"Riven's right." Kaelan's hand found my shoulder, his touch grounding me even as his words made my chest ache with a sweetness that was almost pain. "This is our choice. Our gift to you. You don't need to know the details."
"I don't want you to hurt for me—" The words tumbled out, desperate, pleading.
"We know." Vale drifted closer, his silver hair floating around his face like moonlight scattered on water. His eyes had softened slightly, some of the cold edge melting away as he looked at me. "We know you don't want us to sacrifice anything for you. But that's not how this works, little human." His lips brushed my temple, feather-light, tender in a way that made my eyes sting. "You're ours. And we take care of what's ours. No matter the cost."
"Stay here tonight." Thane's voice was pleading, cracking on every other word. His hands found mine beneath the water, his fingers lacing through mine and holding tight, like he was afraid I might float away. "Stay with us. Please. We'll go to the witch at dawn, and by the time you wake up, we'll have what you need. Please, Lily. Please don't go back up there."
"I can't just—" I looked up at the distant shimmer of the surface, at the dark shadow of the ship's hull blocking the fading light, my voice trailing off as reality crashed back in. "The crew will notice if I don't come back. They'll ask questions. They might search for me, and if they find?—"
"Let them notice." Riven's growl vibrated through the water, through my bones, through my very soul. "Let them wonder. Let them fear. Let them tear that ship apart looking for you—by the time they realize you're gone, you'll be so deep they'll never find you."
"Riven." Kaelan's voice held a warning, and the scarred siren fell silent, though his jaw remained clenched tight enough to crack teeth. "She's right. If she disappears now, they'll search for her. They'll send boats, maybe. They'll look along the coast when they make port. It's too soon. We need more time to plan."
"Then we make it quick." Vale's eyes were calculating now, his mind clearly working through possibilities with the precision of a predator planning a hunt. "We go to the witch tonight. Get what we need. Have her back before dawn with enough blocker and potion to last until we can extract her properly."
"You want me to come with you?" I asked, my voice small but curious despite the fear. The thought of meeting a sea witch in a trench deep enough to kill me should have been terrifying. But with them beside me, with their hands on my skin and their voices in my ears, I couldn't quite find the fear.
"No." Kaelan's voice was firm, brooking no argument. "The pressure would crush you, even with the potion. You'll stay at the garden—it's safe there, warded. We'll go, and we'll come back."
"You're leaving me alone?" I hated how small my voice sounded, how childish, how desperate. But the thought of them disappearing into the dark, of waiting without knowing if they'd come back, made something in my chest seize with terror.
"Never alone." Thane pressed closer, his tail wrapping around my legs like an anchor, like a promise. His wet eyes met mine, and despite the tears, there was a fierce protectiveness in them that made me feel safer than I'd felt in years. "Two of us will stay with you. Always. We would never leave you alone."
"I'll go." Riven's voice left no room for argument, sharp as a blade. "I'm the fastest swimmer. I can make it to the trench and back before the sun rises."
"And I'll go with him." Kaelan nodded slowly, his dark eyes never leaving mine. "Vale, Thane—stay with her. Keep her safe. Keep her..." His voice caught. "Keep her happy. If you can."
"Always." Vale's arms wrapped around me from behind, his cool chest pressing against my back, his voice a murmur against my ear. "We'll keep her very safe, Kaelan. Very... entertained." There was a shadow of his usual teasing in the words, but it was thin, strained. Trying to be normal when nothing was normal anymore.
"We should go now." Kaelan's voice was tight with urgency, his whole body coiled with restless energy. "The sooner we leave, the sooner we're back."
He pulled me against him one last time, one hand fisting in my hair, the other pressed flat against the small of my back. His mouth found mine with fierce desperation, kissing me like he was trying to memorize the taste of me, like he wasn't sure he'd get to do this again. His tongue swept against mine, his teeth caught my lower lip, and when he finally pulled back, we were both breathing hard.
"We'll be back before you know it." His forehead pressed against mine, his dark eyes boring into me with an intensity that made me shiver. "Stay with them. Stay safe. And Lily—" His voice cracked, splintered, broke. "Think about what I asked. Please. Think about staying. Think about... forever."
Riven kissed me next—harder, rougher, his scarred hands gripping my face like I was the only thing keeping him tethered to sanity. His mouth was demanding, desperate, and when he pulled back, his golden eyes were wet.
"I'll be back for you." His voice was a ragged whisper. "I'll always come back for you."
Then they were gone, Kaelan and Riven disappearing into the dark water so fast I couldn't track them. One moment they were there, solid and real and warm. The next, just darkness. Just the endless blue-black deep, swallowing them whole.
I floated there, wrapped in Vale's arms with Thane pressed close to my other side, and tried to ignore the fear clawing at mychest like a living thing. The water suddenly felt colder, emptier. The shadows suddenly felt darker, more threatening.
They'd be back. They'd bring what I needed. Everything would be fine.
But as I watched the darkness swallow them whole, I couldn't shake the feeling that nothing would ever be simple again.
"Come." Vale's voice was soft against my ear, his hands guiding me deeper into the water with gentle pressure. "Let us distract you while we wait."
"What did you have in mind?" I asked, trying for lightness and almost achieving it. My voice came out steadier than I felt, and I was grateful for that small victory.
His smile was slow, knowing, a ghost of his usual playfulness surfacing despite the tension. "I can think of a few things."
Thane's laugh was watery—he'd been crying again, I realized, tears streaming silently down his face even as he pressed closer to me. His tail wrapped around my legs, anchoring me, and I felt his face press into my hair, breathing me in like he needed my scent to survive.
"I'm scared." The admission slipped out before I could stop it, my voice raw and honest and terrifying in its vulnerability.
"We know." Vale's arms tightened around me, his chest vibrating with a low purr meant to soothe. The sound rumbled through me, settling into my bones, making some of the tension uncoil despite everything. "But you don't have to be. Not anymore. Whatever happens, wherever this goes—you're ours, Lily. And we protect what's ours."
