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“The birthstones aren’t glowing.” Without thinking, I grabbed Wes’s hand to pull him into the circle, then quickly dropped it when the energy began to rise inside me.
The cave resembled a dark, rocky igloo and allegedly ran deep beneath the ocean floor. Its once smooth surface was covered in a series of tiny fissures, like cracks over an eggshell. Rubble formed a smaller circle in the surrounding grass, as if there had been an explosion inside, forcing the outer matter into an upward blast. A volcano without a proper outlet.
The twelve birthstones were embedded into the curve over a slab of glassy granite that walled off what had once been an entrance. They’d kept our island safe for over three hundred years. The earthquake had split the stones down the center, leaving them dull and dingy. The magic that used to be stored within them had found a new home in human hosts. I stepped up to the cave and ran my finger over the topaz, the source of my golden light. My magic wrapped around my ribs, squeezing the air from my lungs. I moved my finger over to the Libra opal, and the tight band around my middle loosened.
“What are you thinking?” Wes asked.
“I don’t know.” I touched the emerald, Wes’s Taurus birthstone. “It looks like the curse broke the stones. Somehow.” I pointed to the debris that rimmed the outside. “Maybe it spent three hundred years gathering pressure and energy from meager sources underground until it became strong enough. It wasn’t able to blow the cave wide open, but I think enough of it has leaked out to give us trouble.”
“I have a different theory about what broke the stones, but I do agree that the curse is leaking out. There might be some residual magic left, offering a thin layer of protection, but I don’t think the cave can continue to hold it for long without the stones.”
I nodded. “It’s probably trying to build enough strength to make that last push.”
Wes held out his hand. “Touch me.”
“Here?” I looked around. Even though I knew the sense of unease that permeated the air was by design, it still made me nervous to test my magic. Like we were playing our cards a little too loose near an opponent. “Can’t we practice somewhere else?”
“We’re not practicing. I just want to see something.”
I bit my lip as I stared at his open palm. This seemed like a bad idea, but I’d have to take the occasional leap of faith if I wanted to make this partnership work. With more than a bit of hesitation, I placed my hand in his. My breath quickened as the energy flowed through my fingertips, and a light rain began to fall.
“Look.” His voice was a gentle caress, stoking the warmth that enveloped me. He pointed at the cave. Tendrils of black smoke leaked from the cracks, and I gasped, dropping his hand. The rain and smoke disappeared. “It doesn’t like when we use our magic. I think it knows we have the power to trap it again.”
Zodiac Cove wasn’t perfect, but it was full of good people who were just trying to raise their families and run their businesses and live their lives the best way they knew how, and whatever had been trapped within that cave wanted nothing more than to destroy it. Because an ugly, petty god didn’t get his way. Fierce anger, driven by the deepest desire to set things right, pumped through my blood. This was our home. It had been gifted to us freely, out of love, and I’d be damned if some ancient overgrown baby was going take that from us without a fight.
“It doesn’t like our magic?” I wrapped my arms around Wes, pressing my body tight against his. “Then let’s give it everything we’ve got.”
“I’m game.” He grinned, pulling me closer.
Shards of freezing rain coupled with razor-edged lightning strikes speared the earth in a punishing wave of rage and power. The temperature dropped forty degrees in an instant, but I barely registered it since my entire body was on fire.
A low moan escaped my lips as I clung to Wes’s neck and tried to climb him like a tree. He gripped the back of my thighs, hoisting me up to drag my center against his cock. Yes. Right there. God, he felt incredible. The wind continued to whip around us. Frost crackled against blades of dead grass, snapping them in half. I hooked my ankles behind his back and pumped my hips faster as electricity sizzled the air.
“I need to come.” Almost. So close. “Make me come, Wes. Please.”
“Fuck.” He gritted his teeth. “Not here. Not like this.”
He set me on my feet and took a step back, breaking our physical connection. I wobbled on Jell-O legs as my core pulsed with need. Even when the magic began to flow out of me, I was still wholly turned on. Frustration clouded his expression, and he turned away from me.
Overhead, remnants of the curse swirled and thrashed against the final streaks of lightning that flashed from the ground up. The scent of burnt leaves and frost saturated the air. Foot-long icicles had gathered in a circle around us like teeth from the open jaw of a frozen beast. Curls of inky smoke drew near, but couldn’t move past the frozen barrier, so it retreated. Only then did the ice begin to melt.
I laid a hand on Wes’s back, and his shoulders tensed. “I’m sorry. I took it too far.”
“Don’t apologize.” He clenched and unclenched his fists. “I just need a minute.”
I shifted my gaze to the cave, where an agonized hiss slithered through the cracks.
Like a den of snakes writhing in pain.
