Chapter 13

Chapter

Thirteen

SAGE

M y whole life, I've been fearful of being selected for a Bride Offering. No one explained what to expect, so of course, I expected the worst.

Now, I find out that maybe I'm part monster.

This has to be some cruel joke.

My breaths come faster as I charge straight out of the ritual forest, clutching my dress where Killian tore it across my chest, making a beeline for the stairs in the hallway.

Noticing a large, insect-like monster coming down the stairs, I teeter on the spot, not wanting to deal with that, while at the same time tying up the loose, torn fabric of my dress into a knot in the middle of my chest, covering myself up in case I end up flashing anyone.

I make a rash decision to head downstairs instead of up to where my room is.

Right now, I just want to be alone.

Away from everyone, especially Killian, knowing he'll try to find me. I can't cope with the ritual I experienced, how desperately I wanted to give myself to him, or the reality of what the vision revealed.

Me as his true mate.

Me as a half-monster.

Fuck!

Shaking my head, I wipe away the damn tears, wishing more than anything to be with my mom, to ask her for the truth. I'm shaking with anger at her for keeping me in the dark. Maybe she did it to protect me, seeing we're already outcasts in Nightingale Village, but that doesn't explain why she never told me more about my father.

I keep running, not ready to face it all. My calves ache as I descend the stairs, my breaths coming in sharp gasps. I finally stop on a random floor when I spy a set of open doors that lead to what looks like a glowing lake. I have no idea how this vessel carries such luxuries, but it's like its own tiny world.

I hurry toward the doors since I can't see anyone else in there and step inside. It takes my breath away. The air is warm and humid, like a hidden paradise. In front of me lies a small rock pool, with plants in deep purples and reds growing around the perimeter, along with large-petaled flowers floating on the water's surface, glowing a golden color. They are the only light in this room, giving off enough brightness to chase away the complete darkness. The water shimmers, reflecting the glow, and it's spectacular.

Without another soul inside the room, I push the doors shut, needing me time.

Removing my shoes, I crouch down by the water's edge, the pond not deep as I can see the silvery glitter bottom. I dip my feet inside the cool water, watching it for a moment, ensuring nothing's going to attack me. When nothing does, I settle down, swishing my legs around, enjoying the coolness.

The tears I attempted to hold back flow more freely now, mixing with the sweat and the humidity of the room. I'm not just crying because of discovering a truth about the heritage I'm struggling to accept, but because of how lost I feel, how alone, as though I truly don't know where I belong.

I don't fit on Earth, I see that clearly now, but is this place my permanent home? Where it feels like I'm walking around in a nightmare?

Forgotten by a father who either knows nothing about me or refused me in his life, I keep circling back to my mom. Did she lie to protect me, or was she ashamed? I consider the idea that she had no idea my father had been a monster… then why refuse to talk about him? Why play down the strange silver hair when the rest of Nightingale Village noticed it?

She had to know the truth.

I lean forward, closer to the water, my reflection distorted by the ripples. For a moment, I don't recognize myself until the water settles and turns mirror-still.

My eye color has changed from that pale blue to violet.

Staring back at me is a girl I barely recognize. I gasp as a cold chill runs through my veins. My gaze darts to the ends of my hair, noticing the stronger, more pronounced violet hue that covers the bottom half of my strands. It falls down my back and around my shoulders, shimmering under the light of the glowing flowers.

I lift a trembling hand to my face, tracing the lines of my now smoother skin and the more defined cheekbones. My reflection shows someone I barely recognize, someone transforming before my very eyes. A wave of panic hits me, and I wonder—will I turn into a monster, too? What will I look like?

Goose bumps rise on my arms, and I rub them, trying to ward off the cold fear feasting on my insides.

The crunch of foliage behind me crackles, my heart leaping into my throat. I half expect it to be Killian, but it's someone else entirely.

I scream at first, seeing the creature that drags itself into the room. Uncertainty climbs to my throat, terror choking me.

The figure is lanky, with thin legs and arms that seem more like wings. Its face is pale white, and darkness sweeps from his hairline back, merging with his clothes, making it difficult to tell where he starts and ends. Its hands are stark white like his face, long feathers dancing underneath the length of his arms.

"No need to be scared," he murmurs in a gravelly voice that leaves me startled. I start to pull back, but he adds, "You don't need to leave on my account." Nothing about his voice matches his appearance.

"I'm s-sorry. Is this your room?" I stammer.

He shakes his head. "This is a communal room for everyone to share. Everything in here is made to calm you—from the air temperature to the pond to the soft sounds of trickling water." He walks with long steps toward the far edge of the water, at least eight feet from me, and climbs up on the ledge. Planting his feet on it, he crouches down, bony knees sticking out on either side of him, his feathery arms dipping forward, sinking into the water just as I've done with my feet.

"Ahh, that's better. Something about this water always settles me. Please, stay. I've had a shit day myself and could use the company."

I settle back down, my feet dipping back into the water. "Of course, you're welcome to join."

The monster's not large, maybe five-foot-eight or nine. As he sits there, I keep telling myself not to scream again. He is a thing from horror stories. When he glances my way, his mouth partly open in what I think is a smile, with crooked teeth showing, I tremble.

Except I'm like him now, right? And if this is where I'm going to be until I work out how to go see my mom and check on her, ask her about who my real father is, I have to try to fit in.

"So, what brought you here?" he asks, breaking the silence again.

"Running," I admit with a smirk. "From a lot of things, but mostly from myself."

He nods as if he understands completely. "We've all had those moments."

I sigh, my gaze drifting back to the glowing flowers. "I think I've been doing it most of my life."

After a long beat of silence, he clears his throat. "You're the new human," he says, more a statement than a question, and just like the girl at the ritual said, I'm the talk of the town on the vessel.

"That's me," I answer softly, unsure what else to say as I'm still trying to make sense of it all.

"I'm Clay," he states, his birdlike head twisted, staring at me. "The captain of this vessel."

"Wait. I assumed that Wolfe…" I'm stunned.

"Ah yes, he is the leader of the people on this vessel, but the ship belongs to me. Something I built with my team long ago for the King to explore the world, for easy travel, and for war. The Queen named the ship Howler, after her son. Though today, the vessel resembles very little of what it once looked like, carrying an army, weapons, but now…" He shrugs, staring back down into the water.

"It's your home," I finish for him, remembering Killian telling me in our vision that the kingdom was ruined. The dreams I had my whole life—were they flashes of what this world faced? I still have no idea why I was privy to the past, but I'm hoping those nightmares have stopped as they did last night.

"We lost our home thirteen years ago," he explains in his gravelly voice. "The Howler is temporary until destiny brings us a new opportunity." He glances at me again, his eyes staring into me strangely.

"I get it because I grew up never feeling like I fit in back in the village, and now that I'm here, I don't feel I belong either."

"Belonging is a journey, not a destination," he answers, then dips his attention back to the pond. "We all find our place in time."

I can't help but feel slightly bad for him. "So, what actually happened in this world? I keep hearing bits and pieces like the world wasn't always like this."

"It wasn't," he explains. "Once, it had more land, a world ruled by a kingdom, the royal family of Silvercrest. Then we experienced devastating world destruction… a natural event that shook the world and broke it apart. Fires spread, then rain came… so much of it that it flooded, and the oceans and rivers rose, stealing land. It was at this time that the royal family was betrayed by another, claiming himself as the new King. His supporters were in far greater numbers than those who opposed him. He promised them a dry home, while the rest of us who knew he stole the kingdom were banished into the waters."

"Oh, fuck," I whisper, the gravity of what he's saying sinking in. My heart aches for what they've been through. To lose everything, to be cast out into the water—it's heartbreaking.

"What happens now? Everyone's trying to get the kingdom back?" I think of Killian, Wolfe, and Nyko, the leaders of these people. Is that their goal, too?

"That's the intention," he answers, glancing my way with that intensity that leaves me shifting uncomfortably on the edge of the pond.

I'm not sure what to say as I feel the weight of his words pressing down on me. The future of a broken kingdom, a world submerged, and I'm now trapped in the same plight.

"But on brighter topics," he begins. "I hear you've been matched as a true mate with Lord Killian. That is rare. You must be ecstatic."

I laugh, unable to control myself at his statement. "Not sure that's the word I'd use for it."

Clay's face remains impassive, the shadows on his face darkening. "I was once the King's navy chief in command," he begins, his voice carrying the weight. "Now, I'm reduced to ferrying people around the seas." There's a bitterness in his tone, anger simmering beneath the surface. I can't blame him; just hearing his story makes me tense and furious for him, for all the monsters on this vessel.

"Do you know much about the new kingdom?" he asks, tilting his head to the side.

"Not really," I admit. "I had no idea about Blight either."

"So, before you came to our world, Blight, there was nothing? No visions or dreams about it? Sometimes, that happens when you are far away from your true home." His gaze deepens, almost as if he's searching for something in my eyes.

I shake my head, trying to keep my voice steady, not trusting his intentions to reveal my nightmares. Unsure why, but something about him makes me not trust him.

"No, nothing like that. Why do you ask? If I experienced those, does it mean something?"

He tilts his head, his birdlike eyes narrowing. "It's just rare for a Shadowfen to not be matched to another true-blood Shadowfen. In the old kingdom, such unions were forbidden, carrying a significant punishment."

I shift uncomfortably, pushing out a fake laugh. "Well, lucky that's not happening now."

He holds my stare for a moment too long before he gives me one of his creepy smiles. "Yes, very fortunate."

Why's he so interested in me? Before I can ask him why, another monster bursts into the room. He's a barrel of a creature with deep brown skin and spiky hair all over his body. And he's naked, something dangling between his legs. His gaze locks on me.

I instantly look away, blushing, staring down at the water. How can he walk around like that?

"Captain," the monster states urgently. " He's changed course again, demanding he wants to go to land immediately."

Clay stiffens, his demeanor shifting to anger in an instant, his brow pinching together, shoulders bunching up. "It's too damn early," he snaps. "We have to build up our defenses more. When did he change his mind?"

"Early this morning, before the ritual. I missed it, sorry." His head bows forward pitifully.

I keep my gaze low, pretending I'm not in the room. The tension in the air thickens. Clay huffs, clearly perturbed, and excuses himself from me with a curt nod.

"I must attend to this. Enjoy the calmness I've now lost."

I watch as he marches out of the room, leaving me alone once more. My heart is still racing from the barrage of questions and the unexpected confrontation.

That was strange… right?

I can't shake the feeling that something is off. The way Clay was interrogating me, the urgency in the first mate's voice, the sudden change in plans—it all feels too coincidental. I splash my feet in the water, trying to calm myself, but my mind keeps racing.

And who was that monster referring to, wanting to go to land… Wolfe or Killian, perhaps? I found it strange to hear him not even mention a name, but Clay knew instantly who he spoke of.

The glow of the flowers in the pool reflects off the water, casting eerie shadows on the walls. This place is beautiful, but now it feels tainted. I don't move, not wanting to leave the silence just yet.

I'm still not ready to face my truths.

Wolfe

D ual moons hang low tonight, casting a bright glow over the waves, making them shimmer like liquid silver. My hands grip the railing, the cool metal grounding me as my mind focuses on the results of the Veil Ritual between Killian and Sage.

Surprised? Fuck, yeah. Yet I shouldn't be.

Nyko's lounging on a chair on my balcony, feet propped up on the railing, hands behind his head, in his own little world.

"Any sign of Killian?" I ask, considering he charged in here after I asked him to track down my second-in-command.

"Not since this morning when he charged out of the ritual after Sage, mumbling something about her now knowing she's part Shadowfen."

I shrug. "She was bound to find out soon enough." Preferably not during the Veil Ritual, and in hindsight, we could have handled that better over the course of dinner the other night. But I assumed we had time, and I hadn't expected Killian to rush into the ritual like a fucking madman possessed.

Here I hoped her arrival would be straightforward with no complications. Yet I can't believe my own damn body's reaction to our little human. This beautiful girl with innocence pouring off her messed me up, and guilty as charged, I've been obsessed with her ever since.

"And now," Nyko states, distracting my thoughts. "He's either fucking her, or he's sulking somewhere for pissing her off. Though, I have to admit, she's been on my mind since she first arrived. Her scent is a fucking enchantment, and I've had a raging hard-on since she got here."

I groan seeing he's had a similar reaction to her arrival.

"I'll be honest, I didn't expect her to be his true mate."

Nyko chuckles softly. "Something's wrong with me. Earlier I paid the Abyss Room a visit, and none of the four-breasted girls down there held my interest. My damn cock went limp as fuck." He punches up to his feet, growling. "Sage has fucking broken me. I have no hatred or jealousy toward Killian, but hell, I barely held back during the ritual. I craved being the one to chase her down, to sink into her sweet pussy."

I growl under my breath, shaking off the hunger for Sage clinging to me.

"How about you keep it in your pants, and let's see how things pan out before making things worse? She's here for a mission, not for you both to lose your heads."

Nyko gives me a deadpan stare. "Right, and you felt nothing for her back at dinner, using your shadow to feel her up? Think I didn't notice or smell the arousal you brought out in her?"

I shake my head, exhaling and breaking into laughter. "Fuck, I'm just as bad as you two."

Nyko's chortling. "So, what now? We all have one big fuck party and get her out of our systems?"

I shudder. The image has my cock hardening. I turn from him, deeply inhaling the night air. We didn't search for Sage this long only to end up tripping over our feet for the girl.

"Earlier today, I notified Clay that we're changing course and want to pay the kingdom a visit ahead of schedule. Now, I'm worried we're moving too fast," I state, my anticipation wavering.

He's frowning my way.

"With Sage being Killian's true mate, and what happened to him and his last lover, he's not going to let us hand her over. And I won't force him to."

Nyko runs a hand through his hair. "Fuck! I've been ready from the second we first set foot on Howler all those years ago. But this is going to turn into a fucking storm now, isn't it?"

I groan, hands fisting at my side. "Leave it with me," I state.

"Whatever works." He's already marching out of my quarters, never showing his emotions, unlike Killian. Yet I've seen the way he stares at Sage, too, how she's impacted him as well.

My thoughts linger on her, on the strength of the attraction she holds over me. But as much as I fight the urge to fall prey to her, the complication with her being Killian's true mate and using her with King Bren… Fuck, this is cripples our plans.