Page 14 of The Deep End of Death (Twilight Lake #4)

“You tried to hide from me, little one… but I’ll find you…those pirates were delicious, but they did not satisfy the bargain…”

I jolted awake with the Kraken’s voice ringing in my ears.

My head was heavy, my nostrils plugged, and my throat thick with gunk. Bone-deep sickness settled in my bones.

The floor was hard but dry, and though my eyes were closed, the scents of my mates filled my nose, coupled with the comforting wash of salt water.

I tried to remember where I was, but my thoughts came sluggishly, like a reluctant fish from a coral.

The wine. The pirates.

Grabby had tried to pry my shirt open, and then… nothing.

My eyelids fluttered open, and it took a moment for my eyes to adjust. Rainn, Tor, Shay, and Cormac looked down at me, each wearing a different expression—ranging from concern to confusion and impatience.

My brow furrowed as I sat up, rubbing my cheeks. The black sludge was still there but dried and flaky. I wasn’t hallucinating, it seemed.

Shay Mac Eoin cleared his throat, stepping forward. His eyes flicked through a myriad of emotions, though I didn’t know him well enough to read them. Eventually, his gaze settled on a deep midnight blue, like the sky over the Night Court.

“What happened?” Shay said in a low voice, free of judgment.

“What… happened?” I echoed his words back to him, wincing when they caught in my throat.

“There’s no one else on this ship.” Shay’s tone seemed almost challenging. “They didn’t just disappear.”

Rainn put a hand on my shoulder. “You told me that blood is like water. Remember, Maeve?”

I didn’t remember, though he wasn’t wrong. I sensed blood in an abstract way. I could reach out to the Twilight Lake and feel the Dark Sea, like a predator I wanted to avoid, but I hadn’t given much thought to water outside of that.

Water simply was .

“Did the pirates hurt you?” Rainn kept his voice low. I read his unspoken words. The vengeance promised.

I shook my head. “I made the choice to go up there. They didn’t hurt me. At least, I don’t think they did. I don’t remember much. One of them poured wine on my head.”

Tor’s back stiffened, and he turned away, his fists clenching.

I continued. “The next, I was here. Talking to you.”

“They poured wine on your head?” Rainn pressed his tongue against his canine tooth. Puzzled.

“They wanted to see my pearls.” I waved a hand in front of my face.

Cormac let out a harsh bark of laughter. “Half the ship is gone. I’m very curious to know how we’re going to steer this fecking thing without a sail or a wheel.”

I looked to Rainn and Shay for answers. Both males shrugged.

There was something they weren’t saying.

“The captain said something about Shay. His plans.” I said, changing the subject. “The Night King has a bounty on ‘demons,’ as he calls them. Captain Hallow said that he had to take Shay to the Unseelie Court and that he’d get wealthy for doing so.”

“The Night King?” Shay’s brow furrowed.

“Why do the land-fae think Nymphs are demons?” Rainn’s nose wrinkled.

Shay rolled his eyes. “What is a demon? By their standards, anyway? Do they think I’m a Formorian?”

“Formorian?” I frowned, confused.

Rainn shrugged. “I don’t know. Nymphs hold to the old myths more than Selkies do. They love a good story around the fire.”

The stranger staggered forward out of the shadows. Until then, I hadn’t realized he had been untied from the beam at the back of the galley. His long red hair was stringy with filth, and he walked with a limp.

“What kind of Sídhe doesn’t know about demons?” The stranger asked, genuinely perplexed. “Especially a Fae sporting their pale blue eyes?”

“Nymphs aren’t Sídhe.” I pointed out. “Who are you?” I asked the stranger.

Shay jabbed his thumb towards the redhead. “Cillian Lane.”

The red-headed Sídhe bowed dramatically. “Charmed.” His bloodshot eyes sparkled. “I much appreciate being untied. I’d lost the feeling in my fingers.”

“How long have you been down here?” Cormac asked, studying his nails as if he didn’t care about the answer.

“A week, maybe more.” Cillian Lane said blithely. “They beat me to a bloody pulp. It was fecking uncouth.”

“Tell us about demons,” I demanded. I tried to sit up, but my stomach protested. Bile burnt my gullet, and I was certain I would vomit if I moved too quickly.

“You’re from the water, aren’t you?” Understanding dawned on Cillian’s face.

“Answer her question,” Tor said through gritted teeth, his back facing us.

Cillian’s lip ticked, and it seemed the prisoner found the entire situation amusing rather than threatening.

“Most of the Night Court knows of the Night of a Thousand Fires . The stars fell from the sky and brought a whole host of creatures not from this world. Some said they were Formorians. Balor’s minions, but they weren’t of the Domhain.

They were something new. Something like us, but insatiable. ”

We all turned to Shay. He quirked a brow but said nothing.

“You’d have to speak to an elder. Maybe one of the temples. They tend to keep records of those kinds of things.” Cillian pushed his greasy hair out of his eyes. “I’m not old enough to have seen the fires, but those living on the shore are superstitious. A demon on our waters is a bad omen.”

“Supersitious like Captain Hallow?” I guessed.

“Just so.” The stranger nodded. “It’s said that a pale-eyed demon can sink any ship if they step aboard.”

Shay scoffed. “I’m not the one that butchered the crew and tore the top off the boat!” He growled, throwing his hands up in exasperation.

It took a moment for his words to sink in, but they didn’t make sense.

Something had killed the crew?

Pain lanced through my head, stealing my breath.

Blood. Water. Feed .

“Not to burst anyone’s bubble…” Cormac lifted his hand. “But how are we going to steer this ship?”

A low groan echoed through the ship's hull, an unhealthy sound.

“I’d say it’s more likely we’re going to sink before we have to steer anything,” Shay said dryly.

Rainn slanted a look my way. “Can you feel Nuada’s magic?”

I considered his question. “I just feel sick.”

Tor stomped away without a word, taking the steps two at a time before disappearing through the broken door.

“Is he okay?” I wondered.

Rainn sighed, his eyes fixed on the spot where Tor had stood. “He was worried. We both were.”

“I can take care of myself.” My words had an edge.

“I know you can.” Rainn’s smile was equal parts sad and proud.

I hadn’t realized the true extent of the damage until we went up to the deck.

I reached for the Kraken’s eye in my pocket, relaxing when I felt the rough stone in my pocket.

The screaming stopped for a moment, or maybe it simply combined with the sea winds, tearing through the holes in the boat with a shriek.

“Did I do this?” I whispered, looking up at the clouds gathering overhead. A storm was coming. No one answered my question. Instead, they gathered at the edge of the ship, studying the water.

The stranger, Cillian, had followed us to the deck. His eyes snapped from side to side as he listened to Cormac argue how far it would be to swim to shore.

Nuada’s magic had failed. My connection to the water washed in slowly, like a rising tide.

The pearl had felt like a fist around my throat.

I hadn’t been able to take a full breath since swallowing Nuada’s magic—but that feeling had disappeared when I woke up.

My clothes and face were covered in black slime—I had expelled the magic from my body.

My magic had rejected hers. I was certain that if I jumped into the water, I could breathe this time.

But I didn’t want to.

I was under no illusions that I had killed a full crew of pirates. It was the stone’s magic. Protecting me.

I would have to return the stone. My stolen piece of the High Throne and the Kraken’s eye were one and the same. I recoiled, flinching at the idea of giving the stone away.

How could I defeat Balor if my mother hadn’t been able to?

What if the stone could help?

What if it steals your body?

I had no idea why I had grown so attached to the splintered stone. The High Throne represented a youth filled with pain and mocking. Of endless loneliness as I watched from the outside like a guest in my own home.

Elaine, my uncle’s wife—Balor—hadn’t been able to sit on the High Throne.

Not even Irvine could withstand the stone chair without falling unconscious.

The stone in my pocket represented the only thing in my life that belonged to me. A gift only I could wield.

When I had met Rainn and Tor, finding out that I was their fated mate, a strange comfort had settled over me. Fated mates couldn’t leave. They couldn’t be replaced.

They had proved to me, over and over, that they would stand with me.

Until Balor ripped them away and threatened to cut the bonds that tied us.

Was the distance between us a product of my desire to keep my Shíorghrá safe, or was I still hurt?

Even Rainn made my pain about his own feelings. How would my Selkie react if I told him about the stone?

Tormalugh was a Kelpie. He could feel my emotions as if they were his own. He had to feel the conflict inside of me. The gnawing darkness.

And yet he said nothing.

Shay didn’t belong to me, and Cormac Illfinn would sooner stab me in the back than save my life.

I was surrounded by powerful males, and yet I felt vulnerable.

Alone.

There was no one to talk to about the bone-deep sadness I couldn’t shake. No one to listen without staunchly defending themselves or growing offended.

They wanted to protect me—even if they knew I could protect myself.

I pushed my fingers through my hair, teeth gritted, as I turned away from the group and marched to the other side of the boat.

I really didn’t want to go into the water.

The Dark Sea was filled with ancient power, and the creeds under its surface were unknown.

“You were in the sky.” An amused voice tickled my ear.

I stepped back, only to find Cormac behind me. I slapped his shoulder, cursing as I tried to calm my heartbeat.