She sat in the bathtub until her fingers pruned and the water went lukewarm. Most of them hadn’t slept in twenty-four hours, and now they were too close to the island to rest. Her body was sluggish, but her mind still raced ahead.
The elementals kept insisting she was a last resort, and they needed to try and stop Sebastian themselves by getting close enough to draw his magic out with the dagger. But the fact that they worked all night to train her to control herself with the weapon made her fairly certain they were worried their plan would fail. And she was terrified.
There is only one way to stop me.
The king’s words skated through her. Isla wished she knew how to stop him withoutharminghim.
For some reason, the memory of Celesine telling them about the dagger kept snagging at her. The way the spirit elemental had led them to the idea of putting all four of their powers into the dagger had been so subtle, so discreet, that Isla still couldn’t decide if it’d been intentional. She didn’t see a reason for Celesine to have been so…well,manipulativewas the only word that popped into Isla’s head. Or secretive.
Maybe she wasn’t completely honest about what she knew.
Isla shoved the thought aside. There was only so much the Primeval gods allowed Celesine to say, and she’d been trying to use the prophecy as a guide to help them. Even Isla had begun to wonder if they should take the wording of the second prophecy more seriously.The power of all to the power of one...what if she was the “one”? What if she was the only shot they had?
Her thoughts led her in circles, right back to the idea of taking the elementals’ power and facing Sebastian herself. She wasn’t sure if she could go through with it if that’s what it came to. Isla was firmly convinced that he was being manipulated, and she couldn’t face the idea of hurting him when he may be as innocent as she. He needed someone to snap him out of whatever trance he was caught in. If only they knewhowhe’d come into his powers, then they could figure out how to stop it. But since he wouldn’t answer her questions and the elementals did not know what could bestow this magic—save for the Primevals—they were at a loss.
Do you have feelings for him?
She pinched the bridge of her nose as Kai’s question rang out.
There was a tap on the door to the small bathing chamber, then Bri’s head popped in. Her best friend looked worse for wear, her curly black hair matted on one side and her lavender tunic rumpled. She yawned and stretched as she walked in and said, “That nap was way too short. How are you doing?”
Isla subconsciously shifted so the arm Rynn had bruised was shielded from view. “I’m okay, just trying to mentally get ready for whatever’s going to happen today. Can you hand me that towel?” Isla motioned to the gray towel hanging over a chair by the door.
Bri grabbed it and tossed it as Isla stood in the chilled bathwater. “How do you feel about seeing Iona?” Bri asked.
Isla stepped out of the tub and dried off, mulling through her thoughts. “I’m…well, I’m nervous. And pretty scared that things will go wrong and someone will get hurt. But it’s also a little exciting.” She gave Bri a half-smile. “We’re going to thelost kingdom of the gods. How crazy is that?” A breathless laugh escaped her lips.
Bri grinned. “And your family used torulethat kingdom. That’s even crazier! To think, if that war hadn’t happened, you might’ve been queen one day. I guess Hamil calling you ‘princess’ wasn’t too far off. Or should I say, ‘Your Highness,’” Bri teased.
Isla rolled her eyes. “You wouldn’t be the first.”
Bri gave her a curious look, and Isla’s cheeks reddened. A low voice wove through her, the memory of blue eyes, a strong chest pressed against her back, and gentle fingers grazing her arm flashed across her mind.
Her friend narrowed her eyes, then started handing Isla a change of clothes. “Rynn’s been broodier than usual. Did something happen?”
Isla stiffened, then continued pulling on her leggings.
“What’s going on with you two?” Bri asked. “I mean, when I met him—what was it, a week and a half ago—you told me there was something good there, but all I’ve seen is you avoiding him and both of you acting tense all the time.”
Isla pushed her arms through the sleeves of her green shirt and began buttoning the front. “It’s…complicated. I don’t know, Bri. I don’t want to talk about it right now.”
Bri blocked the door as Isla tried to sidestep her. “Nope. You’re not leaving. I’m your best friend, Isla. I’ve told you every embarrassing detail about my love life.” She reached out to hold Isla’s hand. “Is this about Sebastian? Did you tell Rynn about your kiss?”
Isla’s lips twisted nervously as she took her hand out of Bri’s.
No matter what had happened with Sebastian, her mind had been trying to tell her that nothing permanent could come of a relationship with Rynn. She’d seen a side of him lately that made her uncomfortable. He’d always been protective, and at the beginning, she’d found it endearing. It was a wonderful feeling to be seen as something so precious and special that he would doanythingto keep her safe, to give her what she needed.
But at some point, it had turned into what hethoughtshe needed, no matter how frequently she expressed her own desires or made her own decisions. His entitlement over her choices suffocated her. And he had such a combative nature, was so easily swayed to anger in response to the actions of others….she never thought she would fear him, but after learning more about his past and seeing his aggression firsthand, she knew she didn’t want that.
Isla absentmindedly twisted her fingers over the bruise on her right forearm as she thought about how to convey the change in her emotions. Bri caught the movement and frowned. “What are you doing to your arm? Did you hurt yourself?”
Isla jumped and hastily folded the sleeves of her shirt down. “Oh, no, no, it was nothing, just—” She cut off as Bri jerked forward.
“Show me your arm, Isla.”
“It’s fine, Bri, seriously—let it go.”
“I would’ve let it go if you weren’t acting so weird. But now, absolutely not. Show. Me. Your. Arm.”
