Once ashore, Truly gets a stretcher and a blanket from the medical unit so that Brody and Kade can carry Amph's remains to his boat. Not eager to stick around any longer than they need to, they head to the Devil's Key's at full speed the moment she's abroad. Since they're leaving, her people won't bother them, and flying the Brovern pirate flag prevents the Navy from even considering stopping his boat as they enter the restricted area of the Devil's Keys three hours later.

As he cuts the engines off the Kraken's Keep, Kade's eyes shift to Truly as she sits beside Amph, keeping vigil. "I know ye prefer to wear this ta keep ye safe." Removing his Kraken's Tear, he places it around her neck. "She's too heavy for ye to lift down to me. So I'll hand her to ye after you're changed and then join you." His eyes shift over the railing of the boat towards the island, where the waves crash against the shore. "I'll take her after I'm in. The opening should be low enough since it's high tide."

"Low enough for what, omen?" Truly's lip curls up. "Ta hold our breaths?"

He cuts her a briefly unamused look for taunting him about that line of thinking when it was only a few days ago that seriously could have been a problem for him. "The current will throw ya on a day like this. I'd rather not have her ripped out of me arms so I'll be staying as low as I can."

"Then I'd rather ye wear ye bloody necklace." Truly goes to slip it up over her head.

"I have my ring, omen." He flashes it to her. "It's made of the heart as well. I don't need the added protection and it makes ye feel safer. Wear it."

With a reluctant sigh, she lets the necklace drop back against her chest. She timidly eyes the water as she removes her shorts and tosses them up on the boat. I feckin' hate t'is place. She has to psych herself up, going against all her natural instincts, before she jumps in. Truly clings to the edge of the boat the best she can as she changes and bites her lip during the worst part of it. She doesn't want to draw the attention of predators to herself while she's out here in the open. When she's done, she surfaces and holds out her arms to take Amphitrite.

After scanning the water one last time since he'd been watching while she changed with his spear gun in hand, just in case she attracted something, Kade places the weapon near the edge for her to use if needed. Heading back into where she's laid out, he picks up Amphitrite and gently lowers her down to Truly. "Are ye good?"

"Aye." Truly clings to the back of the boat with one hand and holds the woman's lifeless body in the other. "Jist hurry, she's heavy."

Kade strips off his shirt and shorts off before he dives in over her head. Moments later, he joins her at the ladder and angles himself away so he can't dislodge either of them as he changes. When he's finally in his siren form, Kade takes a few deep breaths and pushes away from the boat. "I'll take her now, omen." Extending his hands, he carefully maneuvers closer to make it easier for her to hand Amphitrite off.

Truly lays her in his arms. "Are we swimmin' in like Amph most likely did when she came here?"

"Aye. It'd be easier ta just lift her up over the edge than worry about the water pulling her out as we change."

"Aye, and we won't have ta divin' shoes either for ta rocks." Truly reaches up on the lower part of the boat and grabs the silver coin. "Let's get her back to where she really belongs."

With a nod, Kade disappears under the water, changing the way he breathes as he swims towards the opening. Once satisfied, Truly's close beside him. He carefully makes his way to the inner cover, staying low to avoid the stronger waters as he tightens his hold on Amphitrite. For god's sake, don't drop her, Brovern. That man will haunt you for the rest of yer life if ye do.

When they reach the other side, he breathes a sigh of relief, only to widen his eyes when he sees the huge trench below she'd mentioned. His eyes snap to her and then towards it as he dips his head, his eyes filled with wonder as the desire to explore it suddenly fills him.

Truly notices him lingering in awe of the deep trench that's thankfully not occupied right now. "Awen," she calls out to him.

At his name, Kade's head snaps up, and a huge grin crosses his lips before he reluctantly swims towards the cave system he knows leads up to his treasure trove. Shifting Amph in his arms when it narrows in places, he finally emerges within. With Truly's help, they carefully shove Amph up onto a ledge. Content to leave her there for a bit, Kade closes his eyes and sinks beneath the surface to rest.

Truly pulls herself up on the cold cave floor. Like Amph did centuries ago, Truly dry changes on the cavern floor, so the pearls don't get lost to the deep. She pulls herself up on the rock just enough to get her tail mostly out of the water and buries her face into her folded arms. As her tail changes back into legs, her cries echo off the walls, despite her attempt to muffle them. Her tiny body quivers from the excruciating pain that a dry change brings, but she forces herself to push past it.

It doesn't stop Kade from hearing them, and he bursts up from below, his eyes locking with hers as he watches in horror at her changing on the land. "Truly!"

Her body shakes as the change finishes, leaving her in only her swim top. "I'm alright. She weakly replies as she rests in the fetal position, letting her nerves settle down.

Unable to fight the need to ensure she truly is, Kade hoists himself up beside her, careful to tuck his pectoral fins in so they won't send her nerves into a tizzy. When he's close enough, he takes her hand and runs his gaze over her to ensure she's okay for his sanity since his instincts are on overload. "What were ye thinking?"

"I couldn't lose ta pearls."

His eyes flare in irritation. Seriously, for the bloody pearls? "I could have caught them if ye warned me. You're not alone, Treasure."

A soft smile pulls at the corner of her lips. "I love ye too." She knows he's upset because he cares and that catching the pearls wouldn't have been safe or practical, but she still finds the offer sweet and charming.

"Yer gonna be the death of me, woman," he huffs, giving her hand a squeeze before he releases it. "Move away, Treasure. I don't want ta hurt ye."

Truly's eyes grow wide, realizing he plans on changing right there. "Ye can't be serious, Kade. Ye don't even take changin' in ta water well."

"Move!" He sternly barks as his shoulders tense, and he drops his head low, attempting to shield her from seeing the anguish on his face.

She scrambles back as Kade's tail thrashes violently against the water, its barbs extending as his muscles spasm and the webbing between his spikes crumbles. A deep agonized cry rips through the vault as his black spikes audibly crack and drop, turning to dust before they even hit the water. His iridescent ebony scales dissolve next. Suddenly Kade's body heaves as a fire, like nothing he's ever felt before, burns through him. Unable to cope, his body convulsed, and his eyes roll back.

"Kade!" Truly's eyes grow wide in panic as she quickly crawls back to him and grabs his hand, uncaring if he crushes it. She's seen him pass out from the change but not convulse like this. "Please stay with me, omen."

Barely hearing her as he fights to stay conscious, the muscles of his caudal roll over each other and shrink back, splitting finally to form his legs, before the darkness and its depths blessedly claims him.

When he finally wakes up sometime later, Kade finds Truly curled up tightly against him with her hand on his chest to ensure it's still moving. Slowly, he moves his hand up to capture hers. His body feels like he's been repeatedly pounded against the rocks and shouldn't have lived to tell the tale. "Bloody hell," he groans out, his voice horse and deeper than usual.

Truly rises to her elbow when she realizes he's awake. Her eyes are still red from tears, but her body finally slags in relief. "Don't ever dry change again."

"I think I'd prefer being keelhauled over it." He shifts his head to meet her gaze. "What in the locker would make ye do this just ta save some bloody pearls?"

She smiles as she caresses the side of his face. "T'ey're important, omen."

"Not more than you." He turns into her, their legs interlacing as he does so. Taking a deep breath, Kade rests his forehead against hers, the smell of jasmine, vanilla, and oranges instantly filling his senses. A soft groan escapes his lips. "You've been killing me all day with how good ye smell, Treasure. I had ta stop meself a few times from just bedding you."

"Ye poor t'ing." Truly lightly pecks his lips. "Afta we get Amph placed, and out of t'is cave, ye can have ye wicked way with me."

He cuts her a look. "You tease, but ye got no idea what it feels like." Reluctantly Kade rises, knowing if he stays on the bloody stones too long, he'll never get up. "It's like a burning need running in me veins."

"I suppose I could stay away durnin' t'at time of ta month." Truly bites back a playful grin, knowing what his answer to that will be.

A growl instantly rumbles in his chest, just as she knew it would, as he stands. "Or ye just plan nothing that keeps ye out of our bed during it. Preferably without the damn thing in yer arm."

"What happened ta hangin' out with Declan after his newest is born?" Truly raises a brow at him.

Ugh, that's right. Get it together, Brovern. You're better than this. "I went ta that damn city." Kade slowly twists and stretches, trying to work out the kinks in his body. "Only ta have ta watch them all sniff the bloody water like ye were a prize to be taken." A dark look crosses his face as he remembers the mer a few years seemingly younger than him who'd tried to lure her by flashing at her.

"I can imagine t'at would be frustratin'. I wouldn't have liked siren lasses singing ta ye, and I certainly didn't like t'em lookin' at ye ta way t'at t'ey were." Truly pushes up from the floor and dusts herself off, which only smears the mud across her skin. "I also know that hormones are ragin' right now, and ye did t'ink seeing if ye could handle bein' around ta new babe was a good idea yesterday."

"I know." Pulling her close, he leans his forehead against hers and breathes her in. "I know yer right and that I'm not in control of meself right now." I feel like I'm going mad with the way things are warring within me. "It doesn't help that I've been trained ta strike preemptively. It's in me nature to cut the head off a snake before it attacks."

"Well, using cuttin' off a snake's head as a simile ta impregnantin' me tells me t'at right now might not be ta best time for ye ta decide t'at ye want a babe. I want ta have ye children, but typically t'ese decisions are made durin' times when our heads are clearer." Truly wraps her arms around him. "Not t'at mistakes aren't made. It's how I got here after all."

A light sigh escapes Kade's lips. "These new instincts are getting the better of me. I shouldn't have made the comment about yer birth control, Treasure. Trying to act as I should instead of just bedding ye all day has been wearing on me and it's starting ta show. I'm sorry." Kade places a soft kiss on her temple as he pulls away. "I need ta move Amphitrite before I get other ideas with us both standing here like this."

Truly's gaze runs over his naked form since he pointed it out. Her lip curls up in appreciation, and like him, she's ready to get this done. Not only to help settle her soul for putting the ancient queen back where she belongs but to get her pirate home and enjoy his company until it's time for them to return home.

She tears her gaze away from him and drops it to Amph. "If ye can take one end, I'll take ta other."

"Alright. Her top will be lighter and easier for ye to grab. I'll handle her tail." Together, they lift Amphitrite up and slowly carry her towards the far side of his vault, where Drake's body rests.

They carefully lay her next to Drake and Truly folds Amphitrite's hands. She then fixes her hair so that she looks presentable before she grabs the silver coin from Amphitrite's previous grave and sets it on top of the others, though it's not needed, it feels wrong to Truly to take it. When she finishes, a warm feeling settles in Truly's chest, one that is almost overwhelming, causing her eyes to tear up. She can feel satisfaction sweep over her like a calming wave.

"Thank ye two." Drake's voice echoes through the cave, though the man himself doesn't appear. "I'll be here if ye need me, boy. Least I can do for meself." A light chuckle fills the air for a moment until it fades away.

"I suppose crashing here for the night would be a poor idea." Kade lightly sighs, not looking forward to the idea of changing back yet again.

"We can, t'ough if yer hopin' ta bed me t'at ain't happenin' in ta presence of two corpses." Truly glance up at him.

"Fine..." Remembering the promise he made her about moving the pearls. Kade turns and unexpectedly strides off to a different part of the cave.

"I thought we were leavin'." Truly call after him as she walks over to the edge of the pool and picks up the pearls she had left behind.

"We are in a bit," he calls back, having disappeared behind the large mound of treasure. After a bit, he returns with a crimson gem bag in his hand, tossing it lightly as he moves towards her. "Ye wanted me to move this, remember?" As he catches the bag in his hand, he dangles it before her. "The pearls." His eyes drop to the pearls she's gathering. "Are you keeping those or do ye want to put them in before I tuck them into a certain scoundrel's coat?"

"Do ye t'ink he'll mind?" Truly glances down at the pearls in her hand. "T'ere mine, not hers."

Kade rolls his eyes. "After kissing ye and constantly calling ye, Amph? No, I don't think he'll mind."

Truly nods and holds her hand out to dump them in the silk purse.

Undoing its tie, Kade moves to her as he opens the bag and watches as they fall within. "If ye need anything from here, we can take it. I know how ye hate coming back." Turning, he walks to the far side of the trove and carefully leans over Amph to slide the bag within Drake's coat's inner pocket. "Here are yer bloody pearls."

"Ye know ye'd want me pearls back if ye t'ought t'ey were taken." Truly smirks at him as she heads to the pool that they entered through. "I'm ready ta go. Ta only t'ing I want from ye trove is comin' with me."

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