The throne room contained many magical elements, from the crystalline water throne to the inherent ability to translate language. None of these mystical additions explained my mother’s coldness toward us, nor Lorelei’s intrigue. I twisted and faced my sister. I’d expected her to rip my head off and feed it to her subjects. Instead, she clapped wildly, reveling in our successful underwater bout against one of her royal guards. My mother, who I’d believed needed saving, looked like she had sucked on a lemon, disgusted by our joint triumph.

Lorelei flapped her tail. “Marvelous. What a wonderful display of teamwork. What a magnificent specimen she is, so unafraid. It’s as if you two are mated. Is this how you managed to kill all my guards? Together?”

My gaze flitted to my mother. She masked her worry except for a small twitch of her eye. She knew I’d used her musical weapon already, but Lorelei never knew it existed. Mother’s hands cupped together at her waist, and she took a step forward. “They are a lovely team, Lorelei. But she is still a human.”

Her tone carried the weight of an insult. She didn’t approve. I’d have laughed if the situation weren’t otherwise so serious. My mother’s rigid stance and clipped retorts were all because her son fell for a human. Pride and ego had won out against her grace. I was dumbfounded as to why my love life should take precedence over her rescue.

Lorelei glared at our mother, her perfectly painted lips affecting a pout. “You always ruin a good time.”

Calliope dipped her head. “Like all mothers do.”

Lorelei rose up on her tail, arms fanned at her sides, and the paralyzed wave burbled back to life, carrying her out of the pool. In one breath, she transformed from sea monster into a sculpted queen straight out of the tales I read to Savina. Her tail split in two, taking the shape of human legs, long and lean and far too perfect. Her shimmering black scales elongated and melded together, growing into a floor-length skirt opened at the sides. Pale bare feet peeked out from beneath the hems as she glided down the wave to the polished bone floor. Her hair lifted of its own accord, spreading like wine tossed from a glass, and began to twist itself into a braid that fell over her shoulder. The white coral crown never faltered.

Lou’s mouth hung open. I imagined the first time seeing a siren morph into their human form would be shocking, and Lorelei’s transformation was particularly theatrical.

The Siren Queen patted her liquid throne like a beloved pet before it retracted back into the pool.