between the two-lane road ahead and the stranger in the rearview mirror. Reed takes up a good portion of the backseat, leaning his elbow on the middle console that separates the driver from the passenger. The passenger being an all-too-attentive Emma.

“It’s about twenty more miles ahead. There won’t be any signs for Neptune. We were only recently added to GPS. Like, this year,” Reed tells Emma. He seems almost proud of this unimpressive feat. And so does Emma.

“And there are more Half-Breeds in Neptune?” she says, not even trying to hide her excitement.

Reed answers with a smirk.

Galen feels as though he’s entered a bad dream, one that he can’t wake up from. He silently curses Antonis for his involvement in this. What was he thinking, sending us to a town full of Half-Breeds, whose very existence breaks the law? Right when we’re trying to earn back the trust of our kingdoms, no less! And he places Emma right in the middle of it all.

What’s worse, Emma seems to be completely comfortable with it.

“It’s a small town,” Reed concedes. “But there are full-blooded Syrena there, too. And humans. Humans who keep our secret.”

Galen whips a glance at him. “How is that possible?” And how have Trackers not discovered this cache of deserters? Especially Toraf, who can sense Syrena anywhere in the world. Or does the freshwater affect his Tracking, the way it affects Galen’s ability to sense?

The only other community mix of Half-Breeds and Syrena Galen has ever heard of is Tartessos—which was destroyed by General Triton thousands of years ago. The story goes that all of General Poseidon’s Half-Breed children were destroyed, and all the full-blooded Syrena returned to the oceans never again to return to land.

How could another community have started without the knowledge of the kingdoms? Who are these stray full-blooded Syrena who’ve initiated another generation—or more—of Half-Breeds?

Reed pauses, scrutinizing Galen in the rearview. “Look, I appreciate the ride back to town and all. But I’ve answered all your questions, and so far, you haven’t offered any information about yourselves. Doesn’t seem very fair.”

Emma nods. “What would you like to know?”

Galen casts her a warning glare, but Emma pretends not to notice. In fact, she’s trying at all costs not to look at him at all.

“Well,” Reed says, leaning forward just enough to make Galen want to readjust his jaw with an uppercut, “I know you’re from the ocean. At least, he is. You’re obviously a descendant of an ocean-dwelling Syrena.”

Emma’s mouth drops open.

Reed shrugs. “Oh, don’t worry, I’m not psychic or anything. Ocean dwellers send different pulses than freshwater Syrena. The best we can figure is that over time the lack of salt in the water changed the way we sense each other. That somehow our bodies adapted to being in freshwater.” He studies Emma more closely, if that were possible. “But my question is, Why have you come? And how can I get you to stay?”

Galen nearly fails to brake for the car slowing in front of them. “We’re not staying.” He doesn’t miss Emma’s frown.

“It’s a long story,” Emma says, melting into a smile for Reed. “My mother is Syrena; my father was human. I grew up on land. My grandfather visited your town once, I think. He’s the one who sent us here.”

Antonis must have visited Neptune. That’s how Reed already knew that we sense each other differently in freshwater. What else did Antonis share with these strangers?

“Sent you here?”

“Well, it was actually more of a scavenger hunt, I guess,” Emma says quickly. “He pointed us in your general direction but didn’t tell us what we would find in Neptune.”