Page 141 of Fallen Stars

As always when he exercised his magick, he felt every piece of flotsam and jetsam weighing on him, even though he wasn’t in the water. He could feel the bodies that floated in the darkness, the fish that swam beneath too, the vile and wrong power of both Scorpius and his monster as they churned their poison through the waves.

He shrugged off the dread, focusing on locating Elara. His cool blue power reached out to her, the current wrapping around her to pull her to them. He finally touched the naked silver magick that was glowing around her, and he felt…a need.

It wasn’t the kind of need that he felt with other women, something carnal and sensual. It was a need as though she was a raft and he needed saving—a bone deep knowing that she was his salvation.

His eyes flew open, and they latched on Enzo, who he knew had been watching him the whole time.

“What?” the Lion asked tightly. “Where is she?”

“Something’s happening,” he whispered. “My powers…I…”

He didn’t know how to begin to explain it as the oceanic power within him drew her back, lacing and bonding with her magick.

Enzo shot him an agitated look as he hovered over the side.

“Get her to safety,” were Enzo’s only words, “or I’ll kill you.”

Elara forced her head above the waves, arms out as she tried to stay afloat. If she could only shake this charm off, she could kill Scorpius’ beast with a touch.

As she struggled, attempting to swim, she heard a noise.

It wasn’t the monster’s screech, but it was most definitely not human, and Elara’s heart pounded as she attempted to force her limbs to work again.

There was a ripple beneath her, and she looked up to see Scorpius swirling his trident in the air, the weapon coated in light as he laughed darkly.

There was another ripple, the brush of something against her, and she forced herself not to scream, the waters utterly black beneath her.

Finally, she heard a sailor scream from the Starred Siren, as a figure flew through the darkness and plucked him off.

Another zoomed past, and Elara spun in the water as she saw something drag a man to his death.

There was the flick of a shimmering tail, and she cursed. Mermaids. Fucking mermaids.

The mermaids launched, able to propel themselves from the water to the ship, landing in human form. Elara cursed, her limbs finally in action as she swam furiously towards the Svetan ship—to Enzo and Adrian. She could see Enzo already fighting one off that had landed on the ship as Scorpius summoned his army from beneath the waves.

They were crawling up the sides of the ship, swarming, and Elara felt something brush against her again. She forced herself not to scream as a claw snagged in her hair.

“Pretty little Moon, but not for long,” the voice cooed in her ear. Elara breathed in and out as she felt something grab an ankle. She turned, screaming in anger as she pushed the mermaid off her, before pulling back.

The mermaid was beautiful. Glowing with an ethereal magick. But her talons curled, teeth snapped as they elongated and pointed before her. The mermaid snarled, sinking her talons into Elara’s shoulder as she began to pull Elara under the waves.

Elara struggled, digging her own nails into the mermaid’s eyes. “I preferred your cousins,” Elara hissed. “At least sirens show some respect.”

“I do not bow to you, queen of death,” the mermaid hissed, and Elara slammed her fist into her nose, the mermaid shrieking as Elara heard bone crunch.

Elara laughed, relief coursing through her as she continued to swim. But the relief was short-lived as she felt hands wrap once more around her ankles, and with a sharp tug, they dragged her below the surface.

Darkness. Nothing but ice cold, never-ending darkness stabbed through Elara as the sea wrapped around her.

She opened her mouth to scream—a mistake as cold salty water rushed in. She gagged, still unable to see as she tried to force her limbs to work. They couldn’t, Scorpius’ poison well and truly invading every part of her, forcing her very bones to weaken.

Her body was being dragged deeper and deeper, her ears popping from the pressure. It was too dark to see her attacker, but she caught a glimmer of mermaid scales now and then.

She checked in with her magick again, still whispering and wrathful as it attempted to get out, but she was too weak to even open herself up to it, to allow it to take over.

But as her heart began to slow, the poison nothing more than a dull ache, a stray blue wisp of water appeared, lit up while the rest was dark. It wrapped around her wrist, pulling her with it, further and further away from Scorpius’ shouts, hauling the mermaid with her, the din growing louder and louder as she felt herself rising, until finally she broke the surface, gasping.

Her captor broke the surface with her, hair red and eyes narrowed to slits as she hissed, trying to pull her back under.

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