"Isla—"
The platform gives way beneath us. No more time for arguments. We're falling into the abyss, surrounded by tons of twisted metal and broken machinery. The ritual chamber breaks apart, spilling us into freezing water.
Instinct forces the shift. Swimming hard against debris falling around us. But which way is up? Light is fading fast, darkness closing in from all sides.
Then Isla is beside me in selkie form—sleek and fast. She grabs my fur in her teeth, pulling. Guiding me away from the sinking platform, away from the worst of the falling debris. Showing me which way leads to air and life instead of deeper into the crushing depths.
We swim together into the darkness. Behind us, something vast and ancient stirs. Fully awake now. Coming after us or after Carrick's corpse or after something else entirely.
Lungs burn. Pressure builds, telling me we're too deep. I won't make it. The surface stretches impossibly far, and I've pushed my body beyond its limits.
But Isla is here. My mate. If I'm going to die, at least it's protecting her. At least she'll survive to see the surface again.
At least I got to love her, even if it was too brief.
Darkness closes in as my strength fails. The cold and pressure win. Strokes become weak, then stop entirely.
Isla's presence beside me, desperate and terrified.
Then nothing.
CHAPTER 19
ISLA
At the inn, Moira cleans and bandages our hands with practiced efficiency, her expression satisfied as she examines the markings. "The blood bond is holding beautifully," she says, but then her tone shifts to something more serious. "However, the ritual isn't complete. You've sealed the bridge between you, but it must be consummated in the sacred caves before moonset. Where your ancestors joined, where ocean meets stone."
Her words settle over me with weight and inevitability. The exhaustion from nearly dying in the depths, from the blood ritual, from everything that's happened today should make the idea of another ritual impossible. Instead, anticipation hums beneath my skin. This is right. This is necessary. This is ours to complete.
Later, as dusk falls, the brotherhood gathers to escort us. They're quiet, respectful, understanding the significance of what comes next. Grayson's hand stays linked with mine as we walk the cliff path toward the caves, the ocean rolling dark and restless below.
The sacred caves smell like salt and stone and magic.
Moonlight filters through the opening above, painting the water silver and black. Tide pools glow with bioluminescence, creating patterns that pulse like heartbeats. This is where Grayson's ancestors completed their claiming rituals for centuries. Where guardians claimed their mates, where bonds were sealed in the most primal way.
The brotherhood forms a circle near the cave entrance. Finn, Kian, Rafe, and others whose names I'm still learning. They're witnesses, but they won't intrude. The claiming we started on the beach this morning must be completed here, in the sacred waters where his bloodline has performed this ritual since before written history.
Grayson's breathing has improved dramatically since the first ritual. Color has returned to his face, his movements no longer pained. The marking on my hand burns warm where our blood mixed, where Moira spoke the binding words that tied us together. But the ritual isn't finished. Won't be finished until we seal in body as we sealed it in blood and magic.
"You need to enter the water." Moira stands at the tide pool's edge, moonlight silvering her hair. "Both of you. Where ocean meets stone, where your ancestors joined before you."
I strip without hesitation. The cave air raises goosebumps on my naked skin. The pendant at my throat begins to glow, responding to where I am, what I'm about to do.
Grayson strips beside me, his movements sure despite having nearly died hours ago. His shoulder bears the same marking as mine—seal surrounded by waves, permanent proof of what we've become to each other.
"The brotherhood will witness from a distance." Moira's voice carries command mixed with understanding. "What happens next is between mates."
The gathered shifters move to the cave entrance, giving us privacy. Rafe is the last to turn away, nodding once at Grayson before disappearing into shadow.
We wade into the pool together. The water is surprisingly warm, heated by volcanic springs deep below. Bioluminescence swirls around us, responding to our movements, our magic, the intention crackling between us.
Grayson reaches for me, pulling me against him with possessive certainty. His skin is warm under my hands, his heartbeat strong and steady against my palm.
"We finish this." His voice is rough with need and command. "Here. Now."
"Yes." The word comes out breathless. "I nearly lost you today. I'm not waiting another second."
His kiss claims me with fierce hunger, his mouth taking mine with need too long denied. I kiss him back with equal intensity, my hands tangling in his hair, pulling him closer even though there's no space left.
