*Colette*Caspian steps into the wave, his form shifting as his scaly figure emerges, and the water seems to move with him as he makes his way toward Giselle as she grows brighter, hotter. The wave I had conjured up pales in comparison to the one he seems to lift from the earth.The air around us cools with the shield from the heat and I try to speak, to tell him to come back. Why does he feel he must go so far from us? I can help him, give him what strength I have left if he needs it. Merikh clings to me as water rises around us as if we are treading deeper into the vast ocean he creates around us. Without the water and Merikh’s arms I would be a pile of jelly, my muscles screaming as every fiber tries to recover from what I was doing. The bright burning light that is Giselle only grows brighter. A sun here on earth as the water steams around us, and my lip quivers.”He isn’t strong enough on his own,” I rasp out, looking up at Merikh, begging for him to understand. His bright green eyes flash with alarm and he shakes his head, a panic rising in him that even he can’t find. “No,” He insists, his head shaking as he turns me to face him, gripping my shoulders.”You know that he needs my help.” I say, easing out of his hold.My knees buckle and I drop into the water, bobbing back up to look at the agony in his eyes. In all my life, I have only ever seen this look of terror when someone was about to die. Which means he knows what it likely to happen, and why I have to help my dad.”He needs his mate.” My mother whispers.I whip my head in her direction as she clutches her hands at her chest, her eyes filled with tears, watching my father roar with power as he does everything in his ability to shield everyone as high and as long as he can.”Mom…” I swallow the word, hating how it catches in my throat as she rushes toward him.I lurch forward to follow, but I find myself swept up into Merikh arms. He looks down at me, my heart shattering at the thought of leaving when I know I can do more. I have more in me if only he would trust me enough to use it. But without so much as a peep, he rushes toward the massive wall, making his way closer.It feels like time slows down as I witness my mom step into the watery wall and wrap her arms around my dad from behind. At the slightest touch from her, his wall rises fifteen feet taller, and she moves around to be in front of him. I struggle to understand how she can breathe or even speak, but I see her lips moving as she locks her eyes on mine.”Forgive me,” Merikh says softly and I look up at his stoney face.”What?” I gasp and he speeds up. “What is it? What is wrong?””It’s what your mom said—” The words are taken from his mouth as water slams into us, knocking the air from my lungs as I whip through the current, Merikh clinging to my body for dear life holding me to his chest as we swirl and spin. Then I hear it on the waves as if it were a breeze in a meadow.“To have you was a dream, to lose you killed us, to love you all over again was an honor. Thank you for bringing us back to life, back together, our sweet Colette.” Caspian’s voice surrounds me and my insides twist painfully at what is happening. “I can only hope all of us is enough to protect you this time.”And just like that the water turns angry, currents crossing, my hair whipping around my body and my arms thrashing as I try to hold on to Merikh. He is torn from me.My eyes close, my siren screeching in my head as if in mourning as a bright light explodes over my head and every bit of water dissipates, turning to steamy fog, dropping me on my back into the soggy ground.”Colette!” Merikh screams, but I can’t answer.Words fail me, my legs fail me, just as I failed them. Bile burns its way up my throat as I turn over to my hands and retch the hot liquid to the ground. And then and only then do my sobs find their freedom. It tears through me with such painful force that it feels like my voice will never recover.”No.” I whimper, crawling to find what is left of them even though I know. I can feel it. There is nothing left. No bodies to bury, no ashes to scatter. They are gone, lost to me forever like they had been before, only this time…this time it’s final.”NO!” I roar, finding the anger in my heart as I pound at the ground. “No! No, no!”I feel Merikh as his body collides into mine, his legs sliding into the mud as he takes me in his arms dragging me into a hug. His relief infuriates me all the while his touch soothes the aching pain in my heart. How can you despise a touch whilst still needing it?”I am here,” he whispers, his words soft as his lips touch my ear and I reach up, shoving his face away and forcing myself to stand.“So am I!” I roar, a sob terrorizing my chest as it breaks through my words. “So am I, and I don’t want to be.”I slump to my knees, my eyes finding his as they go from hurt to a soft, non judgemental understanding. He doesn’t move closer. Instead, he sits back on his ass, his face turning up to the dense fog around us. And then he lets out a roar that makes the earth shake.The tears fall from my cheeks and then he crawls to me, reaching out and inviting me into his embrace. He doesn’t pressure me, or say a word, he only waits until I reach out. Then he tucks me away into his lap and lets the part of me that is hurting die with my tears.There is only the sound of my tears, and the soft comforting hums from Merikh in the air, mingling with the fog that feels like it mocks me with its cover.”M-maybe they are okay, right?” I hiccup as I wipe my tears and glance up at Merikh. He says nothing, but his face says it all. “We need to look-“His thumb strokes my cheek before he gives me a barely noticeable nod.”Sure, we can look.” He agrees, but I know he sees what I am unwilling to admit. There is no way that they were that close to her final blast and survived it. It’s entirely unreasonable and improbable that they were disintegrated.My siren felt it, the shift in the water, the way my king and father disappeared entirely. But yet, Merikh helps me up, taking my hand as we walk around, our eyes on the ground as we move slowly so we cansee.My body is exhausted, my werewolfand siren both drained as my feet throb and my heart falls further into my stomach with every passing minute. It’s not until the sun rises that I finally see through the white wall of fog, a swirling of movement as someone stoops down and plucks something from the ground. “Mom?” I croak, rushing forward, stumbling over my feet. “Mo-“I freeze, my ear pounding with my rapid heartbeat as I watch the fog clear and Ezrah is revealed. His body is soaked, and he holds a rock looking item in his arms before he looks away and then glances back over my shoulder.”I never wanted it to go this way, my friend.” He whispers, “I will leave you her ashes. I suggest you do with them what you had proposed. But this…this one will remain with me.””I can not let you take it. The dragons will hunt us down for it.” Merikh says, his voice heavy with threat.”That is the point. They come for youand my kind is never even a suspect. Who will believe you now that all your allies are dead? Take your Luna, lick your wounds and prepare for the onslaught of the dragon king. Phoenix or not, he still consideredher his queen, and your side killedher.” I can’t even process his words, my heart aching too much to understand the gravity of what he is saying. But Merikh doesn’t miss a beat as he launches himself for Ezrah and tackles him down.They both hit the ground with extreme force, Ezrah popping up with incredible speed as he darts around Merikh, delivering hits when he least expects it.The little oval rock tumbles to the ground when Merikh expects a strike and he lunges his fist into Ezrah’s neck, making him stumble back and hold his throat as he tries to breathe. I reach down, lifting the little stone,mywidening as it grows warmin my hand and a small throbbing seems to strike like clockwork.A heartbeat.Giselle wasn’t bluffing. She laid an egg, as weird as it sounds. But inside of this tiny rock-like thing is a living fire dwelling little baby.”I didn’t want to kill you,” Ezrah grits out, drawing my attention as I look up and see that he has used his speed and out maneuvered Merikh. Ezrah holds a pointed stick hoisted up and Merikh by the hair as he goes to drive it into my mate’s throat.“STOP!” I roar, unable to withstand the mere thought of losing Merikh. Ezrah freezes as I raise the egg over my head. “Let him go. NOW! Or I will end whatever is in this damn thing.” Sᴇaʀ*ᴄh the FindNøvᴇl.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
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