Cova’s eyes couldn’t have gotten any wider if he admitted he was part goldfish. The color drained from his natural tan, and even the glow in his hair dimmed. He didn’t have to say how bad things were; his reaction was enough.
“She will die without the ocean,” he emphasized. “She has another day, maybe two, before her organs begin to shut down. If that happens, it will go downhill. Fast.”
There was no getting around it. Rani had to get into some saltwater. Getting her down to the beach would be easy enough with the two of us carrying her, even if she fought, but I didn’t want to go that route if I didn’t have to. I would do everything in my power to save her. I only hoped it didn’t cost me the chance to win her heart.
“What if we brought the ocean to her?” I asked, a plan forming. I wasn’t sure how exactly I’d make it work, but ideas were swirling the more I thought about it.
Cova nodded, on board without even hearing the details. “I’ll do whatever you need.”
Good. Because this wasn’t going to be an easy task. Rani might very well hate me by the end of it, but at least she’d be alive. It was a fine line to walk. Traumatizing her wasn’t the route to go down; she had a true fear to work through, and what little trust thatmightremain would be gone in an instant if I forced her into anything.
But perhaps I couldeaseher into this.
“Are you prepared for what you might need to do?” he asked, chin set in the same stubborn determination I was sure molded mine.
I glanced out the window to the crimson-haired beauty whose heartbeat perfectly matched my own. I would do whatever it took to save her. Even if it made her hate me.
The back door closed on a silentclick,and the pad of footsteps echoed toward us. Cova and I waited at the bottom of the stairs. Better to ambush her here than in her room, where she would feel more trapped. Rani rounded the corner, a tiny wraith, and came to a halt at the sight of us.
Her head whipped back and forth, confusion slipping into narrowed eyes as she froze with one foot turned. Did she even realize she’d naturally sunk into a fighting stance? The one Itaught her? Pride bloomed in my chest, momentarily muffling all other negative emotions.
“What’s going on?” she asked, nostrils flaring.
The scent of her panic was like acid in the back of my throat. Her toes curled, and her weight shifted, and I knew she was going to bolt before getting an answer to her question, but we were prepared for that. I had her MO on lock by now.
The straight staircase to my right turned into a dangerous slip-n-slide on my next breath. There would be no escaping that way. Thick layers of ice covered each step, and the temperature change was enough to expose the puffs of Rani’s breath as she panted. Her muscles twitched, body ready to run, but her mind hadn’t caught up yet. Before she could try to lunge for the hall, I sealed the archway with another wall of ice.
“It's not very polite to leave an unfinished conversation,” I purred. “Cova and I just need a quick word with you.”
“About what?”
“I think you know.”
The curl in her lip and heat in her gaze did nothing to keep her from shivering. With barely any fat left on her, her bones were practically clacking against one another.
I relaxed my grip on the ice, allowing it to melt some and ease the temperature. The bottom two steps thawed, and the leftover water flowed down the floor and beneath our feet.
Rani jumped at first but quickly settled and even wiggled her toes with a sigh of contentment. And didn’tthatfeel real fucking good. Slight color returned to her cheeks, and I got to see in real time exactly what Cova was talking about. Gods, I was an idiot to not see it before.
“That,” I growled, and risked taking a step closer. “No more hiding, babe. This self-destruction is going to stop.”
Fuck. She spun with a swiftness I didn’t expect and made a dash for the kitchen but thankfully, didn’t get farther than a step.A wall of water rose before her, from floor to ceiling, blocking her last exit besides the front door, which was locked.
Cova’s fingers gently waved in the air as he manipulated my melted ice, and I watched as Rani realized she wasn’t going to be escaping this conversation. Her hands trembled at her sides as she spun in a slow circle, checking and double-checking that all her exits were blocked.
I let her calm down, and as the fear faded back into anger, she locked onto the two of us like a torpedo ready to launch. She was getting much better at wrangling those emotions of hers. I hated that I had to bring them out so often, but she truly was getting quicker at gaining control each time they were let loose.
“We can control water?” she asked, a sad attempt at avoidance.
“We can,” Cova confirmed, ever the teacher. “You could, too, if you bothered to try.”
I snorted. “Good fucking luck. I’ve cycled through it all: taunting, guilting, outright asking. She’s too scared.”
“I’mnotscared,” she glowered, lip curled as if the very idea was dripping with audacity. What was audacious was her level of denial.
“Are too,” I jeered. Before we could get into a childish back-and-forth, Cova stepped between us.
He stared her down, a faction heir pressing his will against an insubordinate novice, until she was forced to look away. But he saw what I did: a stubborn girl refusing to let go of the hope that her nightmares weren’t real and that things would go back to the way they were.
