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“Miles,” Tor said. “Some are natural caves, others from the first settlement.”

She couldn’t resist moving deeper into the tunnels. It was like something out of her favorite adventure games, only way better because it was real. Kal and Tor walked with her, so huge their shadows stretched forever in the dim light. She felt like she was exploring with her own personal guard, which made everything even cooler.

The tunnel opened into a vast chamber that stole her breath. Crystal water filled a natural pool, its surface reflecting bioluminescent algae that clung to the rocky ceiling. Ethereal blue-green light danced across the water, painting everything in alien hues.

“This is incredible,” she whispered.

“Wait until you feel the water,” Kal said, already pulling off his top. “It’s perfect.”

10

Lila’s face felt hot as the boys stripped down to their compression shorts. She stared at her feet but kept sneaking glances when she thought they weren’t looking. They reminded her of those marble statues in her ancient history textbook.

She sat on a smooth rock by the pool and rolled up her pants, dipping her feet in the water. The cold made her shiver. “I didn’t bring a swimsuit,” she said, her voice coming out all squeaky and weird.

Tor dove in without making a splash. He moved through the water like one of those competitive swimmers she’d seen on the holo-channels. When he came up, water running down his shoulders, Lila pretended to be super interested in the ripples spreading across the pool.

“You’re missing out,” Kal called before diving in just as smoothly.Show-off, she thought, but she couldn’t help watching him arc through the air.

The boys started racing each other across the pool. The splashing echoed off the walls, making it sound like more than just two of them were swimming. Lila watched, fascinated. Theymoved so differently in the water, not like the scary warriors they usually were. More like those nature documentaries about sea creatures her dad loved watching.

“Your heart rate increased,” Tor said, treading water near her feet. “Are you cold?”

Her face felt like it was on fire. Oh god, they could hear her heartbeat. Could this get any more mortifying? “I’m fine,” she squeaked, splashing him with her foot. “Just… looking at the ceiling.” She pointed at the glowing algae like it was the most interesting thing ever.

Kal swam up beside Tor, water streaming off his darkened hair. “The bioluminescence is beautiful. Isn’t it? The colors change with the seasons.”

“Mmhmm,” she managed, drawing trailing patterns in the water with her feet. A drop of water fell from Kal’s hair onto her knee, and she watched it trace a path down her skin. That was way safer than looking at how his shoulders broke through the water’s surface.

The boys started showing off then, doing fancy dives and underwater tricks. Lila couldn’t help giggling at their antics, especially when they tried to outdo each other with bigger and bigger splashes.

“Sure you won’t join us?” Kal asked, floating on his back. The glowing algae on the walls highlighted the carved muscles of his chest.

She hugged her knees to her chest. There was no way she was getting in the water. Her thin T-shirt would go totally see-through if she got wet. “Maybe next time. If I bring a proper swim suit.”

“Your loss,” Tor said, before executing a backward flip that sent spray in her direction.

She shrieked as the cool droplets hit her, but she couldn’t stop smiling. Their laughter bounced off the cave walls, mixingwith all the splashing. Despite feeling kind of awkward at first, Lila found herself having fun.

The boys tried teaching her Izaean words for different swimming moves. She tried copying the weird sounds they made, which just made them laugh harder at her terrible pronunciation.

“That means ‘sleepy fish,’ not ‘diving hawk,’” Kal said, swimming closer. Water dripped from his eyelashes when he looked up at her, and her stomach did this weird flippy thing.

“Well, maybe I meant to say sleepy fish,” she shot back, trying to sound normal. She focused really hard on the water rippling around his shoulders instead of looking him in the eye.

Tor floated nearby. “You know, in the old stories, water spirits lived in caves like this. They would lure warriors in with their beauty.”

“Are you calling me a spirit?” Lila teased, grateful the weird lighting hid how red her face probably was.

“More like we’re the ones who followed you in,” Kal said with a grin that made her heart do something totally stupid in her chest.

She was about to make another joke when Tor’s head snapped up, his body going rigid. His red eyes glowed brighter in the dim light, scanning the shadows above. The playful atmosphere evaporated instantly.

“Get her out,” he growled, his voice transforming into something feral that made Lila’s skin prickle.

Before she could even process what was happening, Kal shot out of the water right next to her. His wet hands grabbed her waist and lifted her up like she was nothing but a backpack. She’d barely left the rock when she heard it. The worst sound ever, like someone dragging a million needles across the cave ceiling.

“What’s happening?” Her voice came out high and thin. The scratching grew louder, echoing off the cave walls until it seemed to come from everywhere at once. “What’s that sound?”

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