DANICA
I’d never been scuba diving. I’d never even been snorkeling, and my lack of experience in the water was biting me in the ass right now. My teeth chattered—from the fear more than the cold—and Kyla shot me a sympathetic look.
“You’ve got this,” she said. “I wish I could come too, but you heard what Mella said. All you have to do is trust the pelt to guide you. The hard part will be convincing their sentries to let you talk to the queen.”
I scowled at her. “Thanks for that.” But her crappy pep talk had at least helped me focus on what I’d say to the merfolk to convince them to allow me entry.
“If I don’t come back…”
“Try to save Samael, kill Lucifer, find Evie, yadda yadda.”
I grinned. I’d asked Mella if I’d need flippers and a wetsuit, but she’d merely smiled and told me her pelt would help propel me through the water, and it would also keep me warmer than a wetsuit.
May as well get this over with. The pelt was soft and silky, almost like being covered with a warm liquid as I wrapped it around my shoulders. I chewed on my lip as I realized I was going to have to hold it in place with both hands, making it difficult to defend myself. But I couldn’t risk it falling off my shoulders.
“Here,” Kyla held out her hand. She’d taken the claw-shaped clip out of her hair and when I stared at it, she took both ends of the pelt from where I’d wrapped it over my shoulders and around my neck. A simple twist and she’d tied them in two, fastening it with the claw clip. I’d still need to hold it in place with one hand, but I could keep my Nim Cub in the other hand.
That reminded me.
I took the pelt off, removed the lanyard holding the jeweled knife sheath Samael had given me, and then lifted the string wrapped around the rowan arrow over my head.
It was invisible to demons, and since the suppression spell had finally crumpled from my power, I could no longer see it at all. I held it out to Kyla.
“Can you see this?”
“Of course.”
“Keep it safe.”
I plopped it in her hand, feeling suddenly naked without the rowan arrow and my lanyard. But there was a pretty good chance all the salt water would damage them.
I slipped the pelt back on, finally ready. No more time to waste.
With a final nod at Kyla, I turned and padded across the sand until the waves tickled my feet. I’d swapped my jeans for black leggings, tucking my t-shirt in so it wouldn’t float up and distract me.
I glanced over my shoulder. Kyla waved at me. By now, I was chest deep. I was going to have to get this over with.
I took a deep breath and dunked my head.
No dummy, you don’t need to hold your breath.
I lifted my head once more and gasped for air. Shivers wracked my body. It wasn’t particularly cold, with the pelt wrapped around my shoulders and neck. No, this was terror.
I lowered my face into the water.
Take one breath. Just one breath.
I lifted my face out of the water again, inhaling sweet, sweet oxygen.
I couldn’t convince my body that it could breathe beneath the water. My every atom was telling me that I was an idiot and if I attempted such a stupid thing, I would drown.
My eyes burned. After all of the steps I’d taken to get here, I’d never imagined it would be my fear that would be the biggest issue.
I swam out a little more, until only my tiptoes were touching the ground. The water came up to my chin now.
Samael’s face flashed in front of my eyes. The feel of his arms around me. The smell of his cedar and citrus scent. The ash surrounding his body as he slowly crumpled into nothing.
Fuck this.
