I shook my head. “No one has really been able to communicate with me.” Just a few letters and notes sent in by the princeps.
“It’s rising,” he confirmed. “The process is slow—it has miles of water and tunnels and magical blocks to push through, but there’s no doubt that the lock is broken.”
“What does that mean?” I asked quietly.
He shrugged. “I have no idea. All we can do is wait and see what this brings about. That land has not stood for thousands of years. There’s no way to tell how this will change supes or magic.”
“What about humans?” I said drily. “Going to be kind of hard to hide an island rising from the sea.”
Louis chuckled. “We’re setting up shields and diversions around the area. No human should discover the secret, even if they’re flying above.”
He straightened and clapped his hands together. “Before we worry about that, let’s deal with your power.”
He asked me a bunch of questions, noting the ways my energy had changed now that it was released. “It used to feel like a warm spot in my center,” I told him, pressing my hands to my stomach, right over the scar that I’d always carry from the Atlantean blade. “But now it’s an inferno. I have to actively concentrate on not spilling power everywhere, and if my emotions are riled at all, it…”I lose all control. “If your solution doesn’t work, I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to leave this room.”
Louis wrapped an arm around me again. “The thing with your power is that it’s very elemental in nature. I spoke with Asher, and we both agree that you are built for water. In water your power would be easily controllable. Here on land, not so much.”
“You said you could teach me,” I reminded him, trying not to sound as desperate as I felt.
He nodded. “And I will. But neither of us have months right now to disappear. The world is changing at a rapid rate, and we’re going to be needed. Soon. My solution should allow you to finish your school year and give me time to deal with what’s happening back home. Otherwise, we’ll all have much bigger problems than a powerful Atlantean.”
Louis lifted his hand. Dangling in it was a blue swirly pendant shaped like a wave, with jagged edges. “It took six sorcerers to forge this pendant,” he said slowly. “It’s the strongest magical amulet that I’ve ever seen in my years. It’s infused with water and designed to absorb and disperse your energy.”
Reaching out, I slowly took the long silver chain attached to it. “This is my short-term solution,” Louis said as I lifted it over my head, letting it fall down to rest against my chest. “Believe it or not, your powers are still growing, unfurling their wings, which were clipped long ago.”
I shuddered at the thought, not happy to be this powerful. It was too much. The pendant worked immediately; the heat lessened inside of me. A feeling of control came over my energy. I understood what Louis was saying: I’d still have to be careful, but this would help me control the power.
Louis was watching me closely, assessing my energy with whatever magical sight he possessed. “It’s working,” he said, looking pleased.
Turning myself fully in his direction, I decided to be blunt. “Do you know if I’m Atlantean now? Am I the daughter of a god?”
Louis stood, his beautiful face creasing into a smile. “You’re definitely Atlantean. Your power flows like the tides of the sea. And … the god thing … does it matter? Would it change who you are and how you feel? You might very well be the last daughter of the queen and a god, I can’t tell, but you’re still the same Maddison you’ve always been. Your parentage does not define you.”
I had one answer, the other still unknown, but I found myself somewhat satisfied anyway. Louis reached the exit and turned back to smile at me. “Ready to return to the world, Maddison James?”
I pretty much flew out the door.
39
Ifound Asher in the pool, his muscled frame cutting through the water with angry slices. My heart was fluttering like crazy as I stood on the edge and watched him power along—his head remained down, not a single breath taken.
“He’s been swimming for days,” a low voice said from behind me. I turned to find Axl there, his expression shuttered, his eyes wide and shiny as he stared at me. “Whenever he’s not sitting with you, he’s swimming. All of us have been.”
“I’m sorry, Ax,” I said softly, knowing that our separation had been hard on all of us.
He wrapped his arms around me and I sank against my friend. “I’m so glad you’re okay,” Axl said. “The last three weeks have been hell.”
I thought that I’d cried myself out during my isolation, and still my eyes burned. A splash behind us had me spinning around, Axl all but forgotten as a naked Asher stalked toward me.
It was the first time I’d gotten a chance to see all of him, and the sight had my mouth dry and knees weak in the same instance.
“Ash,” I breathed, my heart thundering in my chest.
He hunted me across the wooden deck of the pool and scooped me into his arms. I wrapped my legs around him and oddly enough, it almost felt like more of my energy settled inside. Between Asher and the pendant Louis gave me, I might just figure out how to keep this power at bay.
Our lips crashed together in a kiss that almost stopped my heart. It was desperate and filled with lust and need and … something deeper. We’d been through a lot now, the past year defining me in ways that the previous twenty-two did not. Kissing Asher now, in this second that both of us were safe and free, made it really hard not to cry at how perfect this moment was.
When we finally pulled away, Asher ran his fingers through my hair, gently caressing the long strands, his thumb brushing across my cheek.
