Rani
I could still hear it. More than two miles away, up on a third-floor balcony, surrounded by land and what Ezra called ‘fucking impenetrable wards,’, andstillI heard the sea. Smelled it even. Although that was maybe more from the dried salt on my skin and the few strands of my hair the breeze pulled free.
The first thing I did upon arriving was steal one of Eryn’s many hair ties. With my long, ruby strands once again tied up, I was able to focus on more important matters. Like how the hell I was going to get out of here and what I was going to do about the damn siren bell I’d barely managed to turn off.
It was too late for denial. I had magick—I’dfeltit—but that didn’t mean I had touseit. Or acknowledge it. That flaming ball of power in my gut wouldn’t control me. I spent the whole ride from campus forcing it deep down inside me. Burying it far under my fear and rage. No one mentioned me glowing anymore, so it must have worked.
Good. Maybe if I ignored it long enough, it would evaporate and leave me the fuck alone. I didn’t want it.Anyof it. Not myonce dream school by the sea or the dream job in the same sea. Not the best friend with magick or her broody boyfriend. And definitely not his cousin, who saw too much and whose mere presence pulled at something in my chest that left me aching for hours.
I didn’t fucking ask for any of this!
My never-ending supply of rage rose inside me once more, and with nothing to distract me from it, I fell into its hypnotizing embrace. I couldn’t be hurt here. I was powerful and strong. Nothing would dare touch me.
A flutter in my stomach warned me a second before I heard the sliding door open. He didn’t have to speak for me to know my time of quiet contemplation was over. Honestly, I was surprised he lasted this long.
“Kind of hard to plan the summer without you there.” Ezra’s tanned arms leaned on the railing beside me. The picture of confidence. “Don’t you want to know what we’re getting up to?”
“There's no need. I’m going home for the summer.” I turned my back on him and walked inside.
I already knew he was frowning, and the adorable wrinkle it put on his forehead wasn’t going to tempt me to change my mind. Not today. The cool air conditioning raised goosebumps along my arms, and I tried rubbing them away.
Kai and Eryn stood in the living room, quietly arguing about something before suspiciously going silent at my approach. Kai’s mouth was set in a firm line, typical for him, and Eryn looked at me with something akin to regret. My stomach churned.
Ezra closed the door and once again stepped beside me, closer than before. Fuck. Something was wrong. Oh God. Was it the djinn? Were they back on campus? My palms began to sweat. IknewI couldn’t have been the cause of all the crazy today.
“Somebody better tell me what’s going on, right now, before I start thinking the worst,” I demanded, and Eryn flinched. I felt the blood draining from my face. “It’s the djinn, isn’t it?”
Kai’s brows rose. “What? No, it’s not the—”
“Well, it kind of is,” Eryn interrupted.
I staggered, and Ezra threw an arm out to catch me. Static stung where his fingertips met my skin, but I didn’t care. They were back and I was as good as dead. Cold dread sank into my limbs until they grew so heavy I could barely stand. Then the shaking started. I knew I was angry and bitter and completely undeserving of my second chance, but I really didn’t want to die. Not again.
“Fucking hell, guys! What was that?” The voice sounded like it came from the other end of a long tunnel, and I couldn’t tell who it belonged to.
A large shadow blotted out my field of vision. It was topped with blond hair so pale it was almost white, and the contrast was enough for me to notice. I gasped in a breath before instinctively holding it again. Who knew when my next one might be?
“Rani,” that frantic voice called from the other side of the panic currently strangling me. “Baby, you need to breathe.”
Warm fingers wrapped around my hand, and the little sparks of contact loosened some of the tendrils around my neck.
“Come on. You can do it.”
My hand was pressed against a solid surface. Something warm and safe. I wasn’t sure how I knew that, but a part of me wanted to get closer. Panic’s grip loosened even more as my fingers curled to try and hold on to that lifeline. It moved beneath my palm, a steady rise and fall with a melodicthump-thump.
“That’s it, baby. That’s it. Just follow me.”
Rise and fall. Up and down.
Thump-thump. Thump-thump. Thump-thump.
The shadows only clung to the edge of my vision now. In front of me, Ezra held my hand to his chest while whispering small encouragements.
“Can’t… breathe,” I stuttered, fearing the panic that still hovered over me like a knife. It wanted me, I knew. But it wouldn’t get me without a fight.
“Yes, you can,” Ezra argued. “You’re doing it now.”
I shook my head. Breathing was supposed to be easy. It wasn’t a fight for each lungful of air. How could I be doing it so wrong? He cupped my neck, clueless to the tingling his touch left in its wake, and pressed on my jaw with his thumb until I looked up. Icy determination met my gaze, and I knew then that Ezra wasn’t going to let the panic have me either.
