Not an option. Hold it together, Rani. Fight.
I wasn’t the same terrified girl I was all those nights ago. I had magick, I had strength, and I damn well wasn’t going to die for a second time. I kicked and threw my arms out, trying to stop my spiral and find the surface.
There! Finally free from the current’s fury, I swam for my life, but the faint shimmer of light was too far. My body too exhausted. Each stroke of my arms grew weaker until I was left floating.
There was no more fighting it; that urge to breathe.
The instinct was too strong. Mouth open and lungs desperate, I inhaled. Fresh oxygen chased away the darkness closing in on my vision and lent a burst of energy to my weak limbs. Another inhale. Another. I breathed the water as easily as I did air on land.
I could breathe underwater! Holy fucking shit,I could breathe underwater.Why the hell did Cova not tell me this was a siren power? I wouldn’t have wasted so much time being terrified of drowning if I’d known it was no longer possible.
In my elation, I failed to notice the presence that now surrounded me. It was nothing I could see, but there was no escaping the feel of it. The feel ofHer. Oh no, had I given my soul away again? Something far more precious? Was that the price of this new gift? It was too late to stop whatever exchange I’d inadvertently agreed to, but I found myself unafraid.
I wasn’t alone, not like the last time I found myself in these waters. And maybe Ezra was wrong and I had given my soul away that first time, but I no longer saw it as a burden. No. This was a second chance. I got to live, to find my bond, and he was still up there fighting his own demons. Ezra needed me. So, the ocean could do Her worst, but I wasn’t afraid to bite back this time.
Amusement settled over my mind. As well as happiness—both emotions that somehow didn’t come from me.Visions and impressions assaulted me next, taking hold of my brain in a giant wave of communication that I had no idea how to stop, let alone understand.
Slow the fuck down!
The communication trickled to singular intentions, and oh man, did I have it all wrong.
Life.
Her entire purpose wasn’t to terrorize my nightmares, but to give life to the earth and the creatures who dwelled on it. And sirens were her greatest creation.
Protect.
Protecting the oceans and Her ecosystems wasone of my biggest passions and She recognized that. She saw in me a kindred soul and rather than take it, as I’d feared, She’d cradled it and delivered it to safety.
Give.
She found me worthy. She was the source of my magick and the reason for my transformation.Shewas my home, my safety, and all the world’s oceans were ready to greet me.
Yes. I wanted nothing more than to see them. To swim free and explore. Get lost in warm tropical waters and take naps on colorful reefs. Wake to the sun and fall asleep to the reflection of the moon.
A sharp pain in my arm made me hiss and break from the spell the ocean weaved. Another agonizing throb in my back. Ezra! They were hurting him. I looked toward the surface and, for once, didn’t find the distance too far.Nothingwas too far. Power surged through my veins. My magick coiled in my chest, ready to do my bidding and defend our bond.
Our enemies may have thought me dead, but little did they know, it was my time to rise.
CHAPTER 23
Rani
The storm and all its fury couldn’t hide the pain I knew Ezra felt right now. Our bond was on fire with it, and in return, so was I. He couldn’t block me out. His suffering leaked like a broken pipe, flooding our connection with agony so potent I could taste it, even over all the salt. I tried to wade through it, tried to see what they were doing to him, but it was all too much.
My fury multiplied, and the ocean responded with a swirling vortex of cool water and power. A whirlpool formed around me, circling tight enough to brush my shoulders. I floated calmly just beneath the surface, allowing the eddy and my magick to grow and strengthen, until the tight swirl grabbed hold of my body and projected me from the depths.
I hovered just above the surface, supported by a tunnel of water that swirled around my waist and legs. Wind and rain parted as I rose, as if the storm were afraid to stand between me and those destined to die under my wrath. It wasn’t a conscious decision—this flying through the air on a tube of water—shit, itwasn’t even an option in my imagination. The magick knew what I needed, and my will fueled the rest.
Like my own personal water spout, the ocean lifted me until I crested the cliff. All at once, the scene unfolded. Ezra was held face-down in the mud, a djinn on each limb spreading him out and nearly breaking his shoulders. He still fought. Curses fell from his lips; promises of dismemberment if they didn’t let him go.
Frost spread across the slick ground, like a creeping carpet of death. Unfortunately, the heavy rain was warm enough to make the spread too slow, and Ezra’s magick melted before starting over again and again. It took eight djinn to hold him down.Eight. The goddamn cowards.
One of the bastards broke away from the group, steel glinting in his hand as he drew a long knife from some hidden sheath. Ezra fought anew, like he could sense the danger literally hovering in the air above his neck, but the other djinn shuffled and pinned him harder.
Fear and panic and bone-deep terror sent my magick into a frenzy. It exploded from me in a warm wave that filled my entire body, all the way down to my sparkly toenails.
“Stop!” I shouted, my voice carrying over the heavy wind.
