Oh, her mouth worked just fine, but there was no hiding the sweat on her brow or the sound of her labored breathing. I needed that saltwaternow. A vitality potion wouldn’t hurt either. They only took twenty minutes to brew, and that was the perfect amount of time to set everything up.
I turned so I could speak directly into Cova’s ear. Rani’s brows furrowed, unable to hear us as I instructed him on how to jimmy the lock on her bathroom window to get it open.
Sea breezes and old houses made for some rusted hinges. The siren heir boasted about his powers enough that he should be strong enough to do this. If not… well, he was never going to hear the end of it.
The old grandfather clock in the living room chimed the noon hour. This was going to take the rest of the day, at least. I knew she didn’t want to die, but my bond was stubborn and afraid. That combination meant a wicked storm was coming my way, and it would take all my compassion and patience to weather it.
But first, I needed to brew that potion.
“Cova will help you to your room, babe.” She flipped me off but allowed Cova to grip her elbow and steer her away. “I’m going to whip up a quick potion that you’ll be pleased to know will give you enough energy to punch me in the face if you so choose.”
I caught her mumbled response just before her escort burst out with a roaring laugh.Fucker. Wanting to castrate me wasn’t funny.
“I heard that!” I called to her.
“You were supposed to!”
I snorted and disappeared into the kitchen to start a pot boiling. At least she was still fighting. Our new bond was barely strong enough to give me anything but her most heightenedemotions, though, it would tell me if we were too late. And until that flame connecting us flickered out, I would dowhateverwas necessary to stoke it. Beg, taunt, crawl on my hands and knees.Anything.
She wasnotgoing to die. Not if I had anything to say about it. I’d be damned if Rani Whitlock lost her life before she even had a chance to take it back for herself.
CHAPTER 13
Rani
My body was a fucking wreck. Sweat gathered on the back of my neck as I wheezed out another breath. Only one flight of stairs left to go.
Hooray.
Despite how pathetic it was to know a senior citizen could beat me in a race right now, it wasn’t my deterioration that had my cheeks burning. It was the guy next to me who basically carried me to the second floor with just his grip on my arm. There was no hiding from that.
He said nothing when my hip popped or my back creaked. I almost face-plantedtwice—and had the new shin bruises to prove it—but still he remained silent. Until we reached the second-floor landing and the scent of salt in the hall made me freeze. The last door on the right, my room, should have been a sanctuary. Instead, it was both a balm to my fractured mind and the cruelest of tortures.
This side of the house faced the beach, allowing the salty brine to come through the fucking vents and settle overeverything. I didn’t care that the crisp scent kept me sane despite also triggering nightmares, or that a glimpse of that view was the only thing stopping me from pulling my hair out and wasting away like sand on the breeze.
It was a beautiful trap. And I kept those curtains shut tight.
In my weakest moments, I caught myself pulling back a corner and staring. Sometimes, I forgot why I hated this place or that I should be terrified of what a normal person would consider an incredible view. Too often, I remembered exactly why.
“You know we’re only trying to help,” Cova said, forcing me to resume the trek to that room.
It wasn’t phrased like a question. It was like the cocky bastard was so confident in their intentions that there was no need to convince me.
“I don’t remember asking.” Not for any of it.
Not for the djinn. Not for that night. Not for the blond burr that’s stuck himself to my side, and not for the meddling tutor who’d done nothing but watch me with that knowing glare.
His silent judgment rang loud as my legs gave out at the bedroom door. The wordless accusations circled but never landed as he scooped me up and carried me the rest of the way to the bed. He gently shut the door behind us, an obvious precaution that was completely unnecessary; I couldn’t bolt even if I wanted to.
“What?” I snapped as he helped me settle against the stack of pillows. “I said I didn’t need your help.”
“Hmm.” He threw a blanket over my legs and disappeared into the bathroom without any further argument.
He knew it was a lie. Worse,Iknew it was a lie. A huge part of me had been screaming for help ever since that night. Things were bad. None of my clothes fit, my head felt like someone tookan ice pick to it andleftit there, and just walking to the kitchen stole the breath from my lungs.
I needed help, but I didn’t know how to get out of my own way to ask for it. My mind and body were like two separate entities, and every day I felt them tear further apart. Soon, there would be nothing left of me but shriveled-up pieces that the seagulls wouldn’t even fight over. Despite my flippant attitude, I heard what Cova said.
I didn’t want to die. I didn’t do what I did that night because I was ready to give up on this life. I refused to give in. What was this last month of hell even fucking for if there wasn’t a cheesy Hallmark ending in my future? I gripped the comforter in my fists and took deep breaths.
