“We should probably head back.” Reluctance colored her voice. “We have a tsunami to stop.”
“We have time.” He pulled her closer, his forehead resting against hers. “A few more minutes. Let me have this.”
“Have what?”
“You. This.” His voice cracked slightly. “And then you happened. And I realized I wasn’t as resolved as I’d told myself. I was just afraid—afraid of wanting something I might lose. Afraid of caring about someone who might leave.”
“I’m not leaving.” The words came out fierce. “Whatever happens with Nerissa—whatever happens with any of it—I’m not leaving.”
“You might not have a choice. The tsunami?—”
“Will not take me from you.” She gripped his shoulders, her nails digging in hard enough to leave marks. “I survived thesurge amplifying my magic beyond anything I could control. I survived a siren trying to drown me in a house. I am too stubborn and too dramatic and toomuchto die before I get to see what we could be.”
Aero made a sound that might have been a laugh or a sob. “Too much. You keep saying that like it’s a flaw.”
“It always has been. Too loud. Too intense. Too emotional. I’ve spent my whole life being told to dial it back.”
“Then everyone you’ve ever known was an idiot.” His hands cradled her face with devastating gentleness. “I don’t want you quieter or smaller or easier. I want every storm. You’re a storm, and storms aren’t meant to be contained—they’re meant to beunleashed.”
She blinked against the sudden burn behind her eyes. “That’s not on your flashcards.”
“No.” His thumb traced her cheekbone. “That one’s just me.”
The wind wrapped around them both—warm despite the coastal chill, steady despite her emotional chaos. Their magic, at last, working in harmony instead of conflict.
Cassia leaned into his touch and let herself believe it. Let herself believe that maybe, after all the years of being too much and wanting too hard and feeling too deeply, she’d found someone who wanted all of it.
Someone who wantedher.
She stood on the shore with the man who’d woken her magic and her heart, and let herself feel everything she’d been afraid to feel.
The storm was coming. Nerissa’s weapon grew stronger with every passing hour. Tomorrow, they would practice combining their powers. The day after, they would fight.
But tonight—tonight, they had this.
Each other. The stars. The hum of their magic running deep and steady between them like a promise.
It was enough.
THIRTY-SEVEN
CASSIA
The moon hung low over the Pacific, painting the sea cliffs in silver light. Cassia found Aero exactly where she knew he’d be—standing at the edge of the Dragon Ledge, staring out at the water like he could see the disaster building beneath its surface.
Maybe he could. Storm dragons had senses she was only beginning to understand.
The walk from her cottage had taken longer than usual. Every few steps, she’d paused to argue with herself.Turn back. He needs space. This is a terrible idea.But her feet kept carrying her forward, drawn by something stronger than sense.
Gust had thrown a fit when she told him to stay behind.You’re going to see the dragon. Alone. At night. Before a battle. This is how witches get eaten,he’d accused through their bond, ruffling his feathers in outrage.
“He’s not going to eat me,” she’d told him, though the look she got in return suggested her familiar found that claim dubious.
She’d left him at the cottage anyway, despite his offended protests. Some conversations required privacy. Some nights demanded it.
“You should be sleeping,” she said, her voice carrying over the wind.
Aero didn’t turn. “So should you.”
