Page 56 of Wicked Depths

"It would be a shame though," she muses, tilting her head, "to die before I’ve had the chance to show you my world."

I arch a brow. "Your world?"

She presses closer, her bare shoulder brushing mine, her voice dropping into something softer, something almost intimate. "Yes. You’ve spent weeks parading me through your kingdom, showing me your castle, your forests, your creatures." Her lips quirk slightly. "But you know nothing of mine."

I meet her gaze, something tightening in my chest. This—this is vulnerability. An offering. A piece of herself she has yet to share.

For a moment, I hesitate. I should refuse. I should not let her pull me deeper into this thing between us, this thing I cannot name.

But I don't.

I lift a hand, brushing damp strands of silver hair from her face, fingers lingering along her jaw. "Show me, then."

Vaela’s lips curve, slow and satisfied. "Good."

She shifts, her hands sliding beneath the water, skimming along my waist, across my stomach, her touch featherlight but unmistakable. "But first," she purrs, voice laced with mischief, "we should get dressed. Unless you want to greet my people like this."

I scoff, shoving her back gently, though my fingers curl around her wrist before she can move too far. "Get out of the bath, siren, before I change my mind."

She smirks but obeys, rising from the water in one fluid motion, the droplets trailing down her body shimmering against her skin. She doesn't bother to cover herself, knowing damn well I’m watching.

I force myself to stand, to shake off whatever spell she has woven around me, and step onto the smooth stone floor, grabbing a linen towel to wrap around my body.

The Sentinels appear before I can summon them, silent as ever, stepping through the cavern walls like shadows given form.

"Bring us something suitable," I command, my voice steady despite the heat still lingering beneath my skin. "And quickly."

They nod in unison before vanishing once more.

Vaela watches them leave, then turns back to me with that slow, wicked smirk. "You know, we could always give them another show before we go."

I level her with a flat look. "You are impossible."

She hums, completely unbothered. "That’s not a no."

I don’t dignify that with a response.

The Sentinels return moments later, offering up our clothes—dark, flowing garments made of enchanted fabrics that shift like water and smoke, blending seamlessly with the realm we are about to enter. I dress quickly, fastening the intricate laces of my corset, securing the flowing obsidian gown that clings to my body like a second skin. My thigh-high boots follow, the heels clicking softly against the stone as I step forward.

Vaela, however, takes her time, slipping into her pearl-encrusted bodice with slow, deliberate movements, the delicate gold chains draping across her shoulders like molten light. Her skirt is sheer and flowing, the high slit running dangerously up her thigh—a distraction I refuse to acknowledge.

She catches me staring and smirks. "Like what you see?"

I fasten the last strap of my boot with more force than necessary. "Summon the portal."

Her laughter follows me as she steps forward, lifting her hands over the large basin of water at the center of the cavern.

The liquid stirs instantly, responding to her presence, to her magic. It coils and stretches, shifting colors—deep indigo, bioluminescent blue, glimmering violet—until the surface bends, expanding outward, shimmering like the crest of a wave frozen in time.

I exhale sharply and then I follow her into the abyss, letting the ocean take me. I expect pressure, weight, suffocation but Vaela’s magic wraps around me like a second skin, allowing me to breathe, to move as easily as she does. It weaves through me, lacing through my lungs, altering the way my body reacts to the depths.

It is alive, the deep dark teeming with creatures that glow like fallen stars, fish darting through the kelp forests, their iridescent bodies illuminating the abyss. Schools of crystalline eels weave through towering spirals of bioluminescent coral, their sleek forms pulsing with light as they dance through the currents.

Further below, something massive shifts, ancient and slow—whale-like but alien in shape, its glowing eyes the only part of it visible in the distance.

Vaela moves effortlessly through the water, her form shifting, glowing, becoming something both more and less than mortal.

Twisting coral spires rise from the ocean floor, pulsing with power, glowing veins of magic threading through golden archways and pearlescent pathways. Vast, open domes of enchanted air flicker between buildings, giving form to floating chambers, allowing sirens and sea creatures to drift freely in and out of the palatial expanse.

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