The merfolk remained in the cabin we had allotted for them, and we went to check on them every now and then—more out of curiosity than anything else. They were still alive, though they hardly budged an inch. I wasn’t sure what we intended to do with them when we arrived in The Shade, but for now, we didn’t have a choice but to keep them with us.

As we entered deeper into the Pacific Ocean, I just prayed that we wouldn’t meet with any more obstacles before arriving in The Shade. My prayers weren’t entirely answered.

After the fifth day in the ocean, we found ourselves caught up in a hurricane. We’d been forced to surface for fresh air due to a malfunction in the carbon dioxide scrubber, and now Ben struggled to navigate the submarine against the strengthening current. We had to stop for a while and try to weather the storm.

The night when the hurricane was at its strongest, I’d just finished having a shower. The submarine started rocking more than ever. I was terrified that we’d find ourselves stranded in the middle of the ocean.

Ben had already left the control room and by now he had retired to his cabin. Though I was sure that he wasn’t sleeping. I didn’t know how anyone could sleep through this turbulence.

I turned the corner of his doorless cabin. Sure enough, he was sitting upright in bed with a bunch of maps. He raised his gaze to me as I approached. He gathered up the maps and moved them onto a table, making space for me to sit next to him.

Though I didn’t sit. I stretched out my legs and lay on my side, indicating that he do the same.

He looked down at me curiously, then got into the same position. He reached out to touch my face, then ran his hand through my hair.

“You okay?” he asked.

I brushed a thumb over his lips, then moved in to kiss him. It felt like home as his strong body enveloped me and the storm faded into the background.

Despite his coldness, a warmth spread through me as his right hand traveled slowly up and down my back, stroking me, reassuring me.

I shut my eyes tight, listening to the beating of his heart.

Benjamin Novak.

I’d been hoping against hope that we would reach The Shade, but now that we were nearing it, a part of me was dreading it. The Shade marked the end of our journey, possibly the end of us… whatever us was. A brief friendship. A sweet romance. Two straws being drawn together in a current and then being pulled apart.

I wasn’t sure that I would ever meet another guy like Benjamin Novak. I wasn’t sure there was another guy like him.

He’d told me that we could still stay in touch, but of course it wouldn’t be the same. Being so far apart… we would drift apart eventually. No doubt he would find someone else. Maybe I would too.

I just wished somehow we could stay together, even though I knew that it was impossible if I wanted to see my family again. My family who so desperately needed me.

Still, I found myself voicing my impossible fantasy. “I wish we didn’t have to part,” I whispered.

He reached for my face and tilted it upward, so that he could look me in the eyes. His green gaze fixed on me. He ran his tongue over his lips, which parted slightly, as if he were about to answer. Then he dipped his head and claimed my lips in a slow, passionate kiss.

“I don’t know what the future holds for either of us, River,” he said softly. Lifting his face, he looked down on me like I was the most precious thing in the world. “I’m just grateful that, tonight, I have you.”

Chapter 21: Ben

Thankfully, we got through the hurricane without too much damage to the submarine. After that, the rest of the journey flew by. I kept expecting another obstacle to derail us, but no. We passed the rest of the way smoothly. So smoothly that I was almost suspicious.

I began to feel more and more nervous as we neared the boundary of The Shade. As we reached within several dozen miles, my throat was tight. The night I had murdered Yasmine replayed in my mind, every horrifying detail. I tried to shove the memory out of my mind.

Nothing like that is going to happen this time. I will have River’s blood, and I’ll stay by the boundary.

As we were closing the distance, I noticed something strange. Five huge gray vessels, evenly spaced around the island.

What are they?

They certainly didn’t belong to The Shade. And if they weren’t The Shade’s ships, whom else could they belong to other than… the hunters?

How would they know The Shade’s location?

I sped up the submarine, pushing aside thoughts of the ships as I focused on reaching the boundary.

I raised the top half of the submarine from the water just as we were about to pass through. River stared as what had previously been an expanse of ocean turned into a view of a magnificent dark island as the first half of the submarine entered within the boundary. Part of me was grateful that we had even managed to enter inside. I was worried that something might’ve caused the spell to wear off and I wouldn’t be allowed to enter.

Even the merfolk in the back seemed to sense that we were entering someplace new, since I felt and heard movement near the back of the submarine as the rest of the vessel passed through the boundary.

Now fully inside, I scanned the length of the shoreline anxiously. Although a part of me was yearning to see my friends and family again, I just was not ready for it yet. I was glad that I couldn’t spot anyone on the beach, nor by the Port.

River picked up the container of her blood that she had prepared for me earlier and slipped it into the compartment next to my seat.