Yvonne cursed and pounded the side of the ship with her fist. “I should make them all jump into the sea and drown,” she yelled.
“It’s not their fault they don’t have magic,” Raina pointed out.
Yvonne glared at her as if she’d said mermaids were hideous beasts who deserved to be strung up by their tails and gutted like fish.
“Search the ship,” Yvonne snapped. “Maybe it’s not a total loss.”
Half an hour later, Raina returned, her stomach roiling from the rocking of the ship and the thought of facing Yvonne, empty-handed. “There’s nothing,” she told Yvonne miserably. “I’m sorry.”
“Nothing? You checked all their cabins?” Yvonne asked, her eyes narrowing. “They don’t have jewelry or trinkets?”
“I—I didn’t think of that,” Raina said. “There’s a little bit of money in the office.”
“The Sea Queen is a goddess,” Yvonne yelled, rage frothing from her lips. “Do you think she cares about human money? She wants something special. Unique!”
“Sorry,” Raina said, taking a step back. “I’ll go look.”
“Take your time,” Yvonne snarled. “Not like I’ve been hanging from a rope ladder for half an hour.”
Raina clenched her teeth and lurched back towards the cabins. Her throat ached with unshed tears. She’d disappointed Yvonne, and worse, made her angry. She had nothing to blame but her own slowness and stupidity. Biting her tongue savagely, she relished the taste of blood. She deserved it.
Desperation growing, she searched each cabin and found nothing but a few dirty magazines, a lot of dirty clothes, and a wedding ring. She brought this back, praying it would be enough to appease Yvonne. When she presented it, Yvonne snatched it from her hand and nodded to the sailors. “I’ll sing,” she said. “Go take off their wedding bands.”
“You want me to take them off their fingers while they stand there? How?”
“Just ask.” Yvonne began to sing in her melodious, haunting voice, so unlike the harsh commands she’d just barked.
Raina’s worry and anxiety melted away. Everything would be okay. She just had to get the rings, and who wouldn’t want to give them to her? If the sailors heard how special Yvonne was, they would know she deserved those rings and more, and they’d willingly give them. So she glided over to the sailors, no longer clumsy, but as smooth as if she’d been skating on ice.
“Excuse me,” she said. “The singer would like a small tip for her song. Would any of you gentlemen be willing to part with a ring or two?”
She held out her hand, knowing that they would hear the beauty of Yvonne’s voice and not find the request at all inappropriate. And they didn’t. Crowding together, they hurried to tug off their wedding bands and other jewelry and deposit them in Raina’s outstretched palm. A minute later, she returned to Yvonne. “I got them,” she said.
“What a waste of a night,” Yvonne grumbled, not bothering to take the rings. “Let’s go.”
“Don’t you want these?”
“Put them in your dive suit,” Yvonne said, turning towards the water. “You can bring them to the queen. She may take a couple.” With that, she pushed off the ladder, doing a perfect back flip before her body sliced into the waves, her tail sliding through the blackness behind her.
Raina felt every pound of her body’s cumbersome weight as she climbed over the rail and slowly, rung by rung, descended the ladder to the sea. As she expected, Yvonne had disappeared, leaving her alone. But Seeley was there, bobbing in the water and anxiously awaiting her return.
Tears burning her throat, Raina let go of the ladder and wrapped her arms around her familiar, pressing her face into his cheek. If everyone else in the world left her, at least Seeley never would. He nuzzled his cold nose against her neck, his long whiskers tickling her ear, then pulled back and gave her a delighted grin. She laughed through her tears at his big, ridiculous smile. Seeley licked a tear off her cheek.
Just then, a splash drew her attention, and Yvonne surfaced. “Let’s go home,” she said. “There’s nothing on this lump of lead for us.”
“I’m sorry,” Raina said. “I didn’t know what to look for. I’ll do better next time.”
“Whatever,” Yvonne snapped.
“It’ll be okay,” Raina said, reaching to smooth Yvonne’s hair behind her ear. “Queen Thalassa must know not every ship will have treasure.”
“You wouldn’t understand,” Yvonne said.
“So tell me,” Raina said. “Help me understand.”
Yvonne just shook her head. “Let’s go. I’m worn out from swimming against these waves.” With that, she grabbed Raina’s shoulder strap and dragged her under. The knot in Raina’s stomach tightened with every meter they dropped towards the sea floor. It had been bad enough enduring Yvonne’s anger. What is she incurred Queen Thalassa’s wrath as well? What would the punishment be for angering a goddess?
seventeen
Sagely
Sagely, Fox, and Shaneesha sat on the stones around their flooded firepit, miserable and cold, trying to come up with a solution.
“We could break into the lighthouse,” Fox yelled over the roar of the waves.
“We could make the sand into glass and make a shelter for the night,” Sagely called back.
“I don’t have enough energy left for that right now,” Shaneesha said. “My magic’s got to recharge.”
“Me, too,” Sagely said, not wanting to admit that she was afraid if she tried to make a glass igloo, it might not turn out quite the way she intended. She was as likely to end up with a volcano as a glass shelter.
“Too bad Raina’s not here,” Shaneesha said. “Maybe she could make it stop raining.”
“Or Quill,” Sagely sighed. “He could make a shelter.”
“There’s a shelter right there,” Fox yelled, pointing at the lighthouse.
“I’m not looking to get arrested,” Shaneesha yelled back.
Just then, the lightning illuminated something white bobbing their direction. “What was that?” Sagely asked, her nostrils flaring.
“Maybe it’s Raina,” Shaneesha said, sitting up straighter.
The shape materialized out of the darkness. It looked like…a dripping, capsized boat on legs.
Fox leapt to his feet, Sagely right behind him. She dropped into ready stance, her fists tight, her muscles tensed to spring.
“Who goes there?” she yelled above the wailing wind.
“It’s us,” Gale said, ducking from under the boat. “We saw what happened to your campsite, and we circled back to get the boat. We wanted to offer it to you for shelter. Didn’t we, Guthrie?”
A noncommittal grunt came from under the boat.
“It’s not a tent, but we can lift your tent and use the dry sand under there to lie on, and we can dry out your clothes really quick with some wind…”
“Sounds cold,” Shaneesha said.
“You know what makes your clothes dry faster?” Fox asked, sidling up to Sagely and putting an arm around her. “Taking them off.”
“Fat chance,” she said. “You already got plenty of snuggle time tonight.”
“There’s never enough snuggle time,” he said, nuzzling her neck. “Especially when it leads to other things.”
“There will be, like, five of us under there.”
“Whatever floats your boat,” he said with a wink. “You are a witch.”
“No boat-floating,” Guthrie said, finding the collapsed tent and whipping it away from the spot of dry sand underneath. He lowered the boat, crouching and holding it up just enough that they could crawl under.
“We’ll huddle for warmth,” Gale said. “I can even put a little wind spell over the boat to keep out more rain.”
“It’s better than staying up all night in the rain,” Shaneesha said. “Thanks, y’all.”
“Or breaking into the lighthouse and winding up in jail,” Sagely said, elbowing Fox. “Come on, let’s get some sleep.”
To her surprise, the two
wind witches settled down on either edge of the boat to use a bit of magic and keep the wind out. At first, when they blew air through the underside of the boat to dry their clothes, it was miserable. The cold seemed to soak right through her flesh to her bones, and Sagely found herself clinging to Fox’s shivering body for the second time that night, sure she was going to die of hypothermia.
But eventually, their clothes dried. With the huddled bodies warming her, she fell asleep.
*
Sagely woke to piercing sunlight washing over her. She blinked up at the figure standing over her, momentarily blinded.
“This looks cozy,” said a voice that was so blessedly familiar she thought her heart would explode.
“Quill,” she gasped, struggling to sit up. But two pairs of arms were wrapped around her, and she couldn’t seem to free herself.
“A couple weeks away and you’ve already added another member to your collective,” he said. “Why am I not surprised?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” She glanced back and forth at the two men holding her. Fox on one side, Guthrie on the other. Both were sleeping snuggled up close to her, keeping her warm with their body heat.
“Just that you’re an incredibly desirable woman who any guy would be happy to risk his life protecting,” Quill said with a grin.
“Nice save,” Sagely said, struggling free and throwing herself into his arms. His mink, Maude, ran down his arm and onto hers, circling her shoulders before returning to Quill.
Fox sprang to his feet, his teeth bared. “What are you doing here?”
“Fox, my old friend,” Quill said, pulling Fox in and pounding him on the back. “Thanks for taking care of my woman.”
“Our woman,” Fox corrected, narrowing his eyes.
Quill hesitated, looking like he’d just swallowed a pickle. Finally, he nodded. “You’re right. Our woman.”
“I’m not anyone’s woman, and I can take care of myself, thank you very much,” Sagely said.
“That’s why I felt that surge of your magic last night that made me think you were dying?” Quill asked.
“Exactly,” she said lightly.
His laughter rumbled through his chest, against her cheek, making her weak with relief. She hadn’t realized how much she missed him until she saw him. Everything felt better when he was there, safer, saner. Her uncontrollable urge to dive headlong into each new endeavor stilled for a moment.
“I bet if you’d had one little mishap while you were with him, you wouldn’t have called me for help,” Fox grumbled.
“I wouldn’t call it a little mishap,” said a deep voice behind her. Sagely spun to see Guthrie sitting up. His hair was sticking up in every direction, and his shirt was rumpled, the top few buttons torn off to reveal muscle and soft curls of hair. Sagely swallowed and looked away. She seriously needed to get busy with one of her men before she started lusting after ones who weren’t in her collective.
Guthrie glowered. “You almost got everyone here killed. Except that guy, whoever he is.”
Annnnd there’s the little matter of Guthrie hating your guts.
“Let’s walk down to the beach,” she said, taking Quill’s hand. “I’ll fill you in on everything.”
As they walked, she told him about killing Ory. She winced at his sharp intake of breath. Witches didn’t believe in pure evil. They believed everyone had both good and evil inside, and therefore, anyone could be redeemed. Anyone could choose to stop feeding the darkness inside and instead feed the light, no matter how small, until it grew.
Sagely stiffened, ready to defend Fox, though she herself had scolded him for killing Ory. Still, she felt the need to point out that he didn’t know the witch code yet. But Quill didn’t chastise her or criticize Fox, so she went on. She told him about the poverty of the wind witches, who lived in a tent city of sorts, and about Raina disappearing, and about finding her with the siren. When she was done, they’d reached the beach.
The sand was wet, rippled by the wind, and cold under their bare feet. She’d had to take off her boots the night before, since they didn’t dry as fast as her regular clothes. Digging her toes into the sand, she looked at Quill, waiting for his reply. Waiting for him to tell her she’d been reckless, that she’d lost one of the strongest witches in their coven.
Instead, he pulled her close, cupping her face between his hands, and kissed her gently. “You can’t save someone who doesn’t want to be saved,” he said when he pulled away. “Raina made her decision. She was leaving the coven when she left Arkansas. I knew she wasn’t coming back.”
“But she’s being controlled by a siren.”
Quill frowned. “The siren wasn’t singing the whole time, was she? It sounds like Raina wants to be where she is. Maybe there’s a reason for it. She’s a smart girl. If she’s out there looking for her brother, we should let her look. That’s what she came for.”
Sagely punched his shoulder. “Why do you have to make everything sound so simple and sensible?”
“Because I’m awesome?”
“You are a tiny bit awesome, when you try.”
“Awesome enough to whisk you away to spend the day in a hotel room with me somewhere?”
“Not quite that awesome,” she said with a grin. “We’ve still got to free the coven before Viziri devours their magic completely.”
Quill’s expression darkened. “You’re right. He’s turned their magic dark like his, which means he can absorb it. And if he devours it all…”
“They’ll be turned into husks,” she finished.
“Sagely,” he said, frowning out at the turbulent sea. The early-morning sun shone off the waves, which still churned uneasily from the previous night’s storm. “I know you want to get your magic back from him. I just don’t know how we can fight him. Last time, you had all that magic. And we had the fae, a handful of witches, and a bunch of shifters on our side.”
“And the four elemental witches who unbound my magic,” she reminded him.
“This time, we have…what? One faery, and four witches?”
“We’ll just have to figure it out,” she said. “There has to be a way to defeat him.”
“What if there’s not?” Quill asked. “What if he’s too strong to be defeated?”
Sagely tugged at his arm. “Hey, where’s the optimistic warlock who thinks good always triumphs over evil? Come on, Quill. No one is invincible. Even Superman has a weakness.”
Still frowning out at the ocean, Quill sighed and absently stroked his mink’s head. Sagely could feel the magic within him, as powerful as always. He’d had time to replenish it. But he hadn’t gotten it all back to light. He was tainted now, because of his father. Rage bit at the edge of Sagely’s heart. That bastard had hurt her man, maybe in a way that could never be undone.
And he was going to pay for it.
“I’m glad you’re here, anyway,” she said, turning to face him and linking her arms around his neck. “It was stupid of me to do this without you. I thought…I guess I wanted to prove I could still make it on my own. But the thing is, I know I can make it on my own. I’ve been doing it since Viziri killed my parents.”
“I know that,” he said, his eyes earnest. “I wasn’t trying to take that away from you.”
“I know,” she said. “But see, I was a human all that time. I’ve been a witch for a couple months. I didn’t even finish my training. I can’t make it on my own as a witch, Quill. I need your help. I probably need a lot more help than even you can give, to be honest. I’m afraid I’m going to kill one of my friends next time. I’m really lucky Guthrie came along last night, or I probably would have.”
“About that Guthrie guy,” Quill said, his green eyes darkening and his arms tightening possessively around her waist.
She laughed. “Don’t worry, he hates me. Besides, he and Raina hit it off, and I figure since I got you, she gets him. It’s only fair.”
“You got me all right,” he said, bending to place a rough k
iss on her lips. “And now you’re stuck with me.”
“I’m so happy to be stuck with you,” she sang.
Quill cringed and covered his ears in mock horror. “At least I know you can’t lure me in with your singing, like the siren.”
“Thin ice there, Mister,” she warned, shaking a finger at him.
Quill laughed and slid his arm back around her waist. He paused, confusion crossing his face. “Why are you wearing a gun?” he asked.
“Oh, it was Ory’s,” Sagely said, pulling it out. “That’s what he shot Raina with.”
“Again, why do you have it?”
“Fox took it,” she said. “He gave it to me for protection.”
Quill nodded, seeming to relax. “I’m just glad you’re safe. I knew better than to let you run off with your other fiancé.”
“Fox was very much a gentleman,” Sagely said. “And he saved my life like twenty times.”
“Fine, I won’t throw him in the ocean and watch him sink like a brick.”
“You better not.”
“To tell you the truth, I didn’t figure he’d get within twenty feet of the water. The fact that he went all the way out there to protect you… Well, between that and the fact that his troupe is watching out for the coven so I can be with you right now—”
“And my cat?”
“And your cat,” Quill said. “But seriously. I respect the little guy. You did good in picking him.”
“What do you mean?” Sagely asked, pulling away to look at him.
“I figured he’d be playing the martyr card, trying to get some action,” Quill grumbled.
“He’s always trying to get some action,” Sagely said, rolling her eyes.
“I did not need to know that,” Quill said. “Don’t make me change my mind about him. I welcome him as a member of your collective. No more quarrels between me and him.”
“But why wouldn’t he get near the water? Besides the fact that it’s cold as hell and we nearly drowned about a million times.”
“Didn’t he tell you?” Quill asked, his eyebrows rising in surprise. “Fairies don’t float.”
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