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“ W e are we going?” I ask, trailing behind him as we move deeper into the forest. The ash is thick beneath my boots, and I struggle to keep pace with his long strides.

He turns his head slightly. “If you hadn’t decided to go off drinking, we would have made it back by now.”

“You didn’t have to bring me.”

“I can’t trust you not to get into trouble. You have a habit of wandering off. If anything, I need an even closer eye on you.”

“You still didn’t answer my question.”

He keeps walking. The moons cast their glow across the dark sky, and the trees warp into strange, towering shapes. If Kainen didn’t go to Malachi, there must be a reason. We should have been at the castle by now–– I’m sure of it. Yet, something keeps him flying at night.

Suddenly, the trees grow sparse. The air turns crisp, sending a shiver beneath my leather pants. A soft, ethereal glow flickers ahead, accompanied by the distant rush of water. He stops. My breath catches as I step forward, taking in the sight before me––a lagoon with a waterfall. Water so blue it looks illuminated from within, glowing like trapped starlight. Mesmerizing. It’s beautiful.

Kainen turns, the lagoon’s glow casting a luminous sheen across his golden skin. The light catches his eyes, sharpens the edges of his jaw. His armor glistens, the metal gleaming bright under the moonlight.

The wind tugs at my hair, pulling me back to reality. He may be an insufferable ass, but damn, he’s gorgeous. The way his long, straight hair brushes his shoulders only adds to his appeal.

“When you’re done staring”––he tosses a small bag at my feet––“there’s a spot behind the waterfall you can go and wash up.”

I glance at the bag, then back at him, as if he doused me with cold water. “What’s in it?”

“Toiletries.”

I crouch, opening the bag to find a bar of soap and a small jar of moisturizer.

“So we are staying out here?”

“Yes.” He moves to leave but pauses. “Oh, and don’t go in the water.”

I wasn’t going to. “Why not?”

“Because it isn’t safe.”

I glance back at the lagoon, its surface clear as a sapphire sky, shimmering under the cascading waterfall. The cliffs surrounding it loom high, jagged edges softened by the iridescent glow. “It’s beautiful.”

“It’s safe to bathe. But not everything beautiful is safe to consume.”

“How does something like this even exist here? There is no sign of life. No foliage.”

He meets my gaze, his expression unreadable. “Not everything is as it seems, Selene.”

“And how do I know I can trust you?”

His eyes flick to the bag in my hands before returning to mine. “Because if I wanted you dead, you would be. I don’t need a lagoon to do it.”

He disappears into the night, leaving me staring after him, my pulse thrumming. I step toward the smooth rocks behind the waterfall, the bioluminescent tendrils beneath the surface swaying like glowing threads. After making sure I’m alone, I peel off my clothes, leaving only my panties. Carefully, I set them on the driest rock before taking out the soap.

The water is surprisingly warm as it sluices down my skin, glowing in the delicate streaks of blue light. The scent of flowers lingers in the air, and for a moment, I allow myself to relax.

Then I hear it.

A low hum, drifting through the water like a whisper in the dark.

I freeze, the melody sending a shiver down my spine. It rises, swelling like an unseen tide, and I take a cautious step toward the edge of the pool. The waterfall roars, but beyond it, the cavern widens, revealing a hidden shore. The hum grows louder, wrapping around me like a spell.

Movement. A shadow rippling beneath the surface.

I step closer, the jagged rock biting into the soles of my feet as I press against the cavern wall.

A voice cuts through the rush of water.

“Faster.”

Kainen’s voice.

I hold my breath. The glowing water reveals him, seated on the rock with his legs spread wide. His fingers are tangled in dark hair. A siren’s hair. Her silver-scaled tail breaks the surface as she bobs between his thighs.

But it’s not just what she’s doing that sends my stomach twisting––it’s her face.

My face.

I blink, my pulse roaring in my ears. It isn’t a trick of the light. She looks like me.

“Enjoy the show?”

A siren watches me from the water, her skin shifting from pearl to deep blue under the glow. She’s naked from the waist up, her body glistening like wet silk.

“How did––”

“We can be anything you want,” she interrupts, her tongue rolling over her lips. “We can look like anything you want.”

I shake my head, trying to make sense of it. “Is this some kind of sick joke?”

She smiles, revealing razor-sharp teeth. “There is nothing funny about the way you look right now. Be careful, Selene, beauty is dangerous. It can kill.”

Her cerulean eyes drift lower, hunger gleaming within them. Fear tightens around my chest, a cold grip against my bare skin.

Movement from my left catches her attention.

In the blink of an eye, she’s gone.

“What are you doing?”

I whip around, nearly slipping on the slick rock. Kainen’s grip catches me, his hands firm around my waist. I clutch my arms over my chest, heat searing my skin where he touches. His gaze drops, darkening.

“I heard something.”

“You could have fallen in,” he says, voice low. “It’s dangerous to be this close.”

I found more than I bargained for. But I bite my tongue. It’s not my fault I saw him like that. Not my fault he fantasizes about me.

“Where were you?” I challenge. “You disappeared.”

He watches me carefully, searching for something, before smirking. “What’s wrong, Selene? Miss me?”

I scoff. “Should I ask you the same? Afraid you might lose me? First your guards, then Finnas, and now you’re worried if I drown?”

His eyes flash. “Don’t flatter yourself. I lose interest quickly.”

He lets go of me, but his gaze lingers on my skin. Now that I know what he doesn’t want me to see.

“Good to know,” I mumble.

He turns, walking away, muscles rippling. Scars mar his back, deep, brutal, untouched by ink. Battle wounds. And something tells me they weren’t made by anything human.

I get dressed as quickly as I can, grateful that he walked away. I don’t know how much longer I could have played off the fact that I find him attractive. I shouldn’t, but I have eyes, and I see him clearly. Just like I can suddenly see without my glasses.

It must be this place. This world. A world I don’t belong to. A world I don’t even know is real. There’s no one I can ask. No one I can trust. All I know is that he’s the only one who can save me—from what, I’m still not sure.

When I step out from behind the waterfall, the air shifts. The moons shine brighter in the dark sky, swollen and full. The wind hits my skin like ice, raising goosebumps beneath my leather. I scan the tree line, but Kainen is gone. Maybe he went to get dressed where he left his armor. I tread carefully over the dark ash toward the spot where we first arrived. The wind slams into my back, cutting through my clothes. Something smells different. Wet fur, like an animal that’s just climbed out of the water.

The sound changes, the whining wind taking on an unnatural quality, and a cold finger of fear traces my spine. I glance left, then right, looking for Kainen. Nothing. Just shadows. The lagoon behind me remains steady, its eerie blue glow undisturbed. The waterfall hums. The wind howls.

But something is wrong.

For a split second, the thought that Kainen abandoned me flashes through my mind. I push it away. He needs me alive to lure out his brother, Therion. I hate being used as bait, but it doesn’t matter. He won’t change his mind. He’s blinded by his own rage.

A low, guttural snarl rumbles through the air.

I freeze.

The unease coils tighter, my pulse hammering. It’s the same feeling I had the night Mikah stopped answering my texts. The same feeling that gripped me when my aunt died and I convinced myself it was nothing—when I ignored the warning signs, hoping for a better outcome.

A full, blood-tinged moon looms overhead, casting its crimson glow across the ashen ground. The trees are skeletal, their burnt bark blending into the darkness, making it hard to see what lurks beyond them.

Then, a sound—half-snarl, half-growl—snaps my attention behind me.

A massive wolf stands at the edge of the trees, teeth bared, golden eyes glowing like molten metal. Three of Kainen’s guards approach on black horses, their swords drawn. The moment stretches, the wolf sniffing the air, hackles rising. Then a second wolf emerges.

Then a third.

I take a step back, my breath shuddering. The largest one locks onto me. Its lips curl, revealing tusk-like fangs. Its thick fur bristles, its glowing eyes locked onto its prey—me.

My foot slips. A sharp pain lances through my ankle as I stumble. The beast rises onto two legs. I can’t breathe.

Its snarl deepens, vibrating through the ground. It’s no ordinary wolf. Its fingers lengthen—inhuman, monstrous. Its upper lip peels back, its skin the raw color of blood.

A blur of motion.

A sharp grunt.

A whoosh of a blade slicing air near my face.

A strangled cry shatters the night and the sound of water.

Kainen’s snarl rips through the chaos as he drives his sword into the creature’s back. A horrible, ear-splitting wail erupts from the beast as it thrashes, its black blood splattering the ground.

More howls. More shadows shifting in the dark.

They’re everywhere.

“Kainen!” I scream.

The night explodes with chaos.The guards try to fight, but they’re outnumbered. Wolves tear through armor, flesh, and bone. Horses rear, their screams mingling with the snarls of beasts.

Kainen whirls, his blade cutting down another monster. Black blood sprays across his armor. His face is twisted in fury, golden skin gleaming in the firelight. A shadow moves above us.

“Malachi!” Kainen roars.

The wind shifts as the massive dragon appears in the sky, his wings slicing through the darkness. A jet of fire bursts from his mouth, scorching the earth. The smell of burning fur chokes me. The heat sears my skin. I stumble back, my injured ankle screaming in protest.

The guards are gone. Only bodies remain.

The horses flee.

Kainen fights off the creatures with everything he has, but more keep coming. Above, Malachi circles, his massive wings kicking up ash.

“Kainen!” Malachi shouts. “I can’t help you without burning her alive. I can only save you. Tell me—does she live, or does she die with the rest?”

A cold weight drops into my stomach.

My fate hangs in Kainen’s hands.

Malachi can save him—but not me.

Tears burn down my cheeks. I don’t see a way out. Even if Kainen doesn’t choose to let me die, I’m already dead.

“Kainen!” Malachi shouts again.

“Let him do it,” I yell over the wind.

Kainen’s eyes snap to mine. He doesn’t have a choice. I’m nothing to him.

His sword swings, cutting through another beast. Then he flings out a hand, summoning a powerful force. A massive wolf is lifted off the ground, thrown into a tree with bone-crushing force.

His voice is raw, wild. “No! She lives.”

The world tilts. Before I can react, I’m airborne. Kainen’s iron grip is locked around my waist.

“Hold on,” he commands.

I barely manage to wrap my arms around his shoulders before Malachi’s wings send us hurtling into the sky. Below, the earth erupts in flame. Fire consumes the battlefield, swallowing everything in its path.

I can’t cry. I can’t even breathe. All I can do is hold on. But beneath the terror, something unexpected flutters in my chest.

Shock.

Not because I survived.

Not because I escaped.

But because Kainen refused to let me die.

For the first time since my aunt’s death—since I lost everything—someone cares whether I live or die. And that terrifies me more than the monsters below.