Page 42 of Siren's Gift

Good thing everyone underestimated me. I focused all my remaining strength on the shell. If I didn’t have magic to break the barrier, then my determination would have to do. With adeep breath, I slammed my fist against the golden light, feeling it sear my skin. I gritted my teeth against the pain, pushing harder, and cracks formed in the barrier.

"Stop her!" the king shouted again, his voice a desperate roar.

Zephyrion lunged, his hands aimed at my throat.

At that exact moment, a tiny creature barreled into his face and knocked him sideways. My heart leaped into my throat as I recognized the creature as an axolotl. And not just any axolotl.

Finley! What in the seven seas was he doing here?

Even as tiny as the axolotl was, I knew Zephyrion was no match against his magic. Not for catching him, anyway.Luminarawere prized and rare for a reason.

His appearance wasn’t much—a small, wriggling distraction—but it was enough. The prince swiped blindly at Finley, giving me the precious seconds I needed.

With a final push, the barrier guarding the shell shattered, popping like a bubble. My hands shook as I grabbed the shell, my chest tightening with a mix of desperation and defiance. I raised the shell above my head, then smashed it against the pedestal.

The force of the impact rattled through my arms. Shards went flying, and the sound of the shell breaking reverberated through the water.

The moment the magic surged into me, I gasped. Power flooded through every part of me, filling the hollow spaces I hadn’t realized were so empty until now. The ache of loss, the vulnerability, the quiet helplessness I’d been drowning in—it all evaporated in an instant.

My tail shimmered, vibrant and alive once again, and my scales glowed with a refreshed purple hue. Energy crackled under my skin, and my body thrummed with the familiar hum of magic. Tears burned in my eyes, but I didn’t bother to stop them. I was whole again.Meagain.

And I would let no one take this from me ever again.

I turned to face Zephyrion, who froze as a strong current coalesced around him, swirling. I extended my hand, and the vortex surrounding him thickened, squeezing him like an invisible vice.

"Enough." My voice was clear and resonant for the first time in weeks, and the prince’s eyes widened in shock. "I wasn’t born to be silenced. I was born to make waves."

The palace shook again as another wave of whales collided with the structure. Entire columns of coral floated through the murky water and cast shadows across trembling onlookers who hadn’t yet fled.

My gaze flicked to the axolotl flitting through the chaos, weaving between panicked courtiers and fallen debris.

Finley’s wide, gilled face split into a grin as he darted toward me. The axolotl swam a quick circle around my body, then nudged my arm.Time to go.

I didn’t need further encouragement. My magic surged outward as a forceful wave, pushing back Zephyrion and the guards who tried to block my path. The prince shouted something behind me, but I didn’t look back.

With a burst of speed, I scooped Finley into my hands and shot through the collapsing palace, zigzagging through the chaos until we met the open ocean. The water felt colder, yet somehow lighter against my skin. For the first time in what felt like an eternity, I was free.

I grinned at the axolotl, his small body shimmering faintly in the beams of light. "You’re incredible," I murmured, and he chirped happily in response.

The relief was short-lived.

Shouts rang out behind us as a squadron of guards swarmed from within the crumbling palace. Out in the open ocean, they spotted me quickly.

Determination—along with a hefty dose of fear—settled in my core. There was no way I could win against so many, even with my magic back. But that wouldn’t stop me from trying.

As a princess, my magic was far stronger than that of the guards. It was a power carefully cultivated through generations of selective breeding and arranged marriages like the one forced on me.

But my father’s decision to promise me to Zephyrion hadn’t been about preserving or enhancing our magical bloodline. The prince’s magic was too weak for that. No, my betrothal had been purely a political move.

Regardless, I was, as Dominic might say, fuc?—

A shadow loomed over my head. My breath caught as I looked up, coming face-to-face with a blue whale. Its enormous eye fixed on me, and for a second, the world seemed to shrink around us. The whale blinked once, slow and deliberate, then opened its massive mouth, revealing a cavernous maw that seemed to stretch on forever.

Hop in!Finley darted inside without hesitation.

Panic surged through me as I glanced back. The guards were closing in fast, their shouts muffled by the pounding of my heartbeat in my ears. Every instinct screamed at me to flee in the opposite direction. But there was no time to think, no time to question.

So I didn’t.

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