Ariel's fingers curled tightly into her palms. Fear coiled in her stomach, but she forced herself to meet Morpheus's gaze, to steady her voice.
"What is it that you want?"
Morpheus sighed, tilting his head as if her question disappointed him. "Such coldness," he murmured, though his smile never wavered. Yet something in his eyes dimmed, returning to its pitch darkness, just slightly, like a candle flickering from a draft.
"I'm here to bring you back."
Ariel's breath stuck. The words struck her like a prick of a needle, sinking deep into her chest. Back. Back?
She knew what he meant. Back to that place... the castle she had visited as a child, the place where everything had begun to unravel. Where Arabella had nearly drowned.
