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He made eye contact with Maya. Her turquoise gaze flared in surprise.
“Get on the water,” he said with deadly calm.
Maya retreated, keeping a watchful eye on Armelle until her ankles were submerged in the water. The sea immediately solidified under her feet, forming a path that took her a safe distance away.
Turning slowly, he came face to face with Armelle.
Her brown eyes were dripping menace like her hair and clothes were dripping water. “Your art is useless to you, geomancist.” Grinning, she wrapped her fingers around his neck. “Hand it over.”
“Like hell.”
Focusing his attention on the ground where she stood, he imagined a perfect circle. Armelle’s eyes flared as realization came too late. She tightened her hold on his neck and tried to grab his arm, but gravity pulled her down quickly when the ground under her gave way. Her wet fingers slipped from Sean’s neck, her sharp nails cutting his skin. Her mouth opened with a silent scream as he caught her wrist, dangling her over the hole cut straight down into the earth.
Her expression changed from shocked to fearful. Her life hung in the balance, and in that second, as Sean realized that Armelle was going to die, a bolt ran from her fingers up his arm. It coiled around his bones and branched through his veins, the blood carrying the current to all of his cells. It was Maddy’s death reconstructed. In that moment, he saw what grief had blinded him to. Maddy had given him her power. She’d voluntarily transferred her gift before she’d taken the plunge to her death, just as the art had transferred from Armelle to him. There was no turning back. Once a power had been transferred, death was imminent. Even if he tightened his grasp around Armelle’s wrist with iron will, her skin slipped under his fingers.
“No.” Shaking her head, she reached for him with her other hand.
He held tighter, sweat beading on his forehead. Her arm slid another inch from his grasp.
Without her power, Armelle was defenseless. Merely human now, she couldn’t save herself. Sean held onto the edge of the crater with his free hand to prevent himself from going over and pulled harder even if he knew how the law of his kind worked. Her hand slid into his fist, her knuckles cracking from the force of his grip, and then he closed his fingers around nothing but air.
She plummeted down, fear etched on her face. For the first time, he saw the truth. In his mind’s eye, he saw Maddy’s face. The memory rushed back, flooding his conscience. He saw himself lying over the edge, holding her hand as the weight of her body dragged them both down. He’d never let go, not in ten lifetimes, but Maddy had made the choice for him. She’d gifted him her art and opened her fingers to let go. His sister had given her life to save his.
Footsteps reverberated next to him. He looked up, squinting against the glare of the sun.
Maya stood over him. “I called in Bono. The island is sinking.”
Pushing to his feet, he took in the destruction. “It’s a good thing your equipment is watertight.”
They made their way down the rocky slope to what was left of the beach. A few seconds later, a helicopter appeared in the distance. Circles rippled over the water as it hovered above them. Maya grabbed the rope dangling from the open hatch and used the tied notches to climb up. Sean followed when she was safely inside.
After pulling up the rope, she took a seat opposite Sean. Bono glanced at them from over his shoulder, his expression tight as he shifted his gaze to the scene below. Sean wasn’t sure if what he saw on the other man’s face was anger or judgement. With the patch covering one eye, it was hard to read him.
An explosion rocked the mountain. The top of the volcano blew off like a crusty scab. More lava spurted into the air and over the sides. A red glow dominated the horizon. The edges of the unnatural mountain folded in on itself, collapsing and dragging down the whole spitting cone until everything disappeared under the surface of the sea.
Bono hovered, circling until the mauling sea was once more flat and calm. No doubt Maya had something to do with how quickly the water had settled. Despite the destruction raging outside, calmness took over his senses. With it came control.
Feeling Maya’s stare on him, he lifted his gaze from the sea.
“What happened down there?” she asked with an amused smile.
“Not sure,” he said over the noise of the engine and added quietly to himself, “but it was about time.” It was about time he got back his woman.
“Hey.” She nudged him with the tip of her boot. “Geomancist.”
