Page 95 of Claimed By the Depths

“Confidence?” I asked, a deep-seated dread settling in my gut.

Lorelie nodded, her skin blanching. “To infuse herself into the prophecy and directly affect those deemed keys to it. Her role has always been to fall under the Divari, but it seems she may be far more advanced in securing her win than we believed.” Honeydew gaze holding mine, the rest of her words came with a sense of finality I did not wish to contemplate. “Which means she’s acknowledged our next steps in seeking the Vault of the First Stone for the summoning, and will do anything she can to intercept. But I don’t believe it is Caspian alone who will serve as her martyr.”

CHAPTER 49

One Lock, Two Keys

SYORAN

Night bled into the sky, stars dusting across the expansive darkness. Even as shadows danced across the deck, sharing stories foretold, warmth clung to the air. Only when the lanterns swung languidly in the gentle breeze did the blackened corners of the ship slip into view. Their flickering hue worked in tandem with Ellira’s waters, which brushed against the hull with a coax that had always felt like far more than comfort.

The sea had always been home.

Caspian dropped to sit across from me, Rohen quick to join his side. Metal mug in hand, he cast me that godsdamned cheeky grin I’d become accustomed to throughout the years we sailed. It was one that often carried mischief, a promise for a kind of trouble only he was capable of making enjoyable.

“Not indulging in sin tonight, Kao?” he posed, raising a brow in my direction.

Fingers curling around the lip of my beverage, I lifted it. “Are you a fool, Caspian Vayne?”

His shoulders rose and fell with casual indifference, one corner of his mouth hitching a bit higher than the other. Crimson eyes holding mine, he took a generous swig, the weight he’d seemed to carry beforehand dissipating.

This was the captain I’d missed, the one who wore gentleness on his sleeve without failure. Since the first day our paths crossed, a mysteriousness had cloaked him, making it nearly impossible to connect with the man beneath the mirage. He was a brute and brash in his own right, but it hadn’t become difficult to recognize that the venom he wielded through both tongue and blade did not belong to him. Sorva had stripped him of his autonomy long before we shared the same ship, and that suspicion grew within me months after our first interaction. The quiet moments confirmed it, a side of him slipping through the cracks to display the selflessness and deep-seated care he harbored.

He was a good man, and I loathed the Dark Mother for stripping him of his truth.

A gentle nudge to my shoulder drew me back, Kael’s seafoam irises gleaming beneath the firelight as he settled beside me. Clad in a simple white linen tunic and dark trousers, his bare feet had made his approach indecipherable. Not that I minded. Paths carved through his blonde locks, his fingers having aided in the combed-back style, highlighting the sharpness of his features. Dark facial hair peppered his angular jaw, painting him with both age and grief.

Gods, he is beautiful.

“Mind if I join?” he asked, the spot where our arms touched igniting with a blaze of heat.

“Not at all,” Rohen hummed, passing a knowing glance in my direction.

Sensing the blush spread across my cheeks and ears, I eagerly brought the mug to my lips. Throat bobbing with three consecutive swallows, I dared to peer over the rim only to meet her emerald gaze. She was too observant for her own good, and I knew it was only a matter of time before she acknowledged how far my eyes had truly wandered.

As if able to read my thoughts, she grinned before turning back to Kael. “Where are Parran and Ignis?”

“I’m not sure. I’ve only seen Ignis once since this morning, and Parran seems to have been needed on the Scarlet Tempest. It seems…”

His words faded as I somehow sensed the shift in the air before any of the others. Lowering my chosen vice for the evening, I lifted my chin just as those they spoke of appeared out of thin air. Except it wasn’t just them, Alastair, Leilani, and Lorelie joining in their arrival.

Expressions teetering on the brink of somber, Rohen’s prodding and the warmth Kael brought vanished as I pushed myself upright. “What the hell happened?”

Caspian tossed me a look of confusion before he craned his head over his shoulder. All it took was one glance in Alastair’s direction before he set his beverage down, the contentment I’d admired only seconds ago vanishing. “What is it?”

Jaw feathering, the esteemed captain of the Scarlet Tempest held my captain’s stare. The silence that followed carried every word he had not spoken, further asphyxiating the relaxation we were on the brink of slipping into.

Sapphira’s voice broke the tension as she rounded the corner. “Okay, I found a few more bottles, but…” Pausing, her attention shifted between those of us she expected and those who had newly arrived. “Is… is everything alright?” she asked, aiming the question more at Lorelie than anyone else.

Before anyone could contribute further, Rohen’s building ire tumbled from her. “Enough of the suspenseful fucking bullshit. What Alastair?”

Something akin to hurt flashed in his gold eyes as he gestured to Lorelie. “I feel she should share, as she and Parran are the ones who brought the concerns to Leilani and me.”

Not wishing to test the thinning patience of the Daughter of Ellira, the Shifter stepped forward. “While we are nearing the apex of the prophecy, I… I harbor concerns.”

“Like what?” Rohen snapped, the vibrant hues swirling in her irises pulsing with glowing rage. “Fucking spit it out.”

“The strengthening of your bond with Caspian is proving to be of benefit to him, but I believe Sorva always intended for it to be that way. It seems her control has unwound, not only with your Mizani, but with those of us who serve your parents. The Dark Mother is a Devourer⁠—”