She had felt so incredibly out of place. Dirt under her nails had driven her nearly to madness, scrubbing for hours after planting to try to rid herself of the proof. In fact, the only time she had enjoyed such tasks were the days when it had rained— sending her family shrieking back into the house as Tempest had soaked up the rain like a flower during a drought.
It wasn’t that she’d had a bad childhood, really. Just that she had felt lonely and misunderstood and no one had bothered to study the things that interested her. Shifters had at least one parent who could shift and would take them to the sea to learn how to swim and hunt for fish and transform on command. Tempest had longed for such a connection to her power, her family.
“Do you feel that?” Elliot whooped as the waves beneath them began to rock their little boat. “Tempest, you’re doing it!”
Slowly, she opened her eyes and looked around. The sky had grown dark with heavy clouds and the low rumble of thunder growing steadily closer. Her eyes darted to the place she had last seen the sharks and widened as she watched a particularly large wave crash over the shark pup, sweeping her back into deeper water.
The small shark circled beneath the boat, thrilled to be free. When she lifted her little nose from the water and looked right up into Tempest’s face, the witch nearly cried. Tempest placed one hand gently on her snout and stared back, hoping the creature could sense her feelings.
A short distance away, the larger sharks of her frenzy kept an eye on her. Tempest waved to them and watched as they swam off, into the deeper waters toward the horizon. She slumped back against the side of the boat then and sighed.
“What a relief,” said Elliot beside her.
“I know,” Tempest whispered. “Now let’s see if I can get this storm back under control.”
The triumphant joy that seemed to be bursting out of her chest at their successful rescue of the shark pup had caused little breaks in the clouds above. Rays of sunlight beamed down on them as the rain began to let up. The deluge had settled into a steady sprinkle now, though it didn’t matter much to Tempest and Elliot in their wetsuits.
She concentrated on the happiness she had felt that morning,waking up in the warm embrace of the handsome merman. For all that they barely knew each other, Tempest had felt completely safe and cared for in his arms.
Squeezing her eyes shut, she pictured the sleepy look on his face as she had slipped from his arms and wiggled out of the bed. Reed had been under a tremendous amount of stress recently as well, yet he had looked truly peaceful as he slept. If Tempest had caused even a fraction of the peace he felt, she was proud to have helped.
The sky lightened and the clouds dissipated, the thunder disappearing entirely as they resumed their day on the open ocean. Pure joy washed over her at the realization that she had successfully commanded a storm both into and out of existence.
In all her years, Tempest had never pulled off anything nearly this impressive. Without any spells to guide her, most of her storm magic had been intuitive, drawing from an imaginary well in her chest.
Could she still learn to master her power, this late in life? The thought thrilled her. Perhaps, after everything, she might still become a proper storm witch.
Not to Worry
REED
R
eed had nearly reached the beach leading to Crescent Cove Boardwalk when the sky turned suddenly dark and ominous. It had happened too fast to be a natural storm, he was certain of it. He pulled himself from the water and sat up as tall as his merman form would allow him, scanning the horizon for the eye of the storm.
There, a few miles northeast, sat a little break in the swirling clouds. He could barely make out the shape of something sitting on the surface there; instinctively, though, Reed knew it was Tempest’s boat. She and Elliot would be out there today, searching for sea creatures in need of their help.
If she had summoned a storm like this, while she herself sat in the middle of the ocean, there must be a good reason. Surely his Little Storm would not risk her own life, or her companion’s, over a bad mood or unkind word. He dragged himself back into the sea, his tail raking across the sandy beach as he dove back into the sea.
As he approached the place where they ought to be, Reed had to fight the crashing waves and tumultuous current to stay on target. Then he saw the frenzy of sharks circling nearby and worry clawed up his throat. Panic took over his body and he
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swam like his life depended on it.If Tempest was in danger, he didn’t know what he would do.
His hazel eyes strained against the fury of the sea as he tried to keep watch for any bodies that might be tossed into the waves because of the storm.Nothing yet. No sign of her.Reed’s heart thundered in his chest as he prayed to the moon and stars he would arrive in time to save her. If something happened to Tempest, he would never forgive himself.
The relief hit him hard. He placed one hand over his beating heart, trying to calm the panic that had coursed through his body at the thought of his storm witch in danger. Just as he moved to slip above the waves and greet her, Reed caught sight of a shark pup.
She circled below the little boat over and over, her happy squeaks clear as day. As Reed watched, the pup stuck her nose out of the water and turned those big, goofy eyes to Tempest. He held perfectly still, watching as his beautiful storm witch leaned down to pat the shark on the nose.
Then the shark’s mother called out and the whole frenzy took off, heading out toward the deeper waters. Reed spoke in the best shark language he knew.
“Her name is Tempest. She will always help you,” his voice echoed across the sea. “Look for eyes the color of the sea and the dark seal suit. She is no mortal—she is a storm in the body of a woman.”
Instead of stopping to check on her, he decided he should wait until her shift was over. The world needed her important work,the passion and care she brought to this job. He did not want to distract her when she was busy saving lives.
As much as he wanted to ask Elliot for his help convincing his pod Crescent Cove would be as safe for them as it had been for the other shifters and magical creatures, he would rather wait.
