Cal patted Ben and Criss on their backs. "What they said."
Still, Dan hesitated.
Then the voice boomed again. "You have until the count of three to give me the Eye, or I'll take it by force. One!"
"Go!" Cal hissed at his brother.
Dan kissed me quickly then turned to leave, but a terrible thought crossed my mind, one that pretty much ruined my original plan. I reached out and latched onto his arm.
"Wait!" I cried. "What about the hydra?"
"Two!"
"I'll just have to take my chances," he said, glancing around the group.
"What if you lose the Eye?" Criss asked.
Dan shrugged, but his expression was pained. "Better at the bottom of the ocean than in the hands of King Thane or King Zacharias."
Wasn't that the fucking truth.
"Three!"
A battle cry invaded the air like a swarm of angry bees, and soon there were ropes and ladders stretching over to our ship from all sides. They were going to board.
Dan slipped quietly down the side of the boat and entered the water as the rest of us ran around pushing ladders away and untangling ropes. It'd be easier for Dan to escape if we could keep the enemy distracted, presuming that we really did have the Eye and that we were trying to protect it at all costs.
My power simmered anxiously beneath my skin as I shoved a foreign ladder into the sea. But I held it off. So far, no one had made any overly violent moves, and I didn't want to be the one to throw the first stone.
Keeping the Hydraticans at bay was a futile endeavor though. Every time we pushed one rope or ladder away, three more would take its place. Soon, they'd be swarming our tiny vessel and it would all be over.
My magic itched to ensure that didn't happen.
Suddenly, a cannon sounded, the boom echoing into the night like thunder, shattering the last layer of peace between our ships like a broken window.
As soon as that first shot was fired...
All hell broke loose.
Chapter 30
Horns sounded in the distance, more cannons fired, and the ocean rocked in an unsteady rhythm.
My brain worked overtime to try to figure each event out, while simultaneously shooting fire at every ship I could find.
Horns? Where are they coming from? Is Rubio here to back us up?
I found a ship and shouted, "Fire!" Then I watched the reflection of my flames in the dark, choppy water until my target lit up like a bonfire.
Why are they shooting cannons? They're clearly not aiming at us—no lead balls dropped through our ship's deck or even landed in the water beside us. So, who are they shooting at?
I spotted another ship. "Fire!" I yelled, and sent a fireball soaring right at it. I silently cheered as it too went up in flames.
And what's up with the ocean? It's rocking like mad, like something's disturbing it. Does it have something to do with Dan? The hydra? The Eye?
It was impossible to tell.
But, damn, I was getting horny...
Suddenly, Dan lurched from the sea and landed belly-up on our ship's deck, soaking wet and clutching the Eye with white knuckles.
He looked delicious as sin, all wet and wild and sexy as hell.
"The hydra's back!" he shouted, momentarily knocking me out of my haze of lust. "I can't escape through the water. Not with that thing on my ass."
"Son of a bitch," Rob cursed. "I'll try to call Captain Brinewurst and his crew back. Maybe they can help again."
I turned to Cal. "We can't get the Eye to safety by land, ship, or sea, but can we get it there by air?"
Dan passed the Eye to Cal and leaned back, trying to catch his breath. I wanted to crawl on top of him and steal his breath in a different way.
"I'll see what I can do," Cal said. "I'll head for the arch. Meet me there if you can."
I tore my eyes away from Dan and nodded. "We will."
Cal kissed me; then he jumped into the night air. As soon as his body was surrounded by sky, his powers kicked in and propelled him high and away from us.
I exhaled a shaky breath. This was our last hope. I had no other ideas after that.
Splash! I gasped and shivered as a bucket of ice-cold water streamed from my head.
"Sorry, Jewels, but we don't have time for an orgy."
I glared at him. Rob, cockblocker extraordinaire, had saved the day, yet again.
"Thanks," I muttered dryly.
He chuckled as if my irritation amused him. "No problem."
A shrill screech tore through the air, and I didn't have to see the four-headed beast to know that the hydra had just emerged from the water. More cannons sounded, and I hoped the lead balls were being directed at the sea creature this time, rather than us or our allies.
Ash shook out his limbs and prepared to shift. "Here we go again," he whispered.
But I stopped him immediately. "No way. The Hydraticans won't know you from the real deal. They'll attack you both."
Ash shrugged. "So? What's the worst that can happen? I die and have to turn back into a hydra again?"
I pursed my lips and contemplated his words, but he didn't give me much time to think.
He kissed me quickly and jogged to the side of our boat. "I got this, Sweets."
Then he jumped, disappearing in a swirl of golden dust.
"Damn it, Asher!" I shouted at the empty air.
Horns sounded again, louder this time. I turned in their direction and, by the ginger light of a burning Hydratican ship, I saw a new fleet of vessels sailing closer. They had ruby red flags waving at their sails.
Rubians! Thank the gods. They really had come to our aid.
The Rubian ships opened fire on our enemies, just as Ash emerged in hydra form and attacked the other four-headed sea beast. Their fangs and claws clashed, the cannons boomed, the ocean churned, and the burning ships snapped and crackled. The battle raged on in a continuous push and pull of victory and defeat. Who would come out on top in the end? As long as Cal got the Eye to the arch, then we would be the victors.
That thought no more than crossed my mind when Cal came soaring down from the sky. He landed with a thud on one knee and quickly strode over to us.
"I can't get through."
"What do you mean, you can't get through?" Dan asked, joining our circle.
"I mean, I can't get fucking through," Cal growled. "There are harpies all over the sky. They attacked me at every turn."
"Harpies?" I repeated in surprise.
I mean, yeah, okay, I knew that Eristan wouldn't support us after my marriage to Ben and Rob. And, yes, I suppose I knew Camilla was courting the Hydratican princes, Blane and Zane. But for some reason, I never really put two and two together and assumed that Eristan would actively serve as our enemies.
Fuck, this was bad.
I shook my head and stared at the fiery destruction I'd caused. One of the ships masts creaked and crashed to the deck beneath, breaking a hole in the planks and sending embers sparkling into the night.
"We're just going to have to go through," I decided. "If I burn enough ships, they'll eventually sink and make a path for us."
Rob held up his bucket. "I'm on cool-off duty."
I stuck my tongue out at him. "You would be."
"Hey, somebody has to make sure rule number one gets enforced." He cocked his dark-haired head to the side. "Speaking of, what's the score right now?"
"The score says it's my turn next," Criss butted in. "Because I'm at zero."
"The score doesn't matter right now," I snapped.
They both chuckled as if my impatience was adorable, but they at least shut the hell up.
I scanned the horizon in search of my next target. "Fire."
A wave of curly peach flames shot from my palms and crashed into my intended ship with enough force to rock it side to side. Its hull quickly caught fire, the flames spreading up onto the deck, sending its crew into a panicked frenzy.
Splash! Rob doused me in seawater
.
I growled and shot him a deadly glare. "You could at least wait until I'm actually feeling horny."
He shrugged. "I'm thorough, what can I say?"
I rolled my eyes and focused on another ship, blasting it with my power. Then another and another. I made my way in a circle all around us, lighting up ships one by one until the entire Hydratican fleet was ablaze.
When the last ship caught fire, Rob doused me in water for, like, the fifteenth freaking time. Growling, I spun around to give him a piece of my mind, but a group of harpies carrying Hydratican soldiers landed on our deck. One of which wore a royal blue robe and a crown with sapphire jewels and pearls. He was tall, broad shouldered, and had dark hair and dark eyes like Blane and Zane. There was no doubt that this was their father, King Thane.
The harpies and soldiers parted, creating a path for the Hydratican monarch to walk right up to us. His expression was dark yet amused as he held out his hand. "Give me the Eye."
I'd half-assed forgotten which one of us had it, until I saw Cal clench his fists tightly behind his back.
"We don't know what you're talking about," Cal lied.
King Thane chuckled. "Yes, you do. Hand it over and live or die trying to keep it. I'd much prefer the prior option, wouldn’t you?"
Live, yes. Hand over the Eye, no fucking way.
In a last-ditch effort to save our asses, I shot a fireball straight at the king. A Hydratican soldier jumped in front of him at the last second, sacrificing himself to the flames instead of his ruler. Screaming and flailing as his skin burned, he jumped into the sea.
King Thane's dark eyes got suddenly darker. "You will pay for that."
The next moment, Cal launched into the air, followed by a hoard of angry harpies. As he made one last beeline for the arch, the rest of us started fighting on deck. I tried to pay attention to everything, the soldiers as they swung their swords at me and the guys, Cal as he dodged the harpies in the shadowy sky, Ash as he fought the hydra in the inky sea... but it was difficult. A few times, I ended up sliced in the arms, cringing as blood raced like a stream down to my hands.
"Rob!" Cal shouted from up above, and he tossed the pearl to his brother.
Miraculously, Rob caught it—I had no idea how—and he quickly handed it off to an invisible spirit, the pearl disappearing into thin air.
Yes!
But before I could even blink, a spear lodged into Rob's chest, and he dropped to the floor in an angry growl. King Thane's boot came down hard on his chest and pinned him to the wooden deck below. "I suggest you get that back. Right. Now."
He twisted the spear, and Rob cried out in pain.
Suddenly, we were all crying out in pain as the connection of the blood bond dropped us to our knees. Cal fell from the sky and splashed into the waters below. The white-gold hydra screamed from all four heads and thrashed wildly in the water, taking out enemies and allies alike.
As Rob's strength wavered, so did his power over the spirits. The pearl flickered in and out of view as it undulated between the astral plane and the real world.
Gritting my teeth against the ache in my chest, I forced myself to stand. I needed to get the damn thing before King Thane did. That's all I knew in that moment.
Without any further thought, I lurched into the air, swiping my hand as the tiny pearl briefly flickered into view. As soon as I made contact, it smacked to the ground and rolled over to Dan.
"Go!" I cried.
A second later, Dan and the pearl were once again darting through the ocean toward the arch. Only this time, the hydra was occupied, so he actually stood a chance.
Or so I thought.
King Thane smiled wide, and his eyes lit with madness, a look of victory smeared onto his arrogant face. "We have him now."
Fear consumed me. Why? Why does he think they've already won?
And then, I got my answer.
A thousand freaking heads suddenly rose above the surface of the water. Their skin was dark, perhaps blue or green, and it shimmered like scales in the firelight. As soon as they opened their mouths and started to sing, I knew we were fucked.
Sirens.
Of course there'd be freaking sirens, this was Hydratica we were talking about—an entire kingdom of people ranging from human to full-blooded siren and everything in between.
I'd been so preoccupied with the hydra that I never even thought about there being another threat in the sea.
Stupid, stupid, stupid!
I covered my ears, smashing my head in an effort to block out their music, but my brain felt like mush. I couldn't concentrate; I couldn’t see straight. My whole world tilted and wavered, and I tottered dizzily across the deck.
Cal, Dan, and Ash were still somewhere in the water, but Ben and Criss were stumbling along the deck just as drunk and delirious as I was, while Rob remained pinned beneath King Thane's foot.
Time passed in snippets. Standing one minute, floundering on the deck the next. Boots filled my vision, stomping closer. Then all at once, they were gone, drifting farther away across a backdrop of early morning sky. Ships blazed on the water one minute, and they were gone the next, sinking to the bottom of the sea. Two hydras. Then one hydra. Then none. A sea full of sirens, then an empty ocean, calm and sparkling in the light of the rising sun.
I blinked, and ever so slowly awareness came back to me. A killer headache swirled around in my skull, muffling my memories and distorting my focus, but it eventually subsided enough for me to sit up and stare blankly at the peaceful waters around us.
Gulls cawed and glided across the peach and pineapple sky. Our boat bobbed gently on the waves. All six princes slept peacefully on the deck—even Dan, Cal, and Ash—though I had no idea how they'd gotten there.
Rob was the first to stir, sitting up and wobbling in a sloppy circle until he finally straightened out and stared at me.
"They took the Eye," he said, his tone dull and lifeless. "My kingdom will fall. My people will be destroyed. There will be nothing left."
He ripped the spear from his chest and threw it into the water. Blood gushed from his open wound, but he didn't seem to care. It was almost like he couldn't even feel it.
We rocked on the sea in silence for a moment before I shook my head. "No. We won't let that happen. We'll stop them."
"How?" Rob asked, and he didn't even sound angry, just defeated.
I reached out and took his hand, desperately trying to squeeze some hope and confidence back into him. "By never giving up. You can fail a thousand times, but if you don't stop and you don't quit, then you will still win in the end."
He stared at me with pained gray eyes. He wanted to believe me, I could feel his hope hesitating in the air around us, but he was scared. Scared for his people and possibly even scared for us.
I clasped his hands tighter. "I promise you, Rob, we will never give up. We Storms are tenacious little fuckers."
That, at least, earned me a small chuckle from him. He pulled me into his lap, with me carefully avoiding his injury, and we stared out across the glittering sea.
"I guess we better get to Southern Blackwood as fast as we can," Rob muttered. "We have another Sohsol Apocalypse to prepare for."
I sighed and nodded slowly.
Apocalypse. Revolution. Annihilation. Transformation.
There were a million words to describe the terrifying events to come.
One way or another, though, the world as we knew it... was about to end.
THE END of book three
Finish the perilous and captivating adventure with Alexis and her Storm Princes in the series finale, Perfect Storms!
Afterword
I hope you’re as addicted to Alexis and her sexy Storm Princes as I am! Watching them live, love, fight, fail, and try again is just... amazing—even to me. LOL. I’m so excited for you to see how it all ends in the series finale—Perfect Storms!
Don’t forget, Snow Storms (a Storms of Blackwood holiday novella) will be coming soon! It’l
l be included in the Snow Men Anthology for a limited time, so keep an eye out! Xoxo
If you liked this book, I hope you’ll consider leaving a review.
It would mean so much to me!
To stay updated on release dates and everything bookish, feel free to join my Facebook reader group, very cleverly coined: Elle Middaugh’s Reader Group LOL
Acknowledgments
A huge thank you to everyone who helped make this book possible! I love and appreciate each and every one of you.
A big thank you to my alpha, beta, and ARC readers! You guys rock!
A special thank you to Ann, who is not only a phenomenal writer, but also an extremely kickass developmental editor! I don’t know where this series would be without you! ♥
Also by Elle Middaugh
Storms of Blackwood Series
Book One: Taken by Storm
Book Two: Stormy Nights
Book Three: Storm Chaser
Book Four: Perfect Storms (coming soon)
Enchanted Royals Series
Book One: A Crown of Blood and Ashes
Book Two: A Sword of Scales and Song (coming soon)
Trials of Enchantment Series
Book One: Queen Witch
Book Two: Alpha Witch (coming soon)
The Essential Elements Trilogy
Book One: Elemental Secrets
Book Two: Elemental Lies
Book Three: Elemental Betrayal
Standalone Books
Siren Awakened
Connect with Elle
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About the Author
Elle Middaugh is a USA Today bestselling author living in the Pennsylvania Allegheny Mountains with her wonderful husband and three beautiful children. She spends most of her time raising kids, writing stories, playing video games, reading, and attempting to keep a clean house.
Storm Chaser (Storms of Blackwood Book 3) Page 25