Page 25

Bree

W hen Marissa finally extracted herself from my arms, she gave me a sharp look that was only slightly ruined by the soaking-wet curls stuck to her face. "Not cool. Not cool at all."

"It’s the Atlantic Ocean," I explained. "The currents keep it pretty warm, even this far north."

"No, you turd. This whole deal you made with that witch."

Oh. That made more sense than commenting on the water’s temperature. "I had to, Rissa. If Mom can’t be here to protect you, then I’m honored to do it for her. It’s what she wanted."

She groaned. "No, she didn’t. I know for a fact Mom would not have asked you to throw your life away or even to take her place. You’ve protected me for long enough. It’s time to let me make my own mistakes."

I stared at my little sister, not sure when she had grown up on me. Was it because I’d disappeared and she’d had to worry about me for a change instead of the other way around? Or had I just not noticed her maturing like this before?

She must have misunderstood the look on my face because she smirked. "I mean, yeah. We all know I already make mistakes. Plenty of them. I meant let me deal with the consequences. You know, on my own."

I couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled out of my mouth, and I pulled her in for another tight squeeze. I was so unbelievably proud of her.

This time when I let Marissa go, she removed the talisman from around her neck. My breath caught in my throat, but her legs didn’t join into a tail and no scales appeared on her skin. The potion had worked, thank the goddess.

"Once I found your note, I forced Cal to drive me to the nearest beach," Marissa said.

"You probably could have tested it out in the bathtub."

"Ugh, no, you dope. I was going to come after you."

I opened my mouth to argue against that idea, despite it being in the past, but she clamped her hand over my mouth.

"I know what you’re going to say. You said it in your letter. I didn’t care then, and I don’t care now. I wasn’t going to let you throw your life away like that. Not for me. Not for anyone."

She pulled her hand away, but it hadn’t been necessary to begin with. I was at a complete loss for words.

She scooped up Finley and nuzzled him. "But this little guy wouldn’t let me. He told me about the siren patrols and the risk I’d be taking. He also told me about the contract you signed."

My shocked gaze turned to Finley. "How did you know about that?"

I followed you, of course , his tiny voice chimed in my mind. I couldn’t let Rissa get trapped, too.

Marissa stroked his head. "So instead of heroically storming into the witch’s cave and demanding she let you go, which would have felt really fu—um, freaking good, I told Cal everything."

" Everything ? Or just enough?"

"Everything. And he and I’ve been trying to figure a way for you to get out of the deal. A magical loophole or something. But good thing you got out on your own because things weren’t looking good on our end." She paused and eyed me with suspicion. "Wait, you got out of it, right?"

I nodded slowly, still stunned. Good thing indeed. I could only imagine the even bigger mess we’d be in if Finley hadn’t stopped Marissa from following me.

Don’t get me wrong. I loved her for even trying. But her headstrong nature and impulsivity would have had catastrophic consequences.

Or maybe she would have saved me after all. We’d never know, and that was definitely a good thing. All that mattered now was that my contract with the witch had ended when she sold me to King Ateleíotes, and I’d gotten my magic back. Win-win.

Marissa held up the talisman. "You ready?"

That was a good question. I took a last glance behind me, gazing across the ocean until it met the horizon. Even now, the vastness of the underwater world called to me, singing of endless possibilities. Full of mysteries and dangers unknown.

Was I ready? I’d wanted to return to land ever since I’d gotten myself into this mess. But after everything I’d learned over the past few weeks, I wasn’t as sure anymore.

Something had happened to the Naftes kingdom. Some one had happened—Calypso. In theory, my father should have been more than powerful enough to stop anything she’d attempted.

So, why did I feel this uneasy?

Likely because I’d learned firsthand just how slippery that snake of a witch could be. My father’s magic was powerful, but hers was stronger than the last time she’d tried to take over. I had no idea what she’d gotten from Ateleíotes in exchange for me.

There was only one way to find out, but I wasn’t sure I was ready for that return either.

I was trapped in the jaws of the tide and I didn’t know which way to go first. I had to find out what evil plan Calypso devised for our father, but I also needed to make things right on land.

I had a list of people I needed to apologize to.

The more I considered it, the more I realized I would need backup to stop Calypso. Not to mention moral support just to face my father.

Knowing I would return to the ocean soon, I nodded to answer my sister’s question. I was ready. As ready as I could be.

Marissa draped the talisman over my head. A tingle spread through my body before sizzling heat tore my tail in two. I bit back a cry and clenched my eyes shut, holding onto my sister for dear life.

Good gravy, this was such a painful experience. I had no idea how other shifters got used to the pain, if they ever did.

When the pain finally subsided, I was human again. Mostly. A few scales glittered along my forearms, reminding me that my time on land was limited no matter what I wanted. At least we only had one talisman failing to worry about.

Unless Calypso had lied about a potion yet again and Marissa’s tail made an unexpected appearance. But that would have to be a future-us problem. I had enough to worry about in the here and now. First, I needed to tell Dominic what I’d learned about the pyrocrystals.

I hated knowing I was going to disrupt his life once again, but he had to know what I’d found out.

Except, what if he already knew? Maybe he’d already handled that whole crystal situation. Me showing up with old news might just rip open wounds that were healed. For him, anyway. My heart was still a fractured mess.

What if?—

"Wanna see something cool?"

Marissa’s question startled me out of my thoughts. "Always."

She held up her hand, fingers splayed, and I watched as webbing formed between them. They grew into thin purple membranes that would help propel her through the water. Just as quickly, they receded and disappeared back into her skin. No trace left behind.

"I have total control over the entire change, and you wanna know the best part? It doesn’t hurt. At all." She beamed with excitement.

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t jealous. I was only a mere mortal, after all. But my happiness for her overrode any other emotions. I grinned back. "Oh good. That means I’ll never have to listen to you whine about it ever again."

As I laughed at her annoyed expression, a wave nearly knocked me over. I spat out a mouthful of salt water. I was far less balanced without my tail.

Her annoyance melted into laughter, and she waded back to where she’d left her bag. She came back with a pair of swim bottoms. "Here, put these on before you get out, so no one thinks you mistook this for a nude beach."

I slipped on the swimsuit beneath the water. I still wore the pearl-rimmed bra, which she now eyed with a raised eyebrow.

"I’ll tell you the story on the way to D.C.," I said.

Back where she dropped her bag, I pulled on a dry top, then held up a towel as a curtain for Marissa to change behind since she’d soaked her clothes. Calvin wouldn’t let us use his car again if we didn’t take care of it. Actually, I wasn’t sure how she’d arrived.

"You drove Cal’s car, right?" I asked.

"How else would I have gotten here so fast?"

"Speaking of which, how many laws did you break?" I shot her a look. "It should have taken another hour. At least."

She waved a hand dismissively. "Who’s even counting?"

I held out my hand. "Keys, please. I don’t trust your driving skills. Or lack thereof."

She rolled her eyes. "There’s no way Cal would let me drive this far. He’s waiting for us."

Oh, thank the tides. That was a relief. While I was sure he broke more than a few laws driving here at record speed, at least he knew what he was doing behind the wheel. He probably cast some sort of spell to keep off any police radar.

Back at the parking lot, the wizard leaned against his Honda, staring off into space and lost in his thoughts. A common occurrence for Calvin. When we approached, his face lit up, and he immediately swept me up into a tight hug.

"And here I thought your sister was the dramatic one." After setting me down, he pushed his glasses back up his nose and frowned. “Wait, am I supposed to address you as ‘Your Highness’ and bow?”

"Ugh, no. And Rissa still wins the drama award." I dodged the elbow she aimed at my ribs and laughed. "See?"

"Ha ha, you’re hilarious." She planted her hands on her hips. "I’ll have you know I’ve been an absolute wreck."

I winced. "I know, I’m sorry. How can I make it up to you?"

"For starters, I want the story. Every juicy detail, especially where you got that gorgeous shell top from. Oh my goddess, did you go home? Did Dad see you?"

Calvin opened the car’s back door and gestured us inside. "Your chariot awaits."

While he drove, I told them everything that had happened, including what I’d learned about Ichiro and Calypso. When I told them how I escaped, Marissa pressed her lips into a thin line.

Her knuckles were white as she gripped the door handle tight. "I wish you would’ve killed them. Or that I could."

My eyes widened as I looked at her, proud of her protectiveness. But I also knew she had no idea what she was saying. Taking a life was never easy, no matter how well-deserved.

"It wouldn’t feel as good as you’d think."

Marissa shrugged. "Hashtag worthit."

I snort-laughed but didn’t disagree. Knowing King Ateleíotes could never hurt another female was worth any guilt I might have carried.

Calvin had been unusually quiet throughout my story. I glanced at his reflection in the rearview mirror, noting he’d drawn his eyebrows together. "What’s up?"

He tapped his thumbs on the steering wheel. "Just putting some pieces together. We’ve heard about the dragons’ pyrocrystal trade at the GIG."

"Why the hell haven’t they shut it down yet?" Marissa asked.

"Lang—"

"You’re not my mom anymore!"

I chuckled but threw my hands up, relenting.

"The GIG lost that battle against the dragons ages ago," Calvin explained. "Dragons oversee dragonkind, and the GIG only steps in when anything involves non-dragonkind."

"So why do they care about it now?" I asked.

"Because it’s now affecting non-dragons. They’re creating addicts. Very dangerous addicts."

"Yikes. What are they planning to do about it? Is there some sort of protocol?"

"Well, that’s the puzzle I think I’ve finally put together, and if I’m right, then it’s not good."

A sinking sensation gripped me. I knew that whatever he was about to say would affect me somehow. There were too many connections for this to be a coincidence.

"What is it?" Marissa asked.

"I think the GIG’s going to use this to shut down Subliminal. For good."

"What!" Marissa’s shriek could puncture an eardrum. "Why? How? When?"

Despite the dire situation, I almost laughed at her response. I felt exactly the same way. But this was far from a laughing matter. I couldn’t let that happen to Subliminal, the gym members, and most of all, not to Frankie.

"You know they’ve wanted to take the gym down for years,” he said. “Now they have their chance, even if their intel’s not fully accurate."

I frowned. "I don’t understand. Surely they would need ironclad proof.”

"They’ve got evidence of trades happening at Subliminal. I believe they’re going to use the gym as a scapegoat, saying that all, or at least most, of the deals happen there."

"But that’s just crazy," Marissa protested with a harrumph. "It’s not true. It’ll be easy to dispute."

"Sadly, it doesn’t have to be true." Calvin sighed. "The dragons will be more than willing to make that deal to redirect the blame and avoid any serious repercussions. The GIG’s a lot more powerful now than the last time they butted heads."

He was right. The GIG had been after Subliminal for the illegal fights Frankie hosted, long before I’d shown up. And everything I’d learned about the ferocious dragons said they would protect their own above all else.

This was the GIG’s chance. Two birds, one stone—not to be confused with girls and a cup, a rather unfortunate fact I’d learned the hard way.

They would shut down Subliminal, one of the few Gifted safe havens in D.C., and they’d lock Frankie up for sure. Someone at the GIG must be after a big promotion to not care enough to go after the real culprits—the dragons.

Or more specifically, one dragon.

Ichiro Sato.

Now I had no choice. I had to give Dominic the information I’d learned. He had to help me stop Ichiro and the GIG. If he refused, then the gym was in major trouble.

A very big pickle.