Rocks rain down in front of the seal like meteors, slowing its pace. I can’t tell if it’s Natalie or Sophia doing it, but it doesn’t matter—I’m the one with the net, and I’m the one who’s going to catch it.
God, Ihaveto catch it.
My feet pound on the wooden planks as I follow the seal’s path. Rocks continue to rain down, forcing it closer.
“Yes, keep doing that!” I shout, not daring to look back and lose sight of the dark shape beneath the surface.
I slam into the railing, knocking the wind out of me, and unfurl the net—but the seal vanishes under the pier.
“Katie, hurry!” Natalie shouts, her voice strained as she holds Sophia back. The desperation in her tone cuts through me.
“I know!” My heart is beating out of my chest as my strategy dissolves intodon’t miss and don’t die.
I race to the other railing and climb up, wobbling as I lean over with the net ready. The cold spray hits my face, mingling with my sweat.
Abruptly, the net jerks in my hands like it’s being pulled. I tighten my grip, nearly losing my balance. “Hey!”
Back where I came from, Sophia is forcing Natalie back with a park bench—and one of her hands is extended my way.
Oh crap. She’s not only here for the chimera—she wants the net.
And based on how easily she’s deflecting Natalie’s attacks, there’s a chance she might get it. It tugs again, and I keep a tight hold, jumping off the railing before she can send me tumbling into the frigid water.
The train is coming to its end, the last car visible along the shore. We’re running out of time—and I’ve lost sight of the chimera beneath the waves.
A chunk of wood rips up at my feet, and I hop aside to avoid the gaping hole.
“Katie, get off the pier!” Natalie shouts, her voice strained with the effort of fending off Sophia. Even in the midst of a fight, she’s thinking of me first—always protecting me, always putting me before her.
My eyes prickle. Bundling the net tightly in my arms, I do what she says and break into a run.
The pier disintegrates beneath me, making me stumble as I sprint for safety.
Fuck, Sophia ruined my chance. The chimera is probably halfway across the bay.
But maybe that doesn’t matter right now—not when we’re being destroyed by a woman who shouldn’t be this powerful. Her magic is so strong I swear I can see it, like purple mist emanating from her pores. As she sends a hunk of the pier at Natalie, knocking her off her feet, it’s sickeningly clear that we might not make it out of this alive.
Sophia laughs, taking pleasure in watching Natalie cough and splutter on the rocks. My vision narrows, a haze creeping in at the edges. I’ve never wanted to hurt someone so badly before. If I had magic right now, I’d use every drop of it to make Sophia pay.
The ripping pier trips me as I reach the end, and I fall to my knees, pain jolting through my legs.
“You can’t protect her forever, Natalie!” Sophia sings.
There’s a pause—a heartbeat of absolute stillness. A ripple passes over me from head to toe as something shifts in the wind. I suck in a breath as if it’s my first gulp of oxygen after my head was trapped underwater.
The air crackles like we’re in a thundercloud as Natalie straightens up, her chest heaving, blood streaming from a dozen cuts. Even from here, Icatch the spark of fury in her eyes—a dangerous flash of purple to match Sophia’s.
I’ve seen Natalie angry, but there’s something different now. I’m looking at a witch whose father was tortured and whose mother was killed by the woman standing before her. And now Sophia just threatened my life too.
At the look on Natalie’s face and the low, rumbling quake beneath us, Sophia’s sneer falters.
I get to my feet, backing away on shaky legs.
With a roar, Natalie sweeps out her arms, and the ground under Sophia ruptures. Bricks rise out of the boardwalk like a tidal wave, concrete splits and reforms into deadly spikes, and the rocky beach surges upward in a violent explosion that knocks Sophia off her feet.
Sophia lands with a shriek, flinging her hands out to catch herself.
“Not so confident now?” Natalie advances, gathering more ammunition, until even the train beside us shakes with the force of her power.
