Page 103 of Stolen Magic of the Deep

Except now, the line is broken. Cracks spiderweb along its surface, the flow severed. The shield is undone.

My palms meet the stone.

Cold pressure slams into me, as if the ocean itself is trying to crush me for daring to take responsibility. The borrowed power from the Nexus erupts outward in a burst of teal brilliance. The boulder convulses under my touch, rumbling deep enough that my bones vibrate. Coral shatters from nearby ridges, scattering through the tide like brittle stone.

The runes on my chest and arm ignite. The light beneath my skin burns so fiercely that my vision blurs. It feels like the sea is trying to rip the magic out of me as fast as I channel it in. I grind my teeth and push harder, refusing to falter where my father never did.

The ocean holds its breath. A thunderous boom rolls through the seabed, the sound of raw magic stitching itself back together. The barrier surges outward, sealing Virellan in shimmering protection once more. A dome of teal energy stretches into the dark until it vanishes beyond sight. Only when the final thread snaps into place do I let myself breathe.

My hands fall away slowly. The magic ebbs from my skin like a receding tide, returning to the moon’s pull. My strength falters, but relief floods through me. My kingdom is safe again. For now.

Salt-heavy anticipation loosens in my chest. I rake both hands through my hair, brushing it from my eyes as the tension bleeds out of me. The ocean feels quieter. Steadier. As if even the water understands what has been regained.

I turn to Zevrin, renewed purpose burning beneath my ribs. “Now we find who dared to threaten my home.”

forty-one

Sarah

Sleep only claims me when I can no longer fight it. My eyes burn from the illusions that keep parading the faces of those I've grown to care about, reminders of the life I have built here. Virellan feels like home. It's safer than the surface will ever be.

Here I have knowledge. Here I have magic. Here I have him.

The darkness waits for that admission like bait. The moment my eyes close, nightmares surge.

The dining hall in the palace surrounds me. Orion is there. His strong hands aren't on me. They roam over Nyxalene’s chest, fingers curling beneath the curve of her breasts, claiming territory with a confidence that shatters me.

Her siren teeth sink into the side of his throat. A low sound vibrates from him, a sound I've never coaxed from his lips. His head falls back as she presses her body to his, scales scraping his skin. His mouth brushes her ear, whispering something that makes her breath hitch. His tail coils with hers, bodies locked in a rhythm that feels too intimate. Too practiced.

Heat spikes through me. Jealousy blisters. My pulse rages like a hurricane.

Before thought can stop me, instinct takes control. I launch through the water, speed fueled by fury alone.

I slam into her, tearing them apart. We burst through the windowed archway and into the open ocean, spinning and thrashing in a violent spiral. I fist a handful of her dark hair, yanking her head back, exposing her throat like prey. My other hand drives a punch into her stomach, the impact sending shockwaves through us both.

She laughs. He was never yours.

Red floods my vision. I reach for the dagger in the sheath I keep strapped to my body. Ready to—

The scene fractures. Colors smear like wet paint. Her laughter twists through the water, distorted, as the nightmare contorts into another vision.

Nyxalene perches on the thick armrest of Orion’s council chair, her body angled close to his as they discuss battle tactics for The Currents of Mastery. Orion looks up when I enter, voice warm as he greets me, but my gaze cannot leave the way her petite body leans into him, how easily she fits against his side, like she belongs there more than I do.

Just moments ago, her teeth were buried in his neck. Now she wears a smile that stretches too wide, the points of her ears sharp enough to pierce flesh. Her eyes gleam with truths the nightmare wants me to believe.

Is something wrong, land-dweller? She purrs, every syllable dripping with mockery. She's toying with me. Daring me.

Before I can fire back at her, movement sweeps into the chamber. Another female enters. A mermaid I've never seen before. Her beauty is overwhelming. Golden hair spilling like honey through water. Skin, kissed bronze by currents I've never known. Eyes glimmering the same soft blue as her tail, while it curves with sensual confidence.

She doesn't falter. She glides straight to Orion, each movement fluid, as though she's weaving a spell with her body. Her tail arcs through the water, scales catching the faint light and gleaming like frosted azure. She drapes her hand over his shoulder first, a casual touch that makes him tense, the muscle along his arm flexing beneath her fingers.

Then her other hand slides down, tracing the curve of his chest. Orion exhales sharply, a low sound that sends heat coiling in my belly.

Every dream of his touch turns traitor. Every thought that I could be special to him burns to ash.

I remember the first time he held me. We were still strangers, yet his arms wrapped around me with a warmth that made the freezing currents of the ocean fade into nothing. The steady pounding of his heart against my temple lulled me as I drifted toward sleep, and for a moment, I felt something I hadn't felt in years—safe. Entirely, painfully safe.

Not to mention the time he extended his hand toward me, offering friendship and trust. Hesitantly, I reached for it. The moment my fingers brushed his, the simple touch sent a wave through me that I couldn't name. It was warmth that traveled straight into my chest, spreading outward like sunlight through thinning clouds, as if Mother Ocean herself acknowledged the spark between us. My pulse raced, every nerve on edge, yet a comforting peace had washed over me, like the tides themselves had paused to witness that small connection.