Chapter 1 Wreck's Whisper

The sea gnashed at Kael Drayce's boots, cold and bitter as a scorned lover. He clung to the jagged prow of the sunken galleon, its timbers groaning under the weight of centuries. Waves battered the ship's corpse, half-swallowed by a reef no sane sailor would dare chart. Kael wasn't sane, though-not by a long shot. Sanity didn't pay debts, and it sure didn't keep the sharks off his trail, both the finned kind and the ones with knives and ledgers.

"Move, you bastard," he muttered, wrenching a rusted plank free. Spray stung his eyes, but he squinted through it, peering into the gaping maw of the hold below. His torch flickered, spitting embers into the dark. The storm had driven him here-three days off course, rations gone, and a crew muttering mutiny louder than the thunder. But Kael knew wrecks like this held secrets. Secrets meant gold. And gold meant freedom.

He dropped down, boots thudding on sodden deck. The air reeked of rot and salt, thick enough to choke a man. Shadows danced as his torch swept the hold-barrels split like skulls, a skeletal hand clutching a busted spyglass. Nothing worth a damn. He kicked a crate aside, cursing under his breath. "Two days of rowing for this? A pile of-"

The glint stopped him cold. There, wedged beneath a coil of barnacled rope, something gleamed. Not the dull sheen of tarnished coin, but a sharp, bloody red that pulsed like a heartbeat. Kael's pulse quickened to match. He crouched, prying the rope away with his dagger. The object slid free, heavy in his palm-a compass, its casing carved with symbols he couldn't read, its glass cracked but glowing faintly crimson.

"Hell's teeth," he breathed, turning it over. The needle spun wildly, ignoring north, darting like a cornered beast. No rust, no wear-just that eerie light, spilling over his scarred knuckles. He'd seen trinkets before, peddled by liars in dockside taverns, but this? This was no fake. It thrummed against his skin, alive in a way that made his gut twist.

A low rumble shook the wreck. Kael froze. Not thunder-too deep, too close. The compass flared brighter, and the needle snapped to a point, quivering as if it'd found its mark. Then the voice came.

"Find the Vault of Veyra," it rasped, sharp as a blade on stone. "Or the world drowns in shadow."

Kael jolted, dropping the compass. It hit the deck with a clang, but the voice didn't stop-it coiled inside his skull, cold and unyielding. He scrambled back, torch clattering, heart hammering against his ribs. The wreck shuddered again, timbers splintering as water surged through the hull. Whatever this thing was, it wasn't just a compass. It was a summons.

He snatched it up, cursing his luck, and bolted for the breach he'd climbed through. The sea roared louder now, clawing at the ship like it meant to drag it-and him-under. Kael hauled himself onto the reef, the compass clutched tight, its glow cutting through the storm's gloom. Above, lightning split the sky, illuminating his skiff bobbing dangerously close to the rocks. His crew's shouts barely pierced the wind.

"Kael! You alive, you mad dog?" Torv's gravelly bellow rose over the din. The big man clung to the oars, his beard soaked, eyes wide with something between fear and fury.

"Barely!" Kael yelled back, leaping into the skiff. The boat lurched as he landed, and Torv rowed hard, cursing the waves. Kael didn't look at the others-little Jyn with her patched cloak, or grim-faced Marek sharpening his axe. He didn't need to. He felt their stares, heavy as the storm.

"What'd you find?" Jyn asked, voice sharp despite the tremor in it. She leaned closer, peering at his clenched fist.

Kael hesitated. The compass burned against his palm, its whisper echoing in his ears. Vault of Veyra. Shadow. He should toss it overboard, let the sea swallow it. But the weight of his debts pressed harder than the storm-the bounty on his head, the promises he'd broken. This thing, cursed or not, was a chance. Maybe the only one left.

"Trouble," he said finally, tucking it into his coat. "Same as always."

The skiff rocked as a wave crashed over the bow, and Torv barked a laugh that sounded more like a growl. "Trouble's your shadow, Drayce. Hope it pays this time."

Kael didn't answer. The compass pulsed against his chest, its needle steady now, pointing into the black heart of the storm. Wherever this Vault was, whatever Veyra meant, he'd find it. He had to. Because if the world was going to drown, he'd damn well be the one to outswim it.

You'll also like

The Sword Of My Heart: Marrying A Phantom Tycoon

Yolanda

5.0

Everyone in town knew Amelia had chased Jaxton for years, even etching his initials on her skin. When malicious rumors swarmed, he merely straightened his cuff links and ordered her to kneel before the woman he truly loved. Seething with realization, she slammed her engagement ring down on his desk and walked away. Not long after, she whispered "I do" to a billionaire, their wedding post crashing every feed. Panic cracked Jaxton. "She's using you to spite me," he spat. The billionaire just smiled. "Being her sword is my honor."

Finding Bliss Again: My Baby Daddy Is The Most Powerful Man Alive?!

Gay Parodi

5.0

At their wedding night, Kayla caught her brand-new husband cheating. Reeling and half-drunk, she staggered into the wrong suite and collapsed into a stranger's arms. Sunrise brought a pounding head-and the discovery she was pregnant. The father? A supremely powerful tycoon who happened to be her husband's ruthless uncle. Panicked, she tried to run, but he barred the door with a faint, dangerous smile. When the cheating ex begged, Kayla lifted her chin and declared, "Want a second chance at us? Ask your uncle." The tycoon pulled her close. "She's my wife now." The ex gasped, "What!?"

My Sister Stole My Mate, And I Let Her

regalsoul

4.9

"My sister threatens to take my mate. And I let her keep him." Born without a wolf, Seraphina is the disgrace of her pack-until a drunken night leaves her pregnant and married to Kieran, the ruthless Alpha who never wanted her. But their decade-long marriage was no fairytale. For ten years, she endured the humiliation: No Luna title. No mating mark. Just cold sheets and colder stares. When her perfect sister returned, Kieran filed for divorce the same night. And her family was happy to see her marriage broken. Seraphina didn't fight but left silently. However, when danger struck, shocking truths emerged: ☽ That night wasn't an accident ☽ Her "defect" is actually a rare gift ☽ And now every Alpha-including her ex-husband-will fight to claim her Too bad she's done being owned. *** Kieran's growl vibrated through my bones as he pinned me against the wall. The heat of him seared through layers of fabric. "You think leaving is that easy, Seraphina?" His teeth grazed the unmarked skin of my throat. "You. Are. Mine." A hot palm slid up my thigh. "No one else will ever touch you." "You had ten years to claim me, Alpha." I bared my teeth in a smile. "Funny how you only remember I'm yours... when I'm walking away."

Secret Wife, Real Billionaire

Ela Osaretin

4.9

"I heard you're going to marry Marcelo. Is this perhaps your revenge against me? It's very laughable, Renee. That man can barely function." Her foster family, her cheating ex, everyone thought Renee was going to live in pure hell after getting married to a disabled and cruel man. She didn't know if anything good would ever come out of it after all, she had always thought it would be hard for anyone to love her but this cruel man with dark secrets is never going to grant her a divorce because she makes him forget how to breathe.

A Divorce He Regrets

Alissa Nexus

4.9

The day Raina gave birth should have been the happiest of her life. Instead, it became her worst nightmare. Moments after delivering their twins, Alexander shattered her heart-divorcing her and forcing her to sign away custody of their son, Liam. With nothing but betrayal and heartbreak to her name, Raina disappeared, raising their daughter, Ava, on her own.Years later, fate comes knocking when Liam falls gravely ill. Desperate to save his son, Alexander is forced to seek out the one person he once cast aside. Alexander finds himself face to face with the woman he underestimated, pleading for a second chance-not just for himself, but for their son. But Raina is no longer the same broken woman who once loved him.No longer the woman he left behind. She has carved out a new life-one built on strength, wealth, and a long-buried legacy she expected to uncover.Raina has spent years learning to live without him.The question is... Will she risk reopening old wounds to save the son she never got to love? or has Alexander lost her forever?

Reclaiming Her Crown, One Step At A Time

Elia O'loughlin

5.0

Noelle was the long-lost daughter everyone had been searched for, yet the family brushed her off and fawned over her stand-in. Tired of scorn, she walked away and married a man whose influence could shake the country. Dance phenom, street-race champ, virtuoso composer, master restorer-each secret triumph hit the headlines, and her family's smug smiles cracked. Father charged back from abroad, mother wept for a hug, and five brothers knelt in the rain begging. Beneath the jeweled night sky, her husband pulled her close, his voice a velvet promise. "They're not worth it. Come on, let's just go home."

Crimson Compass

Contents