Page 27 of Summer L.A.W.

The word slammed through Mason’s chest and rattled every nerve.

“Oh, great,” he muttered. “Family reunion.”

Crystal’s lungs filled too easily, the saltwater rolling through her new gills like it belonged there. She wasn’t even sure her chest had moved, but she could breathe. That fact alone was insane enough without a deep-sea nightmare rising out of the surf like the guest star in her worst fever dream.

The Sea Witch’s eyes locked on hers, black pools that felt like they could drag her down to the ocean floor. “Sister,” the creature boomed again, her voice vibrating through bone and water alike. “You are one of us. You belong in the deep. Come home.”

Every board wobbled, the witches instinctively leaning back to get away from the force of that command. Every witch but Crystal.

Her heart hammered, but she forced her chin up. “I am home. And these…” she swept her arm toward the coven circling her, “are my sisters.”

The Sea Witch tilted her head, hair streaming in sheets of green, her smile as sharp as broken shells. “They are land-bound. Fragile. Their voices die in water. But you? You were made for the depths. For power. You will never choke on air again. Never drown. Never fear.”

Crystal’s pulse spiked. The promise slid into her blood too easily, whispering to every part of her that had always felt out of place. The part that had dragged her to the sea like a magnet. The part that knew this wasn’t just some trick. It was true.

But then Magda’s board bumped into her. She reached over and grabbed Crystal’s hand, steadying her, and Victoria’s voice cut sharp as glass: “Don’t listen. She’s dressing chains up as pearls.”

Mason treaded water just in front of her, bruised and wrecked and absolutely refusing to quit. He barked, “Don’t even think about it. You’re not moving in with Ursula while we’re still breathing.”

Crystal blinked, and something hot and fierce burned through her. Fear snapped into anger. She jabbed a finger at the Sea Witch. “Listen, sea-woman. You don’t get to define where I belong. I already chose my family. And it’s not you.”

The Sea Witch’s smile vanished. The ocean beneath them surged, dark and furious. She flung out both arms, and the sea obeyed—boards bucked, waves reared, and Crystal felt the whole Atlantic trying to shove her under.

Not today.

Sahara shouted something in a language older than sand, and the coven snapped into formation without hesitation. Surfboards clattered together, witches kneeling in a ragged circle around Crystal. Power sparked between them, threads of light arcing across the water like someone had strung Christmas lights over Poseidon’s personal swimming pool.

Crystal’s bird shrieked overhead, diving like a silver-tipped missile. It raked the Sea Witch’s face, leaving glowing scratches that immediately bled into the sea.

The Sea Witch roared, the sound rolling through Crystal’s bones like an earthquake. “You will drown with them!”

Crystal’s gills flared. “Lady, I’ve had worse roommates.” She dove underwater, spun beneath the surface, and slammed upward into the Sea Witch with every ounce of strength she had.

The witches seized the moment. Magda flung a charm that exploded in a halo of sparks. Victoria raised both hands and conjured a shield of glittering water between Crystal and the Sea Witch, reflecting the Sea Witch’s own power back at her. Sahara’s voice cut sharply, weaving numbers into incantations until the ocean itself seemed to transform into equations that equaled calm.

“Now!” Joell barked, and the coven’s protective shards lit up, threads of light braided into one blinding rope of power.

Crystal felt it swoosh past her, over her, like being caught in the undertow of the sun. The Sea Witch reeled, screeching as the light coiled around her, dragging her back.

For one dizzy moment, Crystal almost pitied her. Almost.

“Go away,” Crystal growled. “My home isn’t with you.”

The witches’ combined spell triggered, and the Sea Witch was hurled backward into the depths, her scream swallowed by the sea. The waves collapsed, slapping the boards with nothing more than leftover froth.

Crystal treaded water, chest heaving, though she wasn’t starved of air anymore. Her bird familiar wheeled above, triumphant. The witches sagged, half-soaked and dazzled by their own teamwork.

Mason surfaced next to her, coughing up seawater. He shot her a look, equal parts exhausted and smug. “See? Told you. Earplugs. Works every time.”

Crystal laughed, a little wild, a little shaky, but real. “You’re impossible.”

“And you’re alive.” He gave her a once-over. “Gill-girl.”

“Don’t call me that.”

The ocean settled into ordinary chaos—waves slapping, foam fizzing, nothing trying to murder them for once. Bird shrieked one last victory cry overhead before banking toward the shore.

“Ugh, my hair is ruined,” Victoria declared as she swept a sheet of glittering brunette tresses off her face.