Ursuline stared back at him. “You’ve been evading justice for too long. Harming anyone who got in your way, taking anything you wanted—even people, monsters. No more. Hiding away in New Atlantis won’t save you now. Some of the companies you screwed over reside down there as well. So have a nice life, Frederick. I’ll see you in court.”
With that, Ursuline turned and glided away. I set into motion after them at once, my skin prickling from the weight of Triton’s glare. He didn’t budge from the entryway, simply stood there glowering as he held the documents in hand that would seal his fate. Ursuline was a talented lawyer, hence why he’d kept them on for years, and they’d made sure he wouldn’t be able to wiggle out of escaping the punishment he deserved.
I reached out for Ursuline’s hand, and they took mine at once, their slender fingers weaving with mine. Together, we strode away from the Triton Manor, connected, united. We weren’t racing away in fear any longer, and with Triton dealt with, we were no longer on the run.
We could finally start walking toward the future.
Chapter 32
Ihadn’t been to the Sentient Sea in some time.
The moment I stepped out of the car and into the bright sunlight, those warm beams filtered down onto my skin. Except our trip wasn’t a casual or easy thing, despite the salt-soaked breeze swirling around me, the sky an aching sort of blue. When we’d left Triton Manor, Ursuline had one stop they wanted to make.
One they’d needed to ever since the meeting with Jason.
We’d made it to the beach, to the sea. We might not be down below in New Atlantis, but this connection to the water mattered.
Breakneck Beach was the place where Ursuline had first saved me, and they’d continued to do so the more we got to know each other. Except I was able to save them too. I’d spent my life feeling useless, like I didn’t matter. Like I’d never be enough for anyone—certainly not my parents.
Yet Ursuline had effortlessly made me feel loved. They’d built me up brick by brick, and I’d begun to discover what I was capable of in the process.
They clutched my hand a little tighter as we headed toward the sand dunes. The sea roared in the distance, the steady thrum of the waves quieting my soul. After facing off against Frederick, this was needed.
My feet hit the sand, the warmed granules a caress, and ahead of me, the water sparkled under the bright midday sun. A few seagulls circled overhead and cawed, and smatterings of seaweed and shells decorated the shoreline. In the distance a few krakens swam out in the deep, and some mermaids splashed around, but they kept to themselves. I found a dry spot farther up and kicked off my shoes, my socks, and rolled up my pants. Ursuline waited for me, quietly, patiently, though I could feel the unspoken hum of tension coming from them.
At facing the sea.
Together, we walked down the shore, to where the waves rolled up. The first foamy lap of water made me shiver, and I reached out a hand for them, needing the connection. They intertwined their hands with mine for a moment, and we both stared out at the brine before us.
“How does it feel?” I asked. “Being free.”
Ursuline squeezed my hand tighter. “I’m not sure.”
“You can go back to New Atlantis now,” I murmured, even though the thought of them heading somewhere I couldn’t tread caused my chest to squeeze tight.
“What’s left for me there but ruin?” They let go of my hand and waded into the water, just enough that it lapped against their tentacles. Their chest caved in, their head tipped down, and their shoulders began to shake. “He destroyed every last gasp of light down below.”
I took one slow step after another to stand beside them, the waves swilling around my ankles. Ursuline’s whole body shook, and it wasn’t until I reached their side that I caught the glimmer of tears streaking down their face. I reached out but hesitated,not sure if this moment was too fragile, as if one touch might shatter it.
I lowered my hand and stood there with them, staring out at the sea, as if it might hold answers. Of why this much pain existed in the world. Of why horrors happened to innocents. Of why the rich and powerful were determined to cause destruction.
The red streaks on a canvas bloomed in my mind, and I itched to paint this agony. To cast it out from my heart, from my soul, and into art that might stand a chance of lasting beyond me.
I wasn’t sure if minutes passed or longer, but Ursuline’s tears slowed. They wiped their eyes, and then they slipped their arm around my shoulders. I leaned in.
“Thank you,” they said.
“You don’t need to thank me for loving you,” I responded softly. The steadythump, thump, thumpof their heart mirrored the same flow of the waves to the shore, undulating and constant. It grounded me in the moment, where I was here at the Sentient Sea with the monster I loved.
With the only one who’d ever spoken to my soul.
“I have no need to go back below,” Ursuline murmured and pressed a kiss to the top of my head. “Once I found sunshine, I never wanted to return to the deep.”
Their words etched into me, and my heart soared.
“So what’s next?” I asked, but whether I referred to today or more, I wasn’t sure.
Ursuline glanced at me with a soft, incandescent smile. “Well, this evening is game night at the Spires, so we couldn’t miss that. Tomorrow, though, I think I’m going to start looking at homes for sale in Peregrine City. What do you say? Want to start a life with me?”
