All Chapters of Coming Out of the Deep : Chapter 161 - Chapter 169

Third-party POVDarian entered the dining room to find his parents seated at the long, coral-carved table, their solemn gazes fixed on him.The air hung heavy, thick with silence and sorrow, and the house still reeked of grief.After Valanthria’s visit, no more words had been spoken. His father had retreated into his chambers and had not emerged since. Darian himself hadn’t gotten a single moment of sleep, his thoughts spinning endlessly.Valanthria’s words echoed in every corner of his mind, implying that he was always meant to rule and that Mira was always meant to be his queen.He hadn’t expected that. But the more he dwelled on her words, the more sense they made. He didn’t know if he loved Mira. She had always been his brother’s intended, and he had never allowed himself to view her as anything else.But he cared for her deeply. She was kind, and he believed that if she were willing, he could learn to love her truly and be a good mate to her. He would never hurt her the way she h

Lake's POVKairos and I eventually left the business district. We rode out from the city in the late morning, the tall towers and bustling traffic slowly fading behind us as I took him to the surprise destination.It was time for him to have his first riding experience, and the concrete and glass were soon replaced by open skies and long stretches of green.His father wouldn’t arrive until the early hours of tomorrow, and I wanted us to make the most of our time together before that happened. Sitting around and worrying wasn’t going to help.I was terrified of the mer king after he tried to kill me, but my love for Kairos was worth taking a chance on, so I did it.It was the reason I hadn't gotten into detail with my parents about how he tried to kill me; I had just said he got angry and tried to drag Kairos to the deep with him.My parents would never forgive him if they knew he tried to kill me, and it wouldn’t matter what reasons he had. So I made sure Kairos would never mention th

Kairos's POV We headed to the zoo, and I was excited, especially at the thought of finally seeing an elephant. Lake told me he never forgot things, like when we met.We drove through the quieter side of the city, my father taking in the sights and Lake pointing them out to us. My mate enjoyed showing us around, and I couldn't wait to show him around in the deep one day soon, too.Reed had never seen my home, only pictures he had me take for him because he couldn’t swim that far. I hoped it would be different for my mate, since his abilities weren’t given to him like Reed’s, but by the gods themselves.We reached the zoo's gates, and from the outside, it looked like a giant garden, with banners fluttering and families milling about with ice cream and maps. But it wasn’t until we stepped inside that I felt like I had landed in another world.Lake explained again that it was where surface creatures lived, creatures I’d never encountered beneath the waves. But even knowing that didn’t pr

Lake's POV When we arrived at Kairos’s place, construction filled the air... drills, hammers, and voices calling over the noise. For a moment, I just stood there, taking it all in.The back half of the house, the part torn apart by the sea’s surge, was still a mess. But it wasn’t just rubble anymore. There were signs of rebuilding... scaffolding, fresh timber, and workers moving with purpose.Since we weren't running away this time, Kairos and I properly took in the damage for the first time.A man in a navy hat and dusty boots came over, wiping sweat from his brow. He introduced himself, and Kairos and I introduced ourselves back to him. He was the foreman on-site, letting us know they’d already started laying the new foundation. “The place’ll be back to itself in no time.”Kairos thanked him, and I stepped forward. “We want the pool to stay the same,” I said. “No changes, and that matters to us.”I loved that pool. It was the coolest thing, and we made memories there. The foreman g