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Chapter Nine

“He is mine, princess. He belongs to no other but me. And tonight, I’ll show you how true my words ring as I tear you limb from limb. I will keep you alive to watch me feed each part to my pets. And I will force you to witness the magnificence of an all-powerful god breaking into tiny pieces until there is nothing left but the shell of a prince.”

She couldn’t escape the kelp bindings. She couldn’t fight the magic that held her prisoner. Caspian, perched on a rock, looked on, his face void of expression. His entire body appeared lax. Uncaring.

But the vicious battle in his eyes speared her heart.

Whatever spell Dima wove, she made him a prisoner within his own body.

The witch swam closer, the kelp forcing Aria to recline horizontally. Her pointed smile and dark eyes filled Aria with terror.

She flicked one of her serrated claws against her front teeth and laughed. “Relax, little princess. I’m going to take my time and savor every moment of your death…”

Aria jolted upright in bed,cold sweat pouring down her face and plastering a nightshirt to her body.

“Easy, princess.”

The deep, familiar voice instantly put her fear to rest as she realized she wasn’t about to be hacked to death by Dima’s nails. No. It was a nightmare. Nothing more.

Caspian lowered himself to sit on the edge of the bed and held out a mug. “Here. Drink this. It’s some concoction of Brack’s that he insists is vital to promote healing.”

“Healing?”

The discomfort hadn’t registered while her mind reeled from the nightmare, but at the mention of a wound, flash memories swarmed her, casting aside the dreamy haze and leaving her with full clarity. She pushed the blanket down enough to lift the edge of the nightshirt and see where a patch of white cloth had been taped to her belly. No blood drained through and she didn’t feel pain. Just a little soreness.

She started to peel back the tape around the cloth, but Caspian stopped her. “Let it be for now. You were shot.”

When he removed his hand, she tugged off the tape and lowered the cloth. Caspian sighed and shook his head, but a half-grin curled the corner of his lips.

A pink circle marred her skin, but there was no hole. No stitches or salves. Just a discoloration that remained the only evidence of her ordeal.

“I think it looks good.”

Caspian leaned forward. His grinned flattened as he repositioned the cloth dressing to see more of her skin. A furrow appeared between his handsome brows. “Well, that’s impressive.” He removed the rest of the tape and brushed a finger over the raised circle of flesh. “Healed completely.”

“Why do you seem surprised? You helped, didn’t you?” When his azure gaze lifted to hers, she had her answer in the silent way he sought something unknown in her eyes. “Idid this?”

“You possess more than one elemental gift, Aria. What other gifts do you possess that we don’t know about? You have the gift of water, and fire as well. At the warehouse, right before I kissed you, you were crying lightning pearls. In your anguish, you sent immense lightning to the ground and it didn’t end until I stopped it.” The same finger that brushed over her healing wound traced her brow, tender and filled with wonder. “The fire that started in the warehouse was started by you. And before you allow yourself to feel guilt, I never cared about it. I wouldn’t go back, even if I could. But I, too, unleashed damaging powers that will come down on me sooner rather than later. It’s only a matter of time before the king puts the pieces together.”

This revelation floated around her head. She’d caused that terrible fire? She’d produced lightning? How was that even possible, considering she was merely a daughter of the sea? How was it possible, even with the emotional trigger, to create something so magnificent and destructive when she could barely control a wave or create magic with water?

“What damage did you do?” She straightened up, diverting her attention from the strangely unsettling development about her own gifts, taking the mug from his hand and inhaling the spicy scent. “Was my sister…”

“She’s in the tunnel. I would not leave her behind.”

“Thank you.” She took a sip of the warm brew and scrunched her nose. “Ugh, this is terrible.”

Caspian chuckled. “Seeing how well you’ve healed yourself, I’d say you don’t have to finish it.” He took the mug from her and placed it on the floor. “You don’t seem too interested in your new gift.”

“Do you have such a gift?”

“Not to that extent. At least, not that I’ve honed in a controlled environment.”

“But if something impacted you emotionally, do you think you could do the same damage?”

Caspian sighed. “Let’s say I don’t care to find out.”

“I’ll accept that.” Aria threw off the covers, twisted to get her legs next to Caspian, and scooted to the edge of the bed. “I think I’m in need of a bath.” She pulled a strand of seaweed from her matted hair. “Terribly so.”