Page 8

8

~ C leo ~

I stood at the rail of the ship, my hands resting on smooth, salt-slick wood, the wind tangling strands of my hair and whipping them across my cheeks. The sun was rising behind a veil of pale clouds, the sky painted in gold and soft gray, and the sea rolled beneath us in endless swells of shifting blue.

Nearly a full day at sea, and I was still not used to the motion. That wasn’t what unsettled me. I could feel something in the air. A low hum beneath the surface of things. A tension just beyond sight. Or maybe that was just me.

I tightened my grip on the railing, staring out at the horizon. The waves shimmered, calm and endless, but my magic pulsed beneath my skin like a second heartbeat—nervous, electric, coiled.

Something wasn’t right. I was starting to wonder if it ever would be again.

I wore a gown Devin had bought for me before we left port—dark blue with silver embroidery, light as air but cut to flatter my body in a way that made me feel... seen . Beautiful, even. The bodice hugged my waist, and the skirts flared in a cascade of motion with every gust of wind. My hair was pinned back in loose waves, and my boots were new, fitted to my feet like I’d been born to wear them.

I hated it.

Not because it wasn’t beautiful. It was. Everything he gave me was.

But because it wasn’t mine . Wearing it felt like playing a role in someone else’s story. A noblewoman. A magical heir. A warrior’s fated bond. I didn’t know how to be any of those things. I’d never felt like more of an imposter. Everywhere I looked, I felt eyes watching me. Whispers from the crew. Side glances. Suspicion. Hunger.

Was it my imagination? Or did the sailor who’d offered me tea this morning stare a little too long at my throat? Was the fae wind-caller’s smile a little too predatory? Was all the attention due to the fact that I was female, traveled with a Death Mage, or because they wanted to use my magic for themselves? I almost wished Devin had never found me, never told me the truth.

The truth about my ancestors had gutted me. They hadn’t just been hunted. They’d been tortured. Slaughtered. Their blood used in dark rituals to twist magic into something evil. Starborn hearts burned in temples to open rifts in the Veil. Children drowned for the strength of their screams.

I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Every time I looked in the mirror, I saw the echoes of the people who came before me. People who died screaming. Alone.

What if that was my fate too?

A warm hand slid across my waist, pulling me back against a body I’d already memorized.

I sighed and leaned into Devin, letting his presence anchor me. His shadow magic curled around me like smoke, dark and protective. Familiar. Possessive. I should’ve been terrified of that. Once, I was. Now?

He was the only thing that felt solid. Real. Safe.

“You’re too quiet,” he said against my ear.

“I’m thinking.”

“Dangerous.”

I smiled faintly. “What happens when we reach The Spire?”

He stilled. “I present you to the king.”

“The Knight Eternal?”

“That is one of his titles.”

“How old is he?” If Devin was nearly two hundred years old, I couldn’t imagine the power and might of someone the Death Mages considered eternal.

“Only the archivists know.” He leaned in and nuzzled my neck with lips I was already addicted to. “And I know better than to ask.”

I placed my arms on top of his and leaned into his heat. His warmth. A future I hoped would be as magical and full of passion as he’d promised me this morning when we boarded the ship. “So, we get to The Spire. We see the king. Then what?”

“We perform the binding ritual.”

“Like… a marriage?”

“Not quite. Deeper. A fusion of magic. Of souls. Your fire, my shadow, woven together to reinforce the Veil’s runes.”

“Sex?”

“Yes.” He turned me just enough to kiss me senseless. “And this time I won’t hold back. We’ll complete the bond. Our magic will strengthen the spell that seals the rift.”

I kissed him back, my body melting. “We’ll be alone?”

“Of course.” He kissed me again. Harder. A punishment. “I don’t share what’s mine, and I would never ask you to expose yourself in such a manner.”

I relaxed instantly and smiled at him.

His expression turned serious as he held my gaze. “It’s not required... but without it, the seals won’t hold much longer.”

I didn’t think about it too much. I didn’t want to. I stared out over the water and focused on calming the pounding of my heart under my ribs. Something— something —was clawing at the edge of my awareness. A chill against my spine. A wrongness in the wind. My fingers twitched over his arm, digging into his flesh. “Devin,” I whispered. “Something’s off.”

He pulled back just enough to look into my face, his silver eyes narrowing. “What do you feel?”

“I don’t know.” My voice shook. “But it’s wrong. It’s?—”

A sudden gust of wind ripped through the sails above us, snapping the fabric with a deafening crack . The ship tilted. Shouts rang out across the deck. The fae wind-caller—a tall, white-haired fae in crimson robes—let out a high, musical cry that vibrated with alarm. “Shadows on the water! They’re coming!”

The clouds overhead darkened. The sun vanished behind a curtain of gray. And from the depths of the sea— they rose.

Creatures made of slick, glistening darkness. Long, eel-like bodies with too many eyes and mouths that split their faces in unnatural ways. Webbed claws. Translucent wings. Some swam. Some flew. All of them moved like nightmares dragged from a drowned world.

Sailors screamed.

One creature swooped overhead, letting out a shriek that shattered a lantern and sent glass raining onto the deck.

And in the middle of it all, Devin stepped forward.

He didn’t speak. He just unleashed . Darkness. Shadows. Death magic.

The shadows around him surged like a tidal wave, pouring from his hands, his feet, his eyes. The deck darkened, a dome of black mist swirling outward as his magic rose like a storm, answering the threat with a voice older than time.

Creatures dove at him—three at once.

They didn’t make it.

A wall of obsidian spears exploded from the shadows on the ship’s planks, impaling one mid-flight. Another froze midair as a chain of runes wrapped around its throat, yanking it into the sea.

I backed against the cabin wall, eyes wide, heart racing. He was magnificent. And terrifying .

A creature made for war. For death.

The wind howled. The sea churned. Another wave of monsters surged from the depths, trying to swamp the hull, their claws dragging down sailors and tearing at the sails.

Devin roared, his voice echoing with power—and his magic erupted .

The creatures died screaming, their bodies dissolving into smoke and shadow as his deathlight consumed them. The sky turned black. Lightning cracked the heavens.

And then… silence.

The deck was slick with blood and ash.

Devin fell to his knees. Then collapsed.

I ran to his side. His body was hot—too hot. Magic still radiated off him in waves, flickering like coals.

The crew circled, hesitant. The wind-caller stepped forward, his voice sharp with command. “That was not standard death magic. What is he? And why is he on this ship?”

“He saved us,” I snapped.

“They came for him,” another sailor said, pointing at the remains of the creatures. “They attacked because of him. This was his doing.”

“No,” I said. Those things had come for me. I’d felt it in my bones, a cold, creeping awareness that sank its claws into my flesh and refused to let go.

“Yes,” the fae snapped. “He drew them here with that Veil magic. And now we should toss him overboard before his dark magic summons more.”

Several crew members muttered in agreement.

I stood. Slowly. Drew the dagger from Devin’s belt.

His magic pulsed through the blade—dark and cold—but I didn’t falter.

I turned to face the crew, heart pounding, fire singing in my blood.

“Touch him,” I said, “and I’ll show you what real Starfire looks like.”

The wind shifted.

The air trembled.

And the golden light that burst from my skin lit the deck like a star in summer.