Page 41

Daphne

I whipped around the second I found my footing, almost falling over from the strength of Lukas’s shove. He wasn’t thinking about force, just getting me out of the way. “What thefuckwas that for?”

My question went unanswered, because Lukas was jumping over the railing, supporting himself on one strong arm and swinging his legs over.

I surged after him, even though I knew I couldn’t help. Not when I was clearly at fault.

The gaping, jagged hole in the protective barrier was letting sea water in a rushing waterfall. Little cracks, glowing blue and shooting out from the rip were growing with each passing moment, creeping further and further away from the source.

AndI just had to watch. My fingertips still buzzed with the use of power, the sensation only just registering, punching through my frustration and my shock.

I ran over to the railing, leaning over to see where Lukas had gone. Saltwater sprayed my face, splattering on my clothes, but that didn’t matter.

There were staff apartments and storage rooms below the grand ballroom that were now at risk of a massive flood. Let alone the steady pool of water that was growing under my feet, spreading over the marble floor.

Lukas landed on the floor below, both hands wide as he pulled the water toward him, manipulating it into a large sphere in front of his face. The water sloshed and railed against the barrier Lukas was drawing around it.

It was centuries old magic that kept the water out of the palace. And I’d just ripped open a hole without trying.

Lukas was gathering the water, but that wasn’t our biggest problem. He couldn’t do both at the same time and seal the barrier.

And I couldn’t help. Not with his power anyway. But I still had mine.

My mind ran through ideas, weighing the pros and cons with lightning speed until the best option practically knocked me in the forehead, glowing bright.

I pushed off the railing and turned. Thankfully, no one had noticed the extent of the drama yet. That was a problem for after we weren’t at threat of a flood. I ran to the door, spying Adrian looking like he was trying to hide behind a curtain.

Odd, but again, no time to deal with anything but the issue at hand.

He lifted his head the second he saw my face, surely panicked and drained of blood. A quick beckoning motion with my hand sent him running toward me and out the door as subtly as possible.

“What happened?” he asked the second he was out of earshot.

I pointed to the hole. The cracks had deepened a shade, growing closer to breaking.

“Hole in the barrier. Lukas can’t close it while trying to keep the water contained and I can’t help because my power was the one that caused this mess. You need to turn the water into clouds,” I explained in a rush.

Adrian didn’t miss a beat. “That’s going to be a massive thundercloud. But it might work. I can move it over the gardens and dump the water there.”

I all but shoved him toward the railing. “Good, fine, whatever. Justdoit.”

Adrian shucked off his jacket and rolled up his sleeves, the necessity of the situation breaking a rule Lukas told me he never faltered on.

Showing any of the skin under his suit.

I expected to see the mass of tattoos covering both arms or the scar no one in his close circle ever commented on, but his skin looked pristine.

Corrina Aphrodite and her aesthetic manipulations popped into my mind for a second but I shoved it down.

Adrian leaned over the railing and barked a “Lukas” to grab his attention. Something passed between them, because seconds later mist started gathering around Adrian’s hands as he turned the water into eerie gray clouds, thick and heavy with rain.

With practiced skill I would always marvel at, Lukas pulled himself back up our level, wrapping his hand around two posts and using nothing but brute strength.

Our eyes collided for one tense second before he turned and started sealing the breach. At first glance, you couldn’t tell that Lukas was doing anything, but a more attuned eye could see the tension in his body.

The strain in the muscles in his neck, the definition in his forearms.

The barrier repaired itself from his machinations, the invisible shield keeping the sea at bay melding back together. The fissures faded, leaving behind no trace of tension or strife.