Page 74 of Claimed By the Depths

An ensemble of colors welcomed me in the shape of an iris, beaming with a radiance that was otherworldly. The eye blinked once before stepping back to reveal a second, but the face bearing them remained shrouded in darkness.

A soft smile upturned the unseen individual’s lips, their words coming with a care that rang higher than any I had ever witnessed—near-familial. “I know you’re frightened, but with how things are going here, there will be nothing left by the time you reach your early twenties.”

“But…” a voice replied.

My voice.

“But nothing. You are aware of what awaits us and that the fates have spun to oppose us. Our gods are no more, and our empire has shriveled into a bottomless, starving pit. Greed is growing amongst our streets, the king is becoming more adamant—our father is becoming more adamant.” They knelt down in front of me, warm hands wrapping around my arms. “When you get to the docks, you listen to everything they have to tell you, and you get the hell out of Narvendor, Kael. Do you understand me?”

“That means leaving you here, and I refuse!”

Lips once curled, then shifted to something melancholy. “I know, and as much as I wish I could come, I cannot.”

“Why?!”

“Because I am staying here to protect you. The Dreadborne have already robbed us of the man we grew up to know as our paternal figure, and it is likely they will take me next, as I am the heir.” Shaking their head, they sighed. “This is not goodbye, Kaelivan; it is a see you again. I will find you. I promise. But if you happen to find me first, and I cannot remember who you are… If I have become anything like him, then I need you to kill me.”

“Kill you?! Have you lost your mind, brother? There is no blade I could wield that would come close to your flesh.”

“I have taught you well,” he said softly, running his fingers through my hair and bringing my forehead to meet his. “Take all you know and the abilities you inherited from Mother, and use them. Be well, Kaelivan, and never stop fighting.”

“Kael!” The heightened pitch of my name ripped me from wherever I wandered as hands, warm yet different than those I had felt in my trance, grabbed my shoulders.

Blinking twice, I forced my heartbeat to level before looking up to meet Syoran’s terror-laden eyes. Brows pulled together in trepidation, his palms moved to my face, cupping it with a gentleness many didn’t credit him for having.

“What the fuck happened?” Alastair questioned, dropping to a knee…

A knee.

Had I fallen?

“T-There’s… something behind the bookshelf,” I panted as I struggled to catch my breath. “W-When I touched it… I-I saw…”

How the fuck am I going to explain that?

Glancing between Syoran and me, Alastair pushed himself upright. He wasted no time, fingers looping around the edge of the shelf before he tugged it forward. With not a single book nested on it, its frame moved easily and, as soon as it did, something met the ground with a small thud.

“What the fuck was that?” Syoran barked, though his attention remained wholly on me.

“I’ll be damned, Kael.” Alastair stepped back into view, a weathered grimoire in his hand. “It seems you were the one Lorelie was talking about.”

CHAPTER 40

Claimed by the Depths

LEILANI

Ablanched Kael glanced between Rohen and me, his pupils wide with something that went beyond mere surprise. With his hair disheveled and his clothes ruffled, he looked far more boyish than usual.

“The sacred texts?” Rohen questioned, turning her attention to the two other men positioned on either side of the former prince.

Syoran stood far closer to Kael, his frame rigid. Arms at his sides, I caught the subtle clench of his fists, and when I transferred my attention from his moonlit skin to the handsome blonde, it became apparent as to why.

Even though the stand-in captain and I had minimal history with one another, it was not difficult to sense where his attraction lay. It was a realization I was certain many others overlooked because of the masculinity with which he presented, but his desire was evident. The flare in his protectiveness had undoubtedly extended to include the male before us, who looked as if he had just seen a ghost.

Unable to prevent my greedy gaze from wandering, I found Alastair.

A black bandana had replaced his preferred orange, highlighting his light-wash auburn hair. Facial hair thicker than he usually wore it, I couldn’t help but swoon at its ruggedness. Shoulders square, their breadth only added to the unique way he had begun to hold himself—not just a devoted pirate, but an honorable man.