‘Rage!’

‘I’m here.’

Rage had hooked his hands under my armpits and pulled, but the creature pulled back. No matter how hard I kicked and flailed, I couldn’t get free, and they were playing freaking tug-of-war with me!

‘The knife!’ Rage screamed into my mind—so loud and sudden I flinched. But it snapped me from my stupor.

Reaching behind my back, I tugged the blade free and, careful not to slash into the abyss like a madwoman, ran my free hand down my leg, cringing at the slimy tentacle-thing around my ankle. Then, I sliced through it with all my might.

A high-pitched hiss rose in the water, and then I was free. Black oily blood rose to the surface with Rage and me as we swam like crazy for air. We popped up to the surface, both gasping, and I giggled with relief, so grateful to see the twins reaching for us. Something dark breached the surface beside me, and I swallowed a shriek as a black tentacle, hacked off and oozing onyx blood, floated by.

Rage grabbed me, cradling the sides of my face, and crushed his lips to mine. The kiss was fierce and filled with the fervor of relief. “You scared the magic out of me, woman!”

“Ditto,” I giggled, giddy with our freedom. “I want out of this water ASAP.”

Audrey pulled us into the canoe one by one, and it dipped with our combined weight. Rage and I stretched out across the bottom of the small boat, panting and soaking wet. But there were no shouts of alarm, so we weren’t seen.

Thank the mage.

“How long will it take to get to the island?” I asked, snuggling into Rage’s embrace.

“About two hours,” Sadie replied.

We lay in silence, and I stared up at the blue sky, enjoying this little reprieve before what was sure to be a crazy day, until something thick and heavy landed on top of me, startling me.

“Stay down,” Audrey hissed when I peeked out from the thick pelt. She threw the other bearskin over Rage. “The dock looks dead. No guards in sight, but I don’t trust it.”

“Neither do I,” Sadie said, shaking her head as the twins paddled toward shore. “Who leaves their shoreline unprotected?”

“That sounds like my uncle.” Rage grunted with disgust from under the fur. “He’s such an idiot sometimes. He probably sent all his guards to the mainland.”

“Or is it a trap?” I asked. “He’ll let us walk up on shore and then ambush us?”

Rage shrugged. “He isn’t trying to kill us. Not right now. And we need to get to Justice and Noble.”

Right. He wouldn’t kill us because of the shield bond. ‘But then, where are the guards? He wouldn’t send them all to the magic lands and leave Alpha Island unguarded, would he?’

‘I don’t know,’ he replied in my mind, his voice colored with concern. “Be careful,” he added to the girls.

A few minutes later, we felt the canoe bump into the beach. No one said or did anything, and blood rushed in my ears as we waited for someone to jump out of the bushes and tell us they’d caught us. A few moments passed, and when nothing happened, one of the girls jumped out of the canoe with a splash and then hauled us onto the shore.

“It’s clear,” one of the twins hissed.

We leapt out of the boat. Rage and I each wrapped one of the furs around us to conceal our figures as the twins eyed the castle.

“Stop right there,” a woman snarled just behind the twins.

The girls froze, their eyes widening in fear, but Rage and I grinned at the familiar voice.

“Mom.” His voice broke, and he spun toward her, dropping the bear pelt.

I knew the moment she recognized him because she cried, “Courage!”

And then she collapsed to the ground, sobbing. He knelt next to her, and I stood awkwardly nearby as he pulled her into his arms.

“I thought I lost you,” she whimpered, and then she reached for me too. “Both of you.”

Tears sprang into my eyes as I knelt next to Rage, and she pulled me in for a hug. She grabbed Rage’s hand and tsked before turning her glistening gaze on me. “You should have told me about your fated mate,” she said, shaking her head at her son. “I would have helped you.”

Her voice broke, and I gave him the evil eye for making his mom cry.

Redness crept up his cheeks, and he hung his head. “I fought it myself for a while.”

“A long while,” I muttered, which earned me a laugh from my … future mother-in-law? Wow. Not sure where that rogue thought came from.

Rage crouched low and held his mom’s cheek. “I saw Dad. He’s with Honor, but we’re getting him back.”

She froze, and her brow pulled down in confusion. “You what?”

I swallowed hard and then stammered, “I’m a spirit walker … a high mage of spirit, I guess. We went to the Realm of the Dead. Now we have roughly thirty-five hours to kill Surlama and then we’ll be able to bring Honor back.”

Way to explain things, Nai. I was 67.4% sure that made no sense.

“Surlama,” Elaine hissed. “She’s in the basement of the south tower with the king. She said she’d help make sure the breeding companions got pregnant.”

Wait. What?

Rage shook himself. “Declan took a breeding companion?”

His mom stood, her nostrils flaring. “The king, my … husband—” she growled both titles with the same amount of respect—as in none. “—has taken multiple breeding companions. I’ve been moved into the guest quarters of the castle. He wants at least two heirs by next year. His own blood, not his brother’s.”

My mouth dropped open. More than one breeding companion was just disrespectful. If a woman could no longer have children, you took one breeding companion, not several.

Pig.

“Do you know where Justice and Noble are being held?” Rage asked. “He’s torturing them.”

“Torture?” she snarled, and black fur rippled down her arms. “That liar. He said he just wanted to ask them a few questions.” She heaved a breath and pointed at the castle. “They’re all in the south tower.”

One of the twins shrieked behind us, and I spun as the headmistress gasped.

Four selkie warriors held Sadie and Audrey on the shore, knives at their throats, as ten more selkies waded out of the water.

Shit.

Adrenaline coursed through me, and I wished for a blade before remembering my magic was stronger than any weapon.

“What have we got here?” one of them asked, cocking his head to the side. “A family reunion?”

‘Wait for them to get closer,’ Rage said, his chest rumbling with anger as his wolf surged to the surface. ‘If you use a lot of magic, the king’s guards will notice.’

“A royal family reunion,” another growled, drawing his blade. “Maybe now the king—”

Shadows danced behind the tree line, and then a deafening battle cry came from inland.

What the…? I blinked to clear my vision. My eyes adjusted, and I gaped as hundreds of royal guards spilled down the pathways toward the beach.

My stomach fell as I realized we’d been spotted by the royal guard.

Rock: guards. Hard place: selkies. Why were all our options total crap?

“Grab them!” one of the selkies snarled.