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Finn’s breath echoed in his face mask, the sound amplified by the confines of his helmet. Rose clipped to his harness was reassuring, the tether between them allowing enough play for them both to swim freely while ensuring the scientist couldn’t wander off and get stuck down some dangerous crevice.

Yeah. That’s what was churning his gut up right now. Her safety.

Get your head in the game. This is no time for distraction.

Jackknifing his body, Finn kicked down, the high-powered flashlight strapped to his wrist illuminating the jagged contours of the cave walls and the otherworldly formations that loomed out of the shadows. Deeper down, spots of yellow light showed the positions of his teammates, Ethan, Duke and Liev, taking the lead toward the Io habitat.

Finn glanced to his right, where Luca swam paired with Harris, the two men moving in perfect synchronization. Satisfied that they were on track, Finn checked his left. Rose matched his pace several feet away, her slim form cutting through the water with grace. The warm light from her face mask cast a soft glow that highlighted the taper of her fins and the lithe muscles of her legs.

Hot damn. Were scientists supposed to have legs that fine?

“Rose, you’re doing fantastic. Can you hear me okay? Over.”

“Great, thanks.” She made the standard hand signal for ‘okay’.

He smiled, even though she couldn’t see it. He hadn’t missed the stress etched in lines at the corner of her eyes, the telltale signs of the immense pressure she was under. Yet, despite that, here she was, pushing forward with a determination that surprised him. There was so much more to this woman than met the eye, a core of steel beneath her slight frame. And even though the Wolves had built their reputation on achieving the impossible, on this mission, she was going to need it.

“Cade, Nik. This is Ethan. Comms about to go dark.” His deep voice rumbled in Finn’s headset. “Will re-establish once we gain access to the Io habitat.”

“Copy that, Ethan.” The comms clicked with Cade’s reply. “Stay safe, ladies.”

“Sure thing, Cade.” Luca’s voice was unmistakable. “We’ll be sure to send a postcard. Stay cozy up there. Luca out.”

“Copy that, Luca. Base going dark.”

With a final click, comms fell silent.

As they continued their descent, Finn focused on keeping his movements slow and controlled, each kick of his fins measured. In this hostile environment, the smallest mistake could prove fatal—the labyrinthine nature of the Dragon’s Breath had claimed more than one life in the past. Silt puffed in the beam of his flashlight as he sank deeper, the particles billowing in the water like ghostly apparitions as he tracked the guideline Liev had pinioned to the cave walls marking the beginning of their route to the Io.

The water temperature plummeted as his depth increased, the cold nipping at his skin despite the protection of his dry suit and layers of insulating garments. All natural light had now winked out, replaced by swathes of liquid black velvet.

The weight of the water bore down on him, a comfort and an omnipresent threat. Nature tapping on his shoulder, reminding him he was here only by her grace and that if she wished, things would change in an instant.

I hear you, lady. I know who’s in charge down here.

Bubbles suddenly spiraled past him in a torrent, silver clusters ricocheting off each other as they fought for passage to the surface. He slowed his kicks.

Fuck, that was fast . Another burst, larger this time.

Skin tightened across his neck.

What the fuck was going on?

Bubbles could be a sign of trouble, a sign that something had gone wrong with a diver’s equipment or that they were ascending too quickly. But this was different, the sheer volume of escaped air suggesting something far more serious.

“Liev? This is Finn. Sitrep, over,” Finn called out over the comms, his voice tight with tension.

A crackle of static filled his ear, followed by Liev’s steady voice. “Copy Finn. All clear here.”

Curtains of air rippled past. Shit.

“Liev. This is Finn. I am seeing lots of escaped air. I repeat, shitloads of air. Over.”

“Fuck.” Liev’s voice was clipped. “Luca. Sitrep. Over. ”

More air streamed past. Finn scanned the surrounding water. No sign of Luca or Harris. Shit. Rose had caught up with him now, her eyes wide with concern. “Everything okay?”

Finn held up a hand, signaling for her to wait. “Finn to Luca. Radio check. Over.”

He waited, his breathing a steady rasp in his ears. Inhale. Exhale. In and out, one breath at a time, because that was how you stayed alive even in the shittiest of times.

He altered his tone. “ Luca . This is Finn. Radio check, over.”

Silence taunted him. Fuck this . Finn angled his body, checking the dive computer on his wrist. Liev’s icon was rising, retracing his steps, ascending toward Luca and Harris. “Liev?—”

A screeching whine tore through the comms. Finn flinched, clenching his teeth against the pain stabbing his eardrums. Beside him, Rose clutched her hands to her head, her face contorted in a grimace of agony.

Then, as abruptly as it had begun, the noise cut out.

Fuck. What the hell?

His blood slowed to an icy trickle. Something was very wrong. He turned to Rose. “Rose. We’re going down to check on Luca and Harris. Stay close to me. Copy that?”

MARV swam lazily behind her, its tail sweeping perfect arcs in the water. Rose circled her fingers. “Copy that.”

Finn rotated his body, streamlining his form as he dove deeper, his fins propelling him toward Luca’s location with efficient strokes. Rose kept pace beside him, her long legs flexing.

Respect flickered in his chest. Fuck, she was impressive.

Static spat in his ears. “…Harris, calm the fuck down. Sl ow…breathing. Slow…” Luca’s voice was barely audible, the words distorted and broken.

Finn shook his head, thumping the side of his helmet in frustration.

What the fuck was wrong with the comms?

Light beams skewered the darkness ahead, the beams jittering in a chaotic rhythm. A glance at his dive comp confirmed he was ahead of Liev, that he was almost on top of Luca.

“Luca, this is Finn. Where the fuck are you?”

More iridescent bubbles rushed past him, obliterating his line of vision and jostling against his faceplate in a dizzying swirl of motion.

Primal instinct lanced in his gut. This was too fucking much.

“Rose—”

She wasn’t beside him anymore.

Shit. He grabbed the guide rope that tethered her to him, needing to have her by his side where he could keep her safe from whatever the fuck was happening.

Vibration thrummed against his palm, the rope quivering like a plucked guitar string. Fuck.

“Rose!” He yanked the safety line, his pulse tripping into overdrive.

Too late.

A gritty cloud hit him, sending him tumbling head over heels in a dizzying, disorientating spin.

“Finn!” Her scream, sharp with terror, pierced his eardrums, but the water had him in its grip now and he was powerless against its fury until it released him. He forced himself to relax, to go limp and boneless even as every instinct screamed at him to fight, to struggle against the raging water. He clutched Rose’s safety line close to his belly, his fingers locked in a death grip around the rope.

The current slammed him against a spiny rock face, the impact driving the air from his lungs in a painful whoosh. Sharp edges pierced his dry suit, icy water rushing into the breach and sending a shock of cold through his leg that made him gasp.

Shit. Shit. Shit.

He scrabbled against the rock, his gloved hands searching desperately for any crevice or protrusion that might halt his tumultuous descent.

“Fuck. Yes!” His voice was a hoarse shout of triumph as his fingers closed around a narrow ledge, the rock biting into his palm even through the thick neoprene of his gloves. He clung to the outcropping with all his strength, his muscles screaming with the effort as the current tried to rip him away.

“Rose, can you hear me?”

The rope connecting him to her was taut, vibrating with the violence of the underwater landslide, but there was no answer.

With painstaking slowness, he wound the rope around his wrist, dragging her closer, inch by agonizing inch, his chest heaving with the effort of holding onto both the rock and the rope.

“Finn, this is Liev. Have you got her?” Liev’s voice fractured over the comms, the words distorted by static.

“I have the guide rope. Bringing her in now.” But even as he spoke, the rope jerked in his grip, before sudden slackness sent a bolt of fear through his heart.

Fuck. No.

The turbulence eased as he wound in the last few feet, his fingers flying over the slick, red fibers as he spooled the last of the line around his forearm.

And then, with a sickening lurch of his stomach, the end of the rope came into view, taunting him with its severed end.