Only the kappa doesn’t. With the net distracted, he’s free to power forward and possibly win the whole thing. A crown that only one mythic can claim anyway. Their alliance would have to end sometime, so why not now?
Instead, the kappa scrabbles up the rock after Ophelia, chasing the net as she struggles to claw herself free. He’s almost to her when the net flops on the shoreline and falls loose.
“Stop!” Ophelia shrieks, and I’m sure her anxiety has finally arrived.
But then I realize her hand isn’t clutched to her chest. Instead, they are both open in a staying gesture extended toward her ally.
“I’m free,” she calls out. “And I’m disqualified.” That’s true. Like the fish did before with other competitors, the net dragged her out of bounds. “You still have a chance, Niko. Go!”
Finally, the kappa listens, giving her a nod of thanks before plunging back into the maze. But I don’t pay him any further attention as I shove away from Owen, slide down the steep bank, and rush to Ophelia’s side. My hands glide over her skin as I search for injuries. A few scratches and bruises, but that’s all.
“How are you?” I pant the question, adrenaline pumping hard through my veins.
My magic searches her aura for sickly orange. For signs of fear.
There is none.
“I’m great!” she gasps and throws her arms around my neck, pulling me in until we topple onto the ground together. Her wet bathing suit soaks my clothes, but I couldn’t give a shit because she’s in my arms, laughing. “That wasamazing! Did you see me?”
“Every second.” I stare down into her golden eyes. “You’re not upset about being disqualified?”
Ophelia laughs and shakes her head. “Not at all. I wasn’t in it for a win.”
“Then, why’d you sign up?”
Her hands cup my face, thumbs tracing my cheekbones.
“Because I wanted to live. To challenge myself. To be a little wild. A little dangerous.” She sighs, and it’s like a lifetime of tension leaves her in that one breath. “To show myself I can do anything I want.”
“You can. You can conquer the world if you want.” I lean down and press a gentle kiss to her lips, soothed by the steady warmth in her. “How do you feel?”
Fire sparks in her eyes.
“Free.”
EPILOGUE
OPHELIA
Three Months Later
My professor ishot.
He stands at the head of the room, all of us students in a half circle, facing him as he lectures animatedly about the literary merit of first-person point of view. I think my panties are about to catch on fire.
But I keep that fact to myself.
No need to traumatize my fellow students or fluster the already-blushing professor.
After four weeks in his class, I’d have thought Professor Shelly would be better at ignoring myI want to fuck you the second we get off this campuseyes.
But the witch is hopeless, so I drop my horny gaze to my notebook and listen to him teach.
“Your assignment for the next class is to choose a prompt from the syllabus, write a five-hundred-word scene in third-person limited. Then, rewrite the same scene in first person. Iwant you to experiment with different writing styles so you can discover how you personally enjoy telling stories.” He turns off the projector, which is a sign that we can start packing up. “Don’t forget to swing by my office hours if you have questions. Have a good evening.”
With that, we are officially dismissed. I take my time packing up my belongings, giving my classmates an opportunity to claim the professor’s attention. A young woman with half her head shaved asks him about tense—our choice—and then he’s free.
“That was a good lesson.” I offer the compliment as I prop my hip on the table beside the podium and wait for Broderick to unhook his laptop and slip it into his bag. “I’ve already got ideas.”
