29. Kaden

Chapter 29

Kaden

T he late afternoon chill clings to my skin as I step up to the front door of my mansion, my heart pounding in my chest. Left ajar, the front door swings slightly in the breeze, and a knot of dread tightens in my gut. Sasha's car is parked out front, but the silence inside the house is deafening.

"Sasha?" I call out, my voice echoing through the stillness. "Chowder?"

Only silence responds, and the dread unfurls in my chest. I rush through the place, searching every damn corner, even the basement.

Nothing.

"Motherfucker!" The word tears from my throat as the realization crashes over me—I'm alone. I should never have left her side. I was chasing a lead, and it turned out to be a goddamn waste of time. Now she's gone, and it's my fault.

A roar of frustration escapes me, reverberating off the walls as I charge through the house again, hoping I missed something. Anything. My heart is a sledgehammer against my rib cage. She's my world, and without her, everything feels wrong. The fact that Chowder is gone, too, only deepens my dread. Zane's been dealt with, so this only leads me back to Lilia.

I bolt back outside, diving into Sasha's car. It's after midday, but the world feels like it's collapsing around me. I yank the seat back, barely avoiding getting strangled by the seat belt, and drive like a man possessed. I never learned to drive properly, but I've watched it enough times. I careen down the road, jerking and swerving the car as I shift gears too quickly.

"Get the fuck out of my way!" I shout at the cars I speed through intersections without stopping. The city blurs around me, but all I can think about is Sasha.

I skid into the parking area behind her workplace, tires screeching as I park across three spots. I pry myself out of the car, barely noticing the skid marks from my tires. I'm too angry, too terrified to care.

Inside, I demand to see her boss, who just happens to be walking past the reception area.

"Can I help you?" she asks, her eyes widening as she stares at me, bewildered.

"I'm looking for Sasha," I say, trying to keep my voice steady. "I'm her… fiancé. Did she come in here today?"

"Oh, she never mentioned she was engaged. But yes, she was here earlier when she brought in a felon. Then she headed home."

I grind my teeth, nodding tightly. "Okay, thanks."

"Is everything all right?" she calls out after me.

"I really hope so," I mutter over my shoulder, rushing back to the car.

I drive to the wharf, my mind racing. I have no idea where to start, how to find her. My insides burn, my heart squeezing so tight I feel like I might pass out. But anger fuels me, driving me faster. The world outside is a hazy streak as I weave through traffic. Every second feels like an eternity.

At the wharf, I park and leap out, charging down the pier where Sasha told me she last saw Lilia. The wooden dock creaks under my weight, my footfalls heavy and urgent. My heart trembles with fear that something awful has happened to her. If it hasn't, and she's just out shopping or something, I'm going to lock her up for good for scaring me like this.

I stop a couple of wharf workers, demanding answers. "Have you seen the Siren's Vengeance boat?" I bark.

The men exchange glances, pointing to an empty spot along the pier. "Yeah, it was here earlier today… guess it must've headed out again."

Pushing past them, I sprint to the far edge of the pier. I scan the sea, but there's nothing. Just the flat expanse of blue, burning under the sun. It's too glorious, too bright. It mocks me, and I stand there, feeling myself fall apart.

Loving someone this much was supposed to be a gift, not a weapon slicing through my soul. I've let her into my heart, let myself love her, and now it's shredding me to pieces. The rage inside me is a hurricane, threatening to tear everything apart.

I'll destroy this city, the ocean, the entire fucking world if I have to. I won't stop until I track down my little mermaid.

Grinding my jaw, fists balled tight, I turn away. I'll go to the wharf office, find out if there are records of the boat's journey and when it's returning. Something deep inside confirms that Lilia is behind this, and it makes my blood boil.

I march away, the feeling of helplessness gnawing at me. The sea is vast, and I'm directionless, aimless. I hate it. I hate feeling so fucking useless. But I won't let it stop me.

"Kaden."

Then I hear it—my name called out, faint but unmistakable.

I pause, ears straining, heart pounding. There it is again, the familiar voice. I spin around, scanning the wharf, my eyes finally landing on the water. There, swimming frantically toward me, is Chowder. His eyes are wide with terror, and my heart leaps into my throat.

Chowder climbs a set of metal stairs, and I rush over, stepping down to reach him. I scoop him out of the water, his little body trembling, collapsing in my arms.

"Chowder," I say desperately. "Where's Sasha?"

He's shaking. "Evil woman take Sasha on boat," he squeaks, his words trembling with emotion. "They hurt her, they change her… you have to find her… help her."

The words slam into me like a train, my blood turning to ice in my veins. I struggle to breathe, my heart a lead weight in my chest.

"Who?" I manage to ask. "Lilia?"

Chowder nods, his little body quaking in my arms.

"Why she hurt Sasha, why?" he whimpers, his eyes darting back to the sea. "I try to protect her, I try… family protect."

His words are a knife to my heart, each one twisting deeper, and I fight to keep my composure. The sight of him so broken, so afraid, shatters something inside me, and I struggle to hold back the tears that threaten to spill over.

"Which direction did they go?" My question is raw with desperation.

Chowder points toward the horizon, his tiny paw trembling. "That way."

I glance out past the mountains and into the North Sea. A chill settles over me, colder than the wind whipping off the water, and I know I have to move. I have to find her before it's too late.

"Why she turn into siren?" Chowder says suddenly, the words a death knell in my ears.

"What did you say?" I ask, dread churning its way up my spine.

"Siren. Woman make Sasha siren."

The world spins around me, a dizzying blur of fear and disbelief. If this is true… if she's become a siren… then I've already lost her. I fall to my knees, the weight of the realization crushing me. I can't breathe, can't think, can't even begin to process the magnitude of what's happening.

"Kaden," Chowder whispers, his voice a soft plea in my ear. "Why don't you go find her? She told me to call you."

The words cut through the haze of despair, and I lift my tear-filled eyes to his. I never cry, but right now, half of me is ready to burn the world to the ground, while the other half is about to shatter like glass.

"I'll find her. I promise," I murmur. I have to find her. I don't fucking give up. Not now, not ever. Maybe it's not too late.

Frantic, I run back to the car with Chowder in my arms. I put him inside, leaving the window cracked for air. But Chowder clings to me, shaking.

"I have to find her," I say urgently. "You stay here, okay? Don't leave the car, and don't let anyone inside. Lock the doors."

Chowder nods, and it breaks my heart to leave him, but I have no choice. Without a backward glance, I turn and sprint back to the water like a madman.

Past the workers, I dash to the end of the pier, the world a blur around me. I strip off my clothes, tossing my boots aside, and without hesitation, I dive headfirst into the ocean's cold embrace.

The water hits me like a shock, but I welcome the chill. It sharpens my senses and fuels the fire inside me. I barely feel it, the pure fury consuming me like a living thing. I unleash my kraken, the transformation pouring out of me like an avalanche. I expand and grow, the ocean roiling around me as I dive deeper into its depths.

The waves ripple outward, but I don't care. Not when I have to track her down. I move through the water with fluid grace, my massive form cutting through the sea like a knife.

Fish and sharks dart out of my path, the darkness of the ocean swallowing me as I race through its depths. I have no time for anything else. I lift my head above the water, scanning the horizon for any sign of the boat.

Up ahead, I spot a large fishing vessel, hope flaring in my chest. I dive under, the water churning around me as I surge forward. The boat rocks violently from the waves I create, but I don't give a damn.

I rise to the surface, peering over the edge at the sign across its side—Kingfisher. Frustration gnaws at me, the hope I felt slipping away like sand through my fingers. I watch the fishermen run around in panic. It's not them.

I dip back under, pushing through the water with a fury that makes the ocean churn. Each powerful stroke propels me forward, but the water feels as if it's tightening around me, suffocating.

I surface, scanning the horizon for any sign of her. My heart thrums inside me with urgency.

I've been searching for hours, the sun's golden light slowly dimming as it dips toward the horizon. The longer I search, the more my frustration builds, and a storm gathers strength inside me. I'm a creature of the sea, yet here I am, lost and powerless. I surface once more, the water rippling out around me as I let out a guttural bellow of rage and despair.

The noise is thunderous. I'm a monster, a beast, but I can't find my true love. I can't contain the emotions tearing through me.

In the distance, I stare at the outline of the shore, the lights of the city twinkling against the darkening sky. My heart is a lead weight in my chest as I begin the long journey back, my strokes heavy, each movement a reminder of my failure. I promised I'd protect her, and I've failed. The thought hammers at me.

As I near the wharf, something inside me snaps. A raw fury explodes from deep within, and I rise from the depths, the full magnitude of my kraken form towering over the land. The sea heaves beneath me, waves crashing against the pier with the force of my storm.

The people on the shore scream and run away. I doubt they've ever seen a kraken before, never witnessed the monstrous power that lies beneath the surface. I'm enormous, a dark silhouette against the horizon, and their panic only feeds the fire raging inside me.

I unleash a furious screech, the sound reverberating through the air, a primal roar that shakes the very foundations of the city. My tentacles thrash against the water, striking with the force of a hurricane, and I watch as the waves surge forward, crashing into the piers with a deafening roar.

Boats are torn from their moorings, the wooden structures shattering under the onslaught of my rage. The sky darkens, clouds gathering as if in response to the chaos below, the world echoing my tumultuous grief.

I'm losing control, the anger consuming me, and I embrace it, letting it wash over me in a tidal wave of emotion. I don't care about the destruction, about the people fleeing in terror. All I can think about is Sasha, about the gaping void where she should be. She's my world, my everything, and now she's gone.

I dive back under, the water rushing over me as I twist and turn, the fury propelling me forward. I lash out, my tentacles striking the remnants of the boats, tearing them apart, but it brings no relief, no comfort.

I rise again, breaching the surface, and for a moment, I pause, staring out at the destruction I've wrought. The world seems to hold its breath, but the emptiness remains, an aching chasm that no amount of destruction can fill.

Slowly, the anger ebbs, leaving in its wake a hollow void. I let the water carry me back to shore, the weight of my failure pressing down on me, a suffocating presence that refuses to relent. I am a kraken, a creature of myth and legend, yet I am powerless.

As I wash up on the water's bank, already in my human form, the world around me is a blur of confusion. The wharf is a disaster—people running everywhere, the air filled with the sound of screams and the crash of waves. I've done this, but it doesn't matter. Nothing matters without her.

I drag myself up. My body feels heavy, my limbs trembling with the effort, but I push forward. No one notices me, their fear too consuming to pay attention to the man who rises from the waves. They've seen a monster, a beast from the depths, and it terrifies them. It might be funny if I wasn't dying inside, if my world wasn't falling apart around me.

I reach the car, my breath coming in ragged gasps as I collapse against the door. The weight of my grief is suffocating, the knowledge that I've lost her a constant, unrelenting ache. I cling to the metal, my vision blurring as tears fill my eyes.

Then, just as I go to open the door, darkness edges in, creeping at the corners of my vision. The world tilts, spinning, and I'm ripped away from the present, the weight of the ocean pressing down, dragging me under into a vision.