Page 84 of Another Damned Storm

Lily and I shared a look but promised nothing.

He nodded, and in a blink, he was gone.

I let the silence settle around us for a while before finally asking, “Are you okay?”

She had her eyes closed and her head leaned against the back of the chair. “Not really, but there’s only so much I can do.”

“You two were close, though. Weren’t you? Even after Angie was born? I saw the way you were with her earlier.”

She didn’t respond.

“What happened?”

She rolled her head sideways to look at me. “Fiona, Matt’s wife, was an elemental witch, and she thought she could use her magic to stop the storms. She was wrong, and Matt blames her magic for her death. Well, that and himself.”

“Angie said he was there when she died.”

“He was there, all right, fighting right beside her. I don’t know what happened exactly. He still won’t talk about it, but I do know they were outgunned and overrun, and she was torn to pieces in front of him. Literally.”

My heart twisted hard. “Jesus,” I breathed.

“Those scars on his face…” She ran her fingers down her cheek. “Those are from that day. Can you imagine what that must be like? Every time he looks in the mirror and sees those marks he relives his wife’s death.”

I pinched my eyes closed. No wonder he didn’t shave. I wasn’t sure I would ever want to look at myself again if something like that happened to someone I loved. And I could understand him blaming himself. I would do the same if I were in his shoes, even if I’d done every damned thing I could to save her. Which I was sure he did.

But that didn’t explain everything.

“Why would he blame magic for her death?” I asked.

“She was trying to harness more power than she was used to, and the spell misfired. He knew about her magic from the beginning, long before the rest of the world could see what you and he could see. But if someone like her, who grew up with her magic, couldn't use it safely, how could anyone?”

“No one would be safe,” I said quietly. “Then why would he help me?” I motioned to the ground in front of us where he’d just spent hours helping me learn how to control my own unpredictable power.

“Because you’re you, Never. You sacrificed yourself for him.” She shrugged. “He put you up on a pedestal a long time ago, and he’s measured everyone else in his life against that image of you since.”

28

HOOK

The moment we were back in Matt’s quarters, Angie stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

He dragged his hands down his face, looking every bit of his forty-three mortal years. “She’s usually not so hot-headed,” he said, his voice laced with frustration.

I dipped my head. “I imagine this is a stressful situation for all involved.”

“Do we even stand a chance? We’re talking about humans going up against a god. How does that end well?”

“Historically speaking, it has been done. And it won’t be just humans. Having shifters and other magical creatures on your side can help.”

“If they don’t get us all killed first.” His fingers traced the jagged lines running down his cheek.

“I didn’t say it would be easy, but if it comes to a fight, you won’t be alone. You will have Never’s help and my help.”

“And what can you do, exactly? I get that you’re supernaturally strong. Are you fast? How can you help?”

That was a good question. In the Nassa, what was left of my natural abilities were severely blunted by the enchanted waters.Here, where the oceans were raw and vast, I had more options. My father might have stripped his Titan powers from me, but I still had those that I’d inherited from my mother, a goddess of the sea.

“I am stronger and faster than a human.” More so now that Never had reunited me with that piece of myself I’d been deprived of for so long, even despite the fact that I was sharing that very power with her. “So is your sister,” I added.