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In the abyss, all things sleep.”
But you are safe where love abides. Drenched in peace, let darkness creep,
“The Abyss isn’t just water. It’s alive. It’s ancient. It doesn’t forget. It doesn’t forgive. Treat this as a gift, or you’ll regret it.”
“You have to find a cure,” she said, completely ignoring my question. “You need to test the algae. Understand it. The villagers, my mother... they don’t know the truth. They think it’s a miracle from the Abyss, but it’s not. It’s a curse.”
“But you can figure it out. You’re different.”
“Because I can’t tolerate the sun,” she murmured. “If sunlight touches me, I’ll die.”
“The algae healed me, but it left this behind. It’s a side effect.”
“I've shown you their resting place,” she spoke as she turned to leave. “Now find it in your heart to let us rest. Take your team and leave, Pearl.”
“That’s the Vurrax. It wraps around you and squeezes. You won’t see it coming in the dark.”
“The Silvershrike,” he went on, voice low. “Reflects light. Messes with your head. Makes you see things that aren’t there.”
“The Drowner’s Hand. It hides in algae beds. Looks like someone reaching for help... until it grabs you.”
“The Sirenshade. It calls to you, sounds like someone you love. The more fear it senses, the stronger it gets.”
It was a shifting cloud, jagged and uneven, its edges blurring into the stone. The only clear part was the eyes, pitch black, deep and endless.
“That’s the Abyss,”
“The master of the oceans and the master of those creatures.”
then water surged into his mouth, forcing its way inside. His eyes bulged, veins straining beneath his skin. His body swelled. A wet pop, and Jonathan exploded, flesh, blood, and bone splattered across the room. The warmth splashed against my skin, sticky and vile.
“These aren’t wounds. They’re a claim. Letting you go would doom us all.”
A voice slithered through my mind.
Little Pearl... You’re going to be punished.
“You shouldn’t try to leave. The sun isn’t for you anymore.”
“I can enter your mind... and other places too.”
“I am Rynar. I guard these waters... for the Abyss.”
“You thought you could protect it by making it a part of you.”
“Hunger sharpens your tongue. Eat.”
“Such fire.” His hand drifted toward my face but stopped just short of touching my skin. “You should eat. That day, when you fought me in the water... I enjoyed the softness of your form. I'd hate to see you waste away.”
“Fuck you,” I spat, the words weak and breathless, barely audible
“You’re not my enemy, Pearl.”
“You’re my purpose.”
They brushed against my ribs, following the dip of my waist, lingering at the soft curve of my hips.
I think one of my favorite parts of this authors writing is that she doesn't over explain. I don't really know what ahe looks like and I love that I'm allowed to I'll in the blanks!
“Take it,” he breathed. His tone was steady but pleading. “Take whatever you need from me.”
“You can't get away,” it whispered, all mocking and dark. “You belong to him. You belong to us.”
“You shouldn't have come to the water that day.” The words landed hard, each one deliberate. “You shouldn't have stayed. I shouldn’t have given you air. I shouldn’t have...” His claws tightened at his sides. “I shouldn’t have fallen for you.”
“You're not just a choice, Pearl. You're my answer.”
“You were already marked. The depths were always going to take you. The Abyss was always going to take you.”
“Yes. But I’m your monster.”
“If I choose to worship you, who could stop me? You’re mine, Pearl. You always will be.”
“You’re mine,” he growled, his voice trembling. “Every part of you.” “Yes,” I gasped, my mind splintering, my body surrendering.
“You’re addictive,” he murmured, his tone thick. “Eons, Pearl. Eons, and I’ve never felt this.”
I couldn’t stay here. If I did, I’d lose everything. My freedom. My humanity.
Bitch. Stfu. go back to what!!!!????
This wasn’t just about escaping him. It was about escaping the part of me that wanted to stay.
“It shields you,” he said, almost contemplatively. “When you sing, your thoughts slip beyond my reach.”
“A place I built for you.”
“I am not a god, Pearl. Gods are fragile, tethered to the worship of those beneath them. I am older than gods. I am beyond them.”
“I am the Abyss itself,”
“You’re everything,” he whispered. “Everything.”
I.wish, I. all that time in the cave, we had learned even a little about their compatibility other than it just "feeling right".
