Tomorrow, I would transform. Would become something new, something other, something that would never truly belong to the human world again—even if I could visit it briefly, the way they did.
But tonight—tonight, I was exactly where I was meant to be.
Safe in the arms of four ancient monsters who loved me.
Finally, irrevocably, impossibly home.
Chapter Twenty-Five
LILY
I woke to warmth. For a moment, I didn't know where I was. Didn't recognize the soft furs beneath me, the weight of bodies pressed close on all sides, the strange glow of bioluminescent light filtering up from somewhere below.
Then I remembered. The ship. The escape. The sunken galleon and the tunnel system and the cavern full of treasures. The transformation discussion.
Today. Today was my last day as a human. The realization hit me like a wave, but instead of fear, I felt only anticipation. Only certainty. Only the desperate, aching need to finally become what I was meant to be.
I was tangled in the massive bed they'd built for me, surrounded by four siren bodies that had shifted to human form just to be close to me. Kaelan was at my back, his arm heavy across my waist, his breath warm against my hair. Riven was pressed against my front, his scarred face relaxed in sleep, softer than I'd ever seen it. Vale was curled at my feet, one hand wrapped around my ankle like he was afraid I might disappear.And Thane was somehow draped across all of us, his limbs tangled with everyone else's, his face buried in the crook of my neck.
My pack.
The thought sent a flutter through my chest—warm and bright and overwhelming. I shifted slightly, trying to ease the pressure on my bladder without waking anyone, and immediately four pairs of eyes snapped open.
"What's wrong?" Kaelan demanded, his voice rough with sleep but sharp with concern, his arm tightening around my waist, his dark eyes scanning my face for signs of distress.
"Are you hurt?" Riven growled, already scanning the cavern for threats, his golden eyes blazing in the dim light, his body tensing like he was ready to fight.
"Do you need something?" Vale asked, pushing himself up on one elbow, his silver hair falling across his face in a moonlit curtain. "Water? Food? Are you cold?"
"I just need to—" I started, then stopped, feeling heat rise to my cheeks. "I need a moment. Alone. For... human things."
Understanding dawned on their faces. Thane actually giggled—a sound so unexpected from the massive siren that I couldn't help but laugh too, his golden-brown eyes crinkling with amusement.
"There's a smaller chamber through there," Kaelan said, pointing to a narrow opening in the rock wall I hadn't noticed before, his voice softening now that he knew I wasn't in danger. "We prepared it for you. For privacy."
I extracted myself from the tangle of limbs—no easy feat, given how reluctant they all were to let me go and made my way to the opening. The passage was short, leading to a smaller cavern with a natural pool of water and what looked like a makeshift privy carved into the rock.
They'd thought of everything.
When I returned, they were all sitting up in the bed, watching me with expressions that ranged from anxious to adoring. It should have been unnerving—four ancient predators tracking my every movement—but instead, it just felt like home.
"Today," I said quietly, the word settling between us like a stone dropped in still water. "Today is my last day as a human." The air in the cavern seemed to thicken. All four of them went still, their eyes fixed on me with an intensity that made my breath catch.
"It is," Kaelan confirmed, his voice low and serious, his dark eyes searching my face. "If you still want this. If you're still sure."
"I'm sure," I said, and there was no hesitation in my voice, no doubt. "I've never been more sure of anything." Riven made that whine sound and was off the bed and at my side in an instant, his hands cupping my face, his golden eyes burning into mine.
"Say it again," he demanded, his voice rough and cracked, his scarred face inches from mine, his whole body trembling with barely contained emotion. "Please. I need to hear it again."
"I'm sure," I repeated, reaching up to trace the scars that mapped his cheeks, feeling him shudder under my touch. I had noticed he likes to hear me say things out loud for him to hear over and over again….it made my heart ache…but I would give into his demands to hear it from me as many times as he needs. "I want this. I want to be one of you. I want to belong to you forever." He kissed me, hard and desperate and tasting of salt and relief—and when he finally pulled back, his eyes were wet.
"When?" Thane asked quietly, his voice thick with emotion, tears already gathering in his golden-brown eyes as he moved to stand beside Riven. "When do we do it? Tonight? Tomorrow morning? I don't... I don't know if I can wait much longer. The thought of something happening before we can make her ours completely?—"
"Nothing is going to happen," Vale said soothingly, his silver eyes soft as he joined the group, his hand finding Thane's and squeezing gently. "She's safe here. No one knows where we are. No one can reach her."
"But the potion," Thane pressed, his voice rising with anxiety, his golden-brown eyes darting to me. "What if it runs out? What if?—"
"We have enough for today," Kaelan interrupted, his voice calm and steady, the voice of a pack alpha who had been managing their fears for centuries. He rose from the bed and moved to stand with us, his hand settling on the small of my back in that possessive, protective way of his. "And tonight, we'll transform her. This way she has some time to relax before she is in pain through the whole night. Then by morning, when she wakes, she'll be one of us."
