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After toweling off, I catch sight of myself in the mirror—flushed cheeks, bright eyes, hair still damp and wild.

I look… different.

Not just well-fucked (though definitely that), but somehow more vibrant, more alive than the heartbroken woman who arrived at this cabin less than two weeks ago.

“What are you doing, Lily?” I ask my reflection, which offers no answers, just a knowing smile.

Three monsters.

Three incredible dates.

And tonight, it’s Caspian’s turn.

The thought sends an anticipatory shiver through me that has no business existing after the thorough satisfaction Kaelen provided.

I spend the day in a strange limbo, trying to distract myself with cabin chores and painting while my mind drifts to what awaits me tonight.

Will Caspian sense Kaelen on me the way Kaelen detected Oren? Will he be jealous? Possessive? The thought shouldn’t excite me as much as it does. And if I’m being honest, I’m curious to learn more about Kaelen and Caspian’s history, and what exactly transpired between them. Though I know it’s none of my business, I can't help but be curious.

By late afternoon, I’m too restless to stay indoors. I wander down to the lake’s edge, carefully staying on the shore. The water laps gently against the rocks, deceptively peaceful. Somewhere beneath that placid surface, an ancient being is waiting for me.

“I know you’re watching,” I call out, sitting on a sun-warmed rock and dangling my feet above—not in—the water.

A ripple appears about twenty feet out, then another, until Caspian’s head emerges from the depths. Even from this distance, I can see his knowing smile.

“Observant, my Little Water Lily,” he calls back, gliding closer with that unnatural grace. “Anticipating our evening?”

“Maybe,” I reply, aiming for nonchalance, but probably missing by a mile. “Just killing time.”

He reaches the shallows, rising further so his chest is visible above the waterline. Those tentacles I remember so vividly swirl beneath the surface, occasionally breaking the water’s surface in sinuous, teasing movements.

I have definitely not been fantasizing about them all day.

“You reek of wolf,” he observes, nostrils flaring delicately. “I can smell him from here.”

I blush, “Is that going to be a problem?”

His smile is enigmatic, neither pleased nor displeased. “It’s interesting.” He moves closer, water sluicing down his torso. “I wonder what my mark will smell like, layered over his.”

“Who says I’m still coming?” I challenge, though we both know it’s an empty threat.

His laugh is like water over stones. “Your eyes say it. Your scent. Your curiosity.” He’s close enough now that I could touch him if I leaned forward. “Humans are delightfully transparent, especially when they want something.”

“And what exactly do I want, according to you?”

His black eyes gleam with something ancient and knowing. “To experience everything. To taste all the flavors of the forbidden. To know what it means to be touched by creatures who want to pleasure you, to please you and to possess every inch of you.”

The accuracy of his assessment steals my retort.

He’s right, damn him.

I do want to know and to experience. And not just physically—though God knows that’s a significant part of it—but to understand these three beings who’ve suddenly turned my world upside down.

“Midnight,” he says, already retreating into deeper water. “Wear nothing you wish to keep dry.”

With that parting shot, he disappears beneath the surface, leaving me flustered and more impatient than ever for nightfall.

I arrive at the dock precisely at midnight, wrapped in a light robe with nothing underneath. The moon hangs heavy in the sky, turning the lake’s surface into a mirror. The night is warm, with crickets chirping and a gentle breeze rustling the trees around the lake.