“But it’s so deep, my love. What if this doesn’t work?”
Kairos frowned, his gaze clouding like I’d spoken a language he didn’t understand. Oh gods. We’d never discussed what to call each other. What if he hatedmy love?
“It works,” he muttered.
“But—”
“You’ll be fine. You won’t even feel wet.”
I forced a smile. “You’re sure?”
“Yes.”
My hand slipped off his chest. I sat on the edge, legs dangling over. The water looked bottomless. What if the magic failed? What if I sank and drowned?—
Kairos rubbed my back. “Jump in.”
I glanced at the fae, who was definitely frowning, and pushed off. I descended like a leaf falling through wind. Then my feet hit the ocean floor.
Kairos landed beside me.
I gripped his arm. “Where are we?”
“In the sea.”
So informative.“But…where’s the water?”
He lifted his free hand. “Everywhere.”
Shafts of sunlight illuminated what seemed like air. I was under the water, but I couldn’t see waves. Or feel them. Above us, the sky glowed bright blue.
Fascinating.
This necklace didn’t just help me breathe. Sight, sound, gravity had all been altered.
I fingered the chain at my throat. “If I remove this, what happens?”
His stony gaze slid to mine. “You’ll die.”
I gritted my teeth. No “please don’t” or “be careful, darling”—just a flat prediction of my demise. Did he have to wield every word like a blade?
We strolled deeper into the underwater world, shapes appearing in the distance. Towers, glowing windows, lights pulsing through a hidden city. Pale stones dotted the seafloor, illuminating the way to a palace. The path curved around coral structures. Homes—dozens of them, nestled in kelp forests. Even amarket.
Stalls were set up beneath canopies of translucent membrane. Fae walked among them, shopping. One haggled over strips of sun-dried hide. A sapphire flame burned from a brazier, cooking a whole fish. Then a child darted past, trailing a kite shaped like a stingray. Something about them seemed different.
“Is that boy human?”
“Half. The Thalir strike bargains with seaside villages.”
I peered at him. “For what?”
“Maidens. Given to the depths every year, in exchange for seas teeming with fish and ships guided to harbor.”
My palm slipped in hishand.
His mouth twitched. “They are honored consorts. Sometimes wives.”
“And their villages…agreeto this?”
