I was closing my second set of doors on the second floor when Rayna called into my mind, “I see the first selkie on the east-side beach. First and second floor doors are closed, but I see more emerging north of here as well.”

“I’ll head to the roof and keep them controlled. Can you handle the rest of the doors?”

“Of course.”

I ran up the stairs, my heart pounding violently.

“Kill anyone who gets close to the castle,” Triton said just to me. His voice was dark and deadly.

“What happened to keeping prisoners?”

“Anyone who tries to come for you dies,” he growled. “This is a targeted attack. The squids are focused on me, even with other warriors around. The selkies are here for the throne.”

“If they’re all going after you, you had better be really fucking careful.”

“I will. Keep the beach clear, Sweetheart. I lo⁠—“

“If you tell me you love me for the first time right now, I swear to the goddess that I will end your life myself.”

He chuckled. “Alright. Take care of yourself.”

“You too.”

I kicked him out of my head as I reached the top floor of the castle. I needed every ounce of my focus if I was going to keep the beach clear. He needed his to keep himself alive.

There was a flat platform on the tallest of the castle’s domes that had been built to help the king or queen see all the way around the structure in case of an attack. It made it really damn easy to do my job.

There were only a few selkies on the beach at the moment, but I recognized their leader, Eila, among them.

They had to have been in front of the group with the squids that the sea had warned me about.

When Triton and I had practiced what I needed to do, he had explained that he and the rest of the warriors would attack from behind while I controlled the front line of defense. Right now, they were busy with the squids, so I was on my own.

Damn, I hoped I had enough power to keep us safe.

When I reached for the sea, it welcomed the embrace of my magic. There was no denying that the power I’d felt earlier was the ocean itself.

The small group of selkies were sprinting toward the castle, but I was focused on the ocean. I’d practiced so intensely that picturing a large wave rising only took a heartbeat—and a heartbeat later, I had that wave rushing toward the beach powerfully enough to wash it clean.