“Is this where you locked Fenryr away?” I ask, my tone souring as I remember all the awful things he’s done. “Where you hatched your traitorous plans?”

A deep sigh puffs from Malice’s chest, all the arrogance fleeing with his breath. “I do most of my plotting out in the open air, under the light of the flipping sun. It helps me think, so to answer your question… no.” My face sours as Malice turns on his heel, stalking toward the carved doorway with his fist clenched at his side.

“Where are you going?” I demand. “Stop!”

He freezes just before passing into the shadows beyond, the muscles showing through his torn armor rippling with discomfort, fighting against the invisible force holding them in place. But it only lasts for a moment.

I blink, and Malice’s head is turned toward me, a secret only he knows shining in his bright red eye. “You’re welcome to follow whenever you’re ready. I have a feeling you’ll enjoy what’s on the other side.”

In two steps, the shadows envelop his body, blocking out the powerful outline of my mate as he descends deep into the earth. I turn my head, making eye contact with Roark, Cyprien, and Lir, before scurrying after Malice.

Just past the doorway are a set of stairs, though I can’t see past the third step due to the endless black void that lies just beyond. I swallow thickly and descend, blinking rapidly against the encroaching darkness. The farther I go, the thicker the air grows. Humid and stifling, the air clings to my skin and coats my nose and throat in a thin layer of dew that has me huffing for breath.

A blast of heated air strikes my face as I step onto the ground level, blowing my hair back off my face and bringing tears to my eyes. I blink as my eyes adjust to the orange light glowing from the sconces lining the circular room, casting a warm hue onto the walls and floor. A dense fog swirls through the air, originating from the large, heated pool in the center. The water encased within is crystal clear, shimmering with the same magical energy that lives in the earth, the trees, and in my veins. A healing bath.

I shift my gaze to the side, electricity crackling in my veins as I make eye contact with Kaebl. Slowly, he rises from the water, his golden eyes unblinking and fixed on my parted lips. Water streams down his bare chest, hundreds of tiny droplets beading across his freshly mended skin and sliding between the sculpted grooves of his abdomen. As each one falls, it ripples the surface of the water, spreading out in a halo that travels to the edges of the pool, inviting me closer.

I take one step in his direction and⁠—