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“We will come back for the prisoners who can be saved,” I growl.

My tentacles coil tight, aching to dive.

“But first—” My voice cracks with something too raw to hide. “First, I must find my mate. Below the waves.”

Alaric meets my gaze, his eyes blazing with understanding and grace.

“Go, brother. Bring her back.”

And without waiting another heartbeat, I plunge into the depths, every ounce of magic, every ounce of fury, every ounce of love driving me toward the tether that is Phoebe—my viyella, my heart, my everything.

Hold on. I’m coming, Telya.

Chapter 26

Phoebe

The Ocean OffCastletide

A flurry of emotions crashes over me like relentless waves after a tropical storm.

Fear. Horror. Sadness so sharp it guts me. But nothing is as crushing as regret.

I know I just got here. I know Kael took me when he should have asked.

But the truth is, I have never felt more at home than with him.

And gods, I just wish we had more time.

My lungs burn, screaming for air.

My body thrashes weakly against the pull, but I can’t see anything beneath the water—only blackness, thick and oily, wrapping around me like living ropes.

Tentacles of dark magic.

They drag me deeper, against the tide, against reason, against hope.

Spots explode in my vision.

My chest is a furnace.

I’m seconds from unconsciousness when I feel it.

Something touches me—not a hand, but a whisper. A word.

Breathe.

I choke against it.

I can’t. That’s suicide. To breathe water—it’s insane.

The voice comes again, deeper, resonant, echoing with the endless weight of the abyss.

But I know it.

It’s his.

Breathe now, Telya. Breathe me.

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