“Dante, a shark!”
A sharp burst of pain erupts behind my eyes, blinding me for a second. I grip the edge of the chair as my vision blurs, spots dancing across my gaze. But then I feel a tingle at the back of my head. The same sensation I felt in Podrosa when Dante reacted to me mentally calling out to him. I can only hope it means he heard me.
I lean forward, tracking the shark’s movement as it heads toward a dark figure beneath the surface. In the water, the figure veers. Hard right.
The shark surges up with razor-sharp teeth, gnashing at nothing but water and air, missing him by seconds.
My breathwhooshesout in a silent gasp. I blink rapidly, tears springing from the pain now slicing down the center of my skull.
By the time my vision clears, I can no longer see any figures in the water, and I’ve lost sight of the shark.
The sea begins to rise again.
Faster.
Higher.
No.
The fae on the platform lifts both hands now, and the ocean obeys. Not a wave. A wall. A monstrous, roiling tsunami, taller than the balcony itself, threatening to bear down upon the bay.
Dante’s head whips up from the small waves near the edge of the bay. Behind him, the wall of water rushes forward, rising higher.
It’s going to hit him. It’s going to hit all of us.
The queen stands behind her fae, her features relaxed. She’s not afraid because he will keep the water from touching her. But the rest ofus?
My fury makes my body react, like a string pulling taut within my ribcage. That humming thread takes over. My power stirs rampantly beneath my skin, reacting to the danger.
“Get down!” someone shouts, but I stay rooted to the edge.
People in the crowd rise from their seats, retreating to the back of the balcony.
Nadya pulls on my arm, but I don’t budge.
My hands rise of their own accord. The magic surges before I can stop it, tearing through me like fire laced with glass.
I force one wave of energy toward the water surrounding Dante, pushing him far off to the side until he’s out of the path of danger.
Pain lances through my skull, sharp and blinding.
But the tsunami wave rolls closer to us.
I ignore my pain and push another surge of energy out to meet the approaching water. It leaves me in a burst—raw, unrefined. It burns as if my veins were being torn from my body.
The power slices through the air, and the wave shudders.
Come on!
I push again, despite my agony. The strong pressure, hot and relentless, forms behind my eyes. It feels as if my skull could burst.
The swell of water starts to fall apart, dropping into the depths of the sea.
What’s left of it breaks early, as if it’s hit a giant, invisible shield. It shatters apart in a fury of foam and spray, crashing down onto the platform instead of over Dante’s head. Most of the wooden planks split and splinter under its force. But the queen is safe behind the magic bubble of the water fae’s magic.
As the tide settles and the waves dissipate, my gaze darts over to Dante. He watches the water for a moment before his eyes find me. He’s too far for me to see his expression. In the next second, he dives under again.
I sag against the balustrade, my ears ringing. My breath comes in ragged gasps. Something warm drips from my nose.
