Sebastian’s POV
Letting Helios keep control is unsettling. All he’s been doing is walking and carrying her, but I still feel like I’m missing out on something. Strangely, that’s exactly why I didn’t take back control.
If I feel like this after only a short time, then I can only imagine how Helios felt every time I pushed him to the back of my mind and ignored his feelings. I’m not sure how long it’s been before I feel the shift. Helios slips back, and I’m pushed forward.
Gaining control again, I instinctively tighten my hold on her.
I can share.
Helios’ voice growls in my mind.
“Yeah, yeah, it’s me who can’t,” I mutter. That’s the truth. I can’t share. It’s not that I don’t feel what he does. I do. Everything Helios felt while holding her, I could feel too, but it was muted, not as strong or as intense. Which, I guess, is exactly what frustr
Dolton’s POVJonathan walks beside me, his steps steady but his expression tight, like there’s something on his mind he hasn’t decided if he wants to say yet. I don’t push him. He’ll talk when he’s ready.After a few minutes, he exhales. “You were right.”I glance at him. “About what?”“My merfolk side,” he mutters, rubbing the back of his neck. “I’ve been hiding from it. Avoiding it.” His eyes flick toward the darkening horizon. “You called me out on it, and I can’t even argue. I’ve only shifted into it twice in years.”“Figured as much.”He huffs a short laugh. “You’re not gonna gloat?”“No point,” I shrug. “You already admitted it.”He rolls his eyes but doesn’t argue. After a few moments, he glances at me again. “There’s a l
Celine’s POVThe first thing I feel when I wake is warmth. Sebastian’s arms are wrapped around me, holding me securely against his chest. His steady breathing and the faint sound of his heartbeat fill my ears, a comforting rhythm that eases me into wakefulness.I shift slightly, tilting my head up to look at him. His golden eyes are already on me, watching, waiting.“Where’s Helios?” I ask softly.Sebastian exhales, his grip on me tightening just a little. “I let him keep control, he gave me it back, I didn't pus him out.”I blink up at him. “You didn't?”He nods, his gaze serious. “I didn't push him out, no. He’s right, I always take over after he’s claimed you.” His fingers trace absently along my spine. “It’s not fair to him.”I study his face, the way his jaw tightens slightly like the admission isn’t easy for him
Jonathan’s POVThe longer I stay in my merfolk form, the more I feel the magic flowing through me. It isn’t something separate from my fae magic, it’s woven into it, intertwined in a way I never realized before.I test it, moving the water, shifting its patterns, changing the way it flows. Simple things. Yet every time I do, it feels more natural, like something that has always been a part of me.Dolton watches in silence, arms crossed as he stands at the edge of the lake. He doesn’t speak, doesn’t interrupt. He just observes, letting me figure it out for myself.I never thought about how much I’ve locked this side of myself away until now. How much I’ve hidden, even from myself.“So, I was thinking,” Dolton finally says, his voice casual but pointed. “Get out, shift into your fae side, and try again. Fae can’t manipulate water, but if your magic is really linked, maybe you can now.&
Celine’s POVI sense them before I see them, the familiar presence of Jonathan and Dolton making their way back. But something feels… different.When they finally step into view, my eyes widen. Jonathan looks completely like a merfolk, his skin iridescent, shimmering with the faint glow of his magic. But unlike every merfolk I’ve ever seen, he still has legs instead of a tail. The webbing along his arms is more pronounced, his entire form radiating with something new, something that wasn’t there before.Something has shifted inside him.I step forward, studying him as he approaches. “Jonathan?”He glances at me, and for a moment, I see hesitation flicker in his eyes, like he’s waiting for some kind of reaction.“You stayed in your merfolk form,” I say, taking him in fully. He shifted back so quickly last time.Jonathan exhales, rubbing the back of his neck. “Yeah. Turns out
Dolton’s POVThe moment I take in the scene before me, I know we can’t attack.Not with children standing in our way, their small hands raised, their bodies trembling as they fight a battle that isn’t theirs. The fear in their eyes is real, but so is the compulsion forcing them to stand against us.My claws flex, my muscles tightening as I step forward, pushing past the others.There has to be another way.I inhale deeply, focusing on the children, letting my senses expand beyond what is visible.One by one, I track them. The boy with lightning sparking from his fingertips. The girl with shadows curling at her feet. The child whose breath fogs the air as frost coats his hands. Their powers shift and flicker like candle flames, unstable, forced into action.My eyes snap between them, heart hammering as I reach for something deeper.Mind’s Cage. It’s a dangerous ability. I’ve only used it a few
Jonathan’s POVI move as quickly as I can, lifting the small, limp bodies of the children and carrying them toward the waiting cars. Their weight is nothing compared to the responsibility pressing down on me.Each child is still locked in the illusion, their expressions soft, their breathing even. They don’t hear the battle, don’t feel the fear they should have, it’s all because of Dolton.He’s the only reason this is working, and it’s taking too long.Sebastian’s flames illuminate the battlefield as he sweeps low, keeping the exiled from pushing forward. The sound of metal clashing rings in my ears, but I don’t stop moving.I place another child inside the car, tucking them in beside the others. The driver looks at me with wide, concerned eyes. “They aren’t waking up,” he mutters.“They won’t,” I say, “not until Dolton lets them.”As I tur
Sebastian’s POVThe heat surges through my veins, power crackling in my chest as I take in the chaos below. The battlefield is a storm of movement, steel clashing, claws raking, magic flashing in brilliant bursts.It’s not enough. I inhale deep, feeling the fire coiling inside me, demanding release.I give in and flames explode from my jaws, a stream of fire engulfing a group of the exiled as they charge toward Celine’s warriors. The instant the flames touch them, their screams pierce the air.They burn, their bodies disintegrate before they can even collapse. It isn’t enough. I sweep through the sky, wings cutting through the air as I shift my fire, no longer aiming at them directly, but instead at the ground.The moment my flames strike the earth, they spread unnaturally fast, circling the warriors beneath me.The fire bends to my will, spiraling out in massive rings that trap the exiled and the Werewolf King’
Celine’s POVThe battlefield has shifted. The once overwhelming swarms of exiled and warriors are thinning out, the fire still burning in rings where Sebastian, no, Helios, trapped them. I can tell it's him by the way he's flying.I take a deep breath, exhaling slowly as I turn my gaze toward the palace. The guards we brought can finish up out here. The gates are open now, shattered from the force of the bears breaking through earlier.The path is clearer. It’s time.I take my first step toward the palace doors and Helios drops from the sky, landing right in front of me. The force of his landing sends dust and loose stone scattering, and I instinctively halt, tilting my head back to meet his glowing golden gaze.His wings stay half-unfurled, his entire posture tense, like he’s prepared to block my path if I try to move past him.“I go first.” His voice is gravel and fire, a demand that leaves no room for argumen
Sebastian POVThe void stretches endlessly around me, thick and suffocating. No sound, no sensation, no indication of time passing. It’s as if I’ve been ripped from existence, trapped in a place that doesn’t belong to me. My body feels weightless, unanchored, yet there’s a heaviness pressing down on my mind, chaining me here.I reach out, desperate for something, anything to pull me back. But there’s nothing. No Helios. No Celine. No flicker of warmth from the bond that always ties me to her. It’s wrong. It’s all wrong.A memory flickers, Helios roaring in rage, a searing pain lancing through my chest, the weight of something crushing down on me, suffocating and unrelenting. Then darkness swallowed me whole.How long has it been? Hours? Days? I grit my teeth, fighting against the nothingness, clawing for a way back. I won’t stay here. I can’t.Something shifts. A distant warmth brushes against m
Celine POVI barely register the movement before the world tilts. Suddenly, I’m beneath him, my back hitting the cool stone floor of the cave. His weight presses over me, his body caging me in, his lips devouring mine with an intensity that leaves no space for anything else. His fingers tangle in my hair, keeping me still as he deepens the kiss, his tongue sliding against mine in a slow, punishing claim.I gasp against his mouth, my hands grasping his arms, but he doesn’t let up. He presses me further into the ground, his body flush against mine, his heat overwhelming. Every movement, every touch, is possessive, raw.He isn’t just kissing me. He’s reminding himself that I’m still here. I feel his cock against my sex as he deepens the kiss more.Heat pools between my thighs at his hardness pressing against me. My body responds instantly, arching into him, seeking more of that delicious friction. His scales shimmer in the dim l
Celine POVWarmth surrounds me, steady and strong. My body feels heavier than it should, as if the very air weighs me down. I blink slowly, my vision adjusting to the dim light around me.Stone walls, I'm in a cave with Helios.His arms are tight around me, his wings curled inward like a shield. His body radiates heat, but there’s something different. The way he holds me, it isn’t just possessive. It’s desperate.I tilt my head back to look at him.He isn’t watching me. His gaze is distant, unfocused, locked on some invisible point beyond us. His golden eyes, usually burning with intensity, look hollow.I reach up, cupping his face in my hands. “Helios?” My voice is hoarse, weaker than I want it to be. “What’s wrong?”His eyes snap to mine, but there’s no relief, no flicker of ease at seeing me awake. Only something I’ve never seen before. Fear.“Sebastian
Helios’s POVPain. Not the kind I know. Not the kind I’ve felt from wounds in battle, not the kind from injuries that heal as fast as they come. This is different. This burns. It eats through me, sinking into my scales, branding me from the inside out.Fire should never hurt me. It’s part of me, part of what I am. But this isn’t fire. It’s something worse.Arktos’s power.I lay on the ground, barely able to move, my body smoldering. I can feel the damage, the way my wings tremble uselessly at my sides, the raw agony carved through my chest. The heat lingers beneath my skin, like something trying to hollow me out from the inside. Sebastian is gone, I can't feel him, I can't sense him.I force my eyes open, trying to focus, trying to hold on to something as the pain surges again. The world around me is a blur of movement, shadows twisting, magic crackling, the scent of bl
Jonathan’s POVI stay close to Celine, my hands clenched at my sides as I glance toward Sebastian’s unmoving form across the room. He’s still on the ground where he fell, but something inside me is shifting, pulling my attention toward him. I close my eyes and focus, letting my magic reach outward. I don’t need to touch him to feel what’s happening.Sebastian’s energy is shifting. No, Helios is waking. The air thickens, charged with something unnatural. Heat pulses from Sebastian’s body, and I can feel the exact moment Helios takes control.My pulse pounds, but I don’t move toward him. Instead, I drop my focus to the ground beneath me. My magic is already buzzing, swirling through my veins, restless and ready.I force myself to breathe, reaching deep into the earth. I need something, anything. The magic inside me responds, my fae and merfolk halves entwining, surging downward. I push it deeper, past the surf
Celine’s POVThe battlefield has shifted. The once overwhelming swarms of exiled and warriors are thinning out, the fire still burning in rings where Sebastian, no, Helios, trapped them. I can tell it's him by the way he's flying.I take a deep breath, exhaling slowly as I turn my gaze toward the palace. The guards we brought can finish up out here. The gates are open now, shattered from the force of the bears breaking through earlier.The path is clearer. It’s time.I take my first step toward the palace doors and Helios drops from the sky, landing right in front of me. The force of his landing sends dust and loose stone scattering, and I instinctively halt, tilting my head back to meet his glowing golden gaze.His wings stay half-unfurled, his entire posture tense, like he’s prepared to block my path if I try to move past him.“I go first.” His voice is gravel and fire, a demand that leaves no room for argumen
Sebastian’s POVThe heat surges through my veins, power crackling in my chest as I take in the chaos below. The battlefield is a storm of movement, steel clashing, claws raking, magic flashing in brilliant bursts.It’s not enough. I inhale deep, feeling the fire coiling inside me, demanding release.I give in and flames explode from my jaws, a stream of fire engulfing a group of the exiled as they charge toward Celine’s warriors. The instant the flames touch them, their screams pierce the air.They burn, their bodies disintegrate before they can even collapse. It isn’t enough. I sweep through the sky, wings cutting through the air as I shift my fire, no longer aiming at them directly, but instead at the ground.The moment my flames strike the earth, they spread unnaturally fast, circling the warriors beneath me.The fire bends to my will, spiraling out in massive rings that trap the exiled and the Werewolf King’
Jonathan’s POVI move as quickly as I can, lifting the small, limp bodies of the children and carrying them toward the waiting cars. Their weight is nothing compared to the responsibility pressing down on me.Each child is still locked in the illusion, their expressions soft, their breathing even. They don’t hear the battle, don’t feel the fear they should have, it’s all because of Dolton.He’s the only reason this is working, and it’s taking too long.Sebastian’s flames illuminate the battlefield as he sweeps low, keeping the exiled from pushing forward. The sound of metal clashing rings in my ears, but I don’t stop moving.I place another child inside the car, tucking them in beside the others. The driver looks at me with wide, concerned eyes. “They aren’t waking up,” he mutters.“They won’t,” I say, “not until Dolton lets them.”As I tur
Dolton’s POVThe moment I take in the scene before me, I know we can’t attack.Not with children standing in our way, their small hands raised, their bodies trembling as they fight a battle that isn’t theirs. The fear in their eyes is real, but so is the compulsion forcing them to stand against us.My claws flex, my muscles tightening as I step forward, pushing past the others.There has to be another way.I inhale deeply, focusing on the children, letting my senses expand beyond what is visible.One by one, I track them. The boy with lightning sparking from his fingertips. The girl with shadows curling at her feet. The child whose breath fogs the air as frost coats his hands. Their powers shift and flicker like candle flames, unstable, forced into action.My eyes snap between them, heart hammering as I reach for something deeper.Mind’s Cage. It’s a dangerous ability. I’ve only used it a few