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I hardly wanted to storm into the driftwood cabin without knowing whose house it truly was. I lingered outside the door, hoping Tess had been watching us through the stained glass window.

Sure enough, the door squeaked open and Tess descended the steps, grasping my shoulders and pulling me close.

“You’re awake,” she sighed against me, squeezing me tight.

“Not for long if you don’t let me breathe.” I laughed against her, all the rage that had been simmering below the surface immediately forgotten with her presence.

Everything else may have gone to shit, but I still had Tess.

We walked over towards the pavilion that I had awoken in.

It was set up as makeshift sleeping quarters, with a few beds sparsely decorated with plain, simple pillows and blankets.

Each bed was covered in a mosquito net, and I imagined there were a great many other flying insects that loved the sea as much as we did.

Tess leaned against one of the beds, inhaling deeply and filling her lungs with the salty air.

“If we weren’t in the middle of a war, I could definitely stay here forever,” she sighed wistfully.

“I could, too,” I agreed.

There was something peaceful about this piece of land, and the ramshackle house nestled among the rock cliffs.

“How was that?” Tess asked, nodding towards where my mother stood off on the shore, her back turned towards us, facing the incoming tide.

“Just peachy,” I replied, jumping up onto one of the beds and crossing my legs. “How long have we been here?”

“About a day,” Tess replied, jumping up onto the bed opposite me.

“My magic should be back any time now, I expect.” I ran a hand through my mess of auburn curls, finding that it wasn’t nearly as matted as I had expected it to be after the battle in Siraleth. Though that isn’t to say it wasn’t still in rough shape.

“I suspect that is true,” Tess agreed. “What did mommy dearest have to say?”

I pinned her with a deadpan glare which had her curling over with laughter.

“How she planned to come back for me, but never did because I looked ‘so happy’ with my mortal family. How she’s sorry, but apparently keeping her identity a secret from me was more important than helping me with my storm magic.

Oh yeah, and she is bound. At least one of us has control over our storm magic. ”

“She is?” Tess asked, her hand flying to her throat. “How could she let you go through that, let that storm hurt you… and she had the solution in her back pocket the entire time.”

I shrugged. “Your guess is as good as mine.”

I let out a deep sigh as I leaned back on the palms of my hands.

I was utterly and completely drained from everything that was happening, and all I wanted to do was curl up into a ball and forget all of my problems. My body was drained of energy and magic, and I felt as if the fire had been sucked straight out of me. My head was throbbing .

“I know it isn’t any consolation at this point, but she’s the one who missed out. You are the most amazing person I know, and she would have been lucky to have seen you grow up.”

“Thank you, Tess.” I pushed off the bed and crossed the space between us, grasping her shoulders and pulling her into the circle of my arms.

If I could only stay like this, my head on Tess’s shoulder and her arms around me, everything would be alright.

There would be no war in Istmere. No malevolent sister trying to torture innocents and steal my crown.

No mother who abandoned me with a million empty excuses.

No unbound, uncontrollable magic to contend with.

And Nik would still be here—human—not some magic siphoning vampire.

I thought I had cried my last tears with Annelise and what was left behind was a hollow void. I pulled away only enough to see Tess’s face .

“I think I need some rest,” I told her, my words lacking any emotion. Despite having woken up from sleeping a full day, I felt as if I could barely keep my eyes open.

“I think that’s a good idea,” she replied, pushing off the bed and moving towards the house.

My brow furrowed in confusion. “Aren’t we sleeping out here?” I asked, gesturing to the beds beneath the pavilion.

“We are, but there’s a real bed in there that I’m sure you can take advantage of.” She motioned towards the driftwood cabin. “Come on.”

“But whose house is this?” I asked, skeptical.

Annelise was certainly close with whoever it was. I wasn’t sure what to expect when we crossed the threshold. Tess led me up the steps as she spoke.

“Annelise didn’t tell you? It belongs to Amiyah. She’s been begging to meet you. She’ll be happy to know you are finally awake.”

“And who—exactly—is Amiyah?” I asked as Tess reached for the wooden doorknob.

She turned her head back towards me, her eyes soft.

“Tyr’s mother,” she replied, as she turned back towards the door. “She’s Annelise’s sister. Your Aunt.”

I expected a surge of emotion, knowing this house belonged to family . To another member of the Kotova bloodline. But I still felt empty.

This was simply another secret Annelise had kept, and I didn’t have the energy to be bitter anymore. I only wanted to close my eyes .

Tess pushed the door inward, and we walked into the main living space, which was decorated with every single seashell that could fit inside the small cabin.

They adorned every surface and hung from every wall, all shapes and sizes.

There were bowls piled high with sea glass, and a coffee table made of worn oak that had a sea glass mural embedded in its surface.

The couch was linen and worn, the windows open, the shutters rustling in the soft ocean breeze.

I wasn’t sure what I had expected, but this wasn’t it.

Annelise didn’t strike me as a collector of things, so it surprised me that her sister was.

I wondered if Tyr grew up in this house, or if this was something special, for only Amiyah and her beloved trinkets.

The living space opened into a small galley kitchen with three doors off to the right, two bedrooms and a small washroom.

It might not be much, but it was loved, and lived in.

I could imagine Annelise coming to visit, walking the beach until she found the perfect shell to bring inside and add to Amiyah’s collection.

The first door on the right opened and Amiyah appeared, her brows raising as she took me in, her long grey-blonde hair cascading down her back.

“My, my, aren’t you the spitting image of your mother? It’s wonderful to finally meet you, Diana.”

Amiyah moved forwards but didn’t embrace me, she simply grasped my hands between both of hers and gave them a tight squeeze, her eyes soft when they met my gaze.

She was older than Annelise, but not by much.

Her once sandy hair had begun to grey, her green eyes creased with the start of wrinkles.

Her skin was tanned from the sun, each freckle merging into another to create a canvas of color across her skin.

I held her gaze, and whatever last vestige of emotion left within me leaked out as a hot tear rolled down my cheek.

“I’m sorry.”

It’s all I could think to say. All that could be said. Tyr was her son, and he was dead. He was dead because he had saved my life, sacrificing his own for mine.

“There is nothing to be sorry for, my dear.” Her grip was comforting.

I was surprised to find Amiyah wasn’t nearly as cold as Annelise. Not nearly as calculating. She was all warm sun and carefree comfort. I immediately felt safe in her presence. She felt like home.

I wiped my cheeks with one hand while the other was still grasped within hers and took a staggering, shuddering breath.

“We will talk later. For now, you need rest.” Amiyah motioned towards the second bedroom on the right and I could feel the loss of her grasp deep within my chest as she turned to open the door for me.

Her touch brought forth a healing all its own.

I wondered if healing ran in the family.

After all, Annelise was a skilled healer too.

Something about Amiyah brought forth an emotional healing, and I instantly felt as if I had known her for years.

“Rest as long as you need, Diana. We can talk when you wake. You are safe here.”

I nodded, wiping my nose with the neck of my dirt and blood-stained shirt.

I was too tired to be embarrassed, and the wrought iron bed with the lumpy mattress never appeared more comfortable than in this moment.

Tess gave me a reassuring smile that never reached her eyes as I closed the door between us, leaning against it.

There was an outfit of fresh clothes laid out on the bed before me, but I didn’t have the energy to change. I made my way over to the bed and curled up atop the comforter, my knees pressed to my chest, my arms woven tightly around them.

In the silence of the seaside bedroom, I finally let myself cry, every drop staining the pillow beneath me with salty tears and dirt that remained from the battle.

I cried until I was numb. I rocked myself to sleep beneath the thatched roof of the beach house, too tired to crawl beneath the comforter.

I had Tess and I had the resistance, but it didn’t matter.

I had never felt so utterly and entirely alone.

I was in an out of sleep for what felt like days.

At some point I had sensed my magic return, slowly stirring me from the fitful sleep I had fallen into.

The spark of energy lit within me, but I didn’t have the energy to grasp it.

All emotions of anger and vengeance had been sapped from my body with the last of my tears.

I was cold and hollow, as if the energy within me had depleted entirely and that the cup had never been refilled .

Tess had been checking on me frequently, and she had called for Puck to drag me to the small washroom between the two bedrooms. She had stripped the dirty clothes from my limp body, joining me in the tub and scrubbing my skin clean as my eyes fell closed.

She had washed and braided my hair in a simple plait down my back before dressing me in fresh clothes and laying me atop the bed once more.

She hadn’t spoken, and I had found comfort in that. That she knew I had to mourn in my own way, and that I wasn’t ready to speak about it all yet. That the reality of the situation had finally taken its toll on me, and it had left me weak and fractured.

I hadn’t expected Donika to ever break me… but in this moment, I thought that maybe she had.

The thought of Nik’s black, depthless eyes sent me back into a deep slumber. Unconsciousness was the only relief I could find from the constant grief of his loss.

I had never loved anyone before Nik, and the love I had for him was all-consuming .

It was fire and I was the kindling, no hope of withstanding the flames.

I would never see his glacial blue eyes again.

Feel his rough, calloused hands as they slid against my skin.

The flush of heat that rose to my cheeks when his hips pressed against mine.

I stifled a sob into the pillow as I rolled over, determined to banish every thought of Nik from my mind. Tess had heard my cries and silently entered the bedroom, curling up on the bed with me.

She held me until sleep took me once more.