Slade turned to us, breath ragged. “Are you two always this godsdamned reckless?”
Then he staggered—and dropped.
“Slade!”
Caelen caught one arm. I grabbed the other. His weight sagged between us, heavy, bleeding.
The creatures crept closer—circling now. Jaws slack. Saliva stringing from their teeth like they could already taste us.
“We need to move. Now,” Caelen muttered, breath tight.
“To where exactly, your grace?” I shot back. “Straight into their mouths?”
No time to argue. I raised the book, half-thinking to throw it, half-hoping for a miracle.
They stopped.
All of them. Frozen mid-snarl.
Caelen’s eyes flicked to me. “What the hell was that?”
“I have no idea.”
Then the wind shifted—cold and sharp, like it knew something we didn’t.
And the howling started.
Chapter 37
Leo
This wasn’t good. We’d been chasing Vael’s men in our stolen boat, keeping low, keeping fast—until an armada of red-sailed ships intercepted us.
At the helm of the lead vessel stood a familiar bastard.
Vasquez.
“Fuck. What is he doing?” Maddie muttered beside me.
We watched as Vasquez’s ships pulled up alongside the Shattered Crown vessels. Boarding them. Searching them.
“He’s looking for Elle,” I said. “That must’ve been the deal—to work with Vael.”
“Only Vael never handed her over,” Maddie muttered, voice tight. “So Vasquez came himself.”
“And if Vael has her…” My jaw clenched. “She’s in real trouble.”
One by one, Vasquez’s landing parties tore through the ships. Then he pointed—right at us—and started heading our way.
“Turn us around. Now.” I snapped.
“Already working on it!” Maddie shouted, spinning the wheel hard. The boat lurched. From behind us, a voice rose above the spray.
“There! Stop them!”
“Okay, time to go faster, Mads!”
“What the hell do you think I’m trying to do?” she snapped.
