Drew continued to train with Kelia every day, and, thankfully, she got better. And smarter, too. After the fifth day of training, she was able read him in a way no one had before, almost as though she could predict his next move.
“Better,” he said.
“Drew,” Kelia murmured, dusting off her pants.
Her tone caught his attention, and he turned to face her. There was something older about the look in her eyes. More mature, more experienced.
Was it possible to love her more than he already had? He had thought not, but now, he was not so sure. Or perhaps he had been blocking himself from truly loving her while he did what he needed to do. While he hurt her, beat her, and lifted her back up to take it all again.
“I know this must be difficult for you,” she told him. “I just want you to know that I appreciate it.”
Drew pushed air through his nose and nodded. “I would do this for no one else,” he told her.
“I know.”
There was still tension between them. It had been a couple of months since he turned her, and while he still felt that same love for her, he understood things had changed. Being with her in the way he wanted to was not an option anymore.
The moon hung low, half of it hidden by a black blanket. The stars shone as brightly as the sparkles in the ocean. The iridescent glow only caused Kelia to look even more beautiful. It was hard to pull his gaze away from her.
“Do you think…” Kelia shook her head and closed her mouth. Drew wanted to know what she was inquiring about, but he did not want to push her. He had done enough of that today. Finally, she continued. “Do you think we’ll be okay?”
She spun around and walked to the side of the ship, her shoulders tight, hunched high, as she looked at the water below.
Drew gave himself a moment before answering. He was not entirely sure what she meant by that, and he did not want to give her an answer that did not align with her question.
“I do not know,” he murmured.
He came up close to her, leaning onto the ship’s railing so he could feel the touch of her shoulder against his. His eyes found the horizon, saw the black clouds still a distance off. It was clear they were heading in this direction. There was no running from the storm. One could only face it and pray to God he survived.
“I think the search for certainty is a waste, darling,” he continued. “Nothing is guaranteed. Love certainly isn’t. Our next breath isn’t. Everything we have—the sun shining, the water sparkling, the clothes on our backs, the beating of our hearts—all of this is a blessing.”
Kelia tilted her head just slightly to the left so it rested on Drew’s shoulder. He stilled under it, not daring to move. He did not want to scare her off, nor did he want to push her away. He wanted to leave everything as it was and hope it would stay that way.
“I thought you hated being a Shadow,” she said.
“I did,” he said. “Until I realized I could drown in alcohol that would not inebriate me and wallow in self-pity…or I could accept that this wasn’t something I could change and get on with my life. I am immortal. I get to watch infinite sunsets and sunrises—unless someone kills me. I can appreciate what I am now, but it took me a long time to realize it.”
Kelia nodded. Drew released a breath through his nose and, without thinking on it too much, tilted his head down until it rested on hers.
“The Queen wants me dead,” Kelia murmured. “She’s in love with you.”
“So I’m constantly reminded,” Drew muttered.
“Do you ever feel…” She shifted her weight but kept her body resting against his. “Do you ever feel sorry for her?”
Drew frowned. “For the Queen?” he asked. “The same Queen who kidnapped you, took you away, and poisoned you? The same Queen who has threatened you with immeasurable harm just because I am in love with you?” The words felt foreign on his tongue, and he was surprised he had even said them at all. He cleared his throat and pushed forward. “Why in the hell would I waste such an emotion on her?”
Kelia shrugged. A gentle breeze teased the stray strands of hair and pulled them from her braid. He remembered when he first met her how important getting every lock in place was for her.
“I find myself feeling sorry for her,” she said. “If you look at this from her perspective, she’s a woman who was destined to a life of loneliness until she met you, fancied herself in love, and made you a Shadow so she wouldn’t have to be alone anymore. She created more and more and more all because she didn’t want to be alone. And then you leave her. You betray her by leaving, and she probably thinks there’s no point in such a long life if you can’t spend it with the person you love.”
“That is uncharacteristically romantic,” Drew pointed out.
Without warning, Kelia lunged for him. Drew hated to admit it, but she caught him by surprise.
She managed to sink her claws into his flesh and root herself in place. He grunted when she pierced his skin. She forced him to the side. He knew she was trying to get him on the ground. The only way a true victory was declared was if Drew or Kelia were on their back, boot over throat.
But just because Kelia managed to take Drew by surprise did not mean she won. Drew was not one to lose.
“Good start,” Drew said, evading her, “but you’re not fast enough.”
“No?”
Kelia dashed to the mast of the ship and jumped to the top. There was a small crow’s nest that was not really necessary due to the fact that this was a mere sailboat and not an actual ship. However, Kelia stood inside it—she barely fit herself—and grabbed a stray rope that hung adjacent to the mask. From there, she swung around as she had with Jennifer and jutted out her foot, preparing for a kick.
As much as Drew hated what he had to do, he did it anyway.
He stayed put, waiting for Kelia to come to him directly. At the last moment, he dodged her kick. She had been expecting to make contact with him, so she used extra force in order to enhance her power.
Unfortunately for her, because she missed Drew altogether, she was forced to let go of the rope and fly toward the sea. Using his own speed—which was still much faster than hers—Drew went for the rope, swung around the ship, caught Kelia, and threw her onto the deck. He placed one boot over her throat even as he saw her struggle to breathe due to the hard landing. He had knocked the wind out of her, and though he regretted not showing her compassion, he knew he could not coddle her.
“You are predictable,” he said slowly. He put extra pressure on her throat to emphasize his point. “You’re dead.”
Kelia grunted. She locked her hands on his ankle and flipped him so he fell on his back. He did not fall as hard as Kelia had, so he managed to spring up onto his feet before Kelia could even think about placing her boot on his neck.
“Better,” he said.
She growled, and he grinned at her for getting frustrated with him.
Good. She needed to get frustrated in order to truly understand.
When Kelia tried to put her boot on his throat, she nearly lost her footing when Drew was suddenly not on the ground. But instead of falling or taking the time to right herself, she swung out her right leg and turned so Drew was struck by her foot. He fell back two steps, three. Despite himself, he felt the corner of his lip rise in appreciation.
“You’re learning,” he said, coming toward her.
“You’re surprised,” she grunted.
“You have an excellent teacher,” he pointed out. “Why would I be surprised?”
Kelia grinned, and Drew lifted his shoulder in a shrug. It felt good to be able to tease her the way he had before. He had been hard on her, but it was necessary. She did not take her life seriously. He was not sure if it was because she was a Sea Shadow and considered herself already dead, or if it was because she took her new abilities for granted. Either way, she needed to realize her actions had consequences and just because she was immortal did not mean she couldn’t die. Especially when their opponent was as vindictive and evil and bitter and miserable as the Queen.
“You need to work on your jump,” he told her, forcing himself to focus as much as she needed to. His head was swimming with the way her blood tasted in his mouth, the way it felt when her fingers brushed across his skin. So strange. He had been touched so many times before her, and yet he did not remember them the way he remembered each moment with her. “You’re springing from your heels. You should be springing from the balls of your toes.”
“How do I do that?” Kelia asked.
Drew moved toward her and dropped to his knees. Using his hands, he spread her feet so they were shoulder-width apart. Kelia was not expecting the gesture and had to steady herself by placing one hand on Drew’s shoulder. He ignored the warmth that emanated from her touch.
“Widen your stance like this.” He sat on the balls of his feet and placed one hand on her calf, the other on her thigh so it forced her knee to bend. “Do that with your other leg, and lean forward just a bit so you’re on the balls of your feet. Not your toes, not your heels.”
He waited for Kelia to do so. When she listened, he continued. “Think of it as though you are a dolphin, if dolphins had feet, propelling yourself out of the water and into the air, like you want to touch the sky even if it’s for just a second. Your force should come straight through your legs and out of your feet, pushing you upward.”
Kelia nodded, bouncing on the balls of her feet.
“Try it,” Drew said, standing up. “Run from the bow to me and jump straight up, springing from your toes and up through your legs.”
Kelia backed up. She ran and did as he instructed. She still did not do what he needed her to do, however.
He shook his head. “Touch the sky,” he repeated.
“How do you expected me to touch the sky?”
“Like this.” He reached out for her, and she placed her hand in his. They backed up together and then ran. She kept up with his pace seamlessly. “Spring now
.”
And she did.
They did, together.
A smile danced across his face. This was what being with the person you loved was supposed to feel like. They were not supposed to be constantly looking over their shoulders waiting for friends to betray them, or waiting for enemies to take her away from him and cash in on something the Queen wanted.
But it was this: living in a precious moment they were allowed to experience together.
His heart swelled with love for Kelia, for everything about her, even the bits that got under his skin and grated on his nerves. He held her hand tightly, with no intention of ever letting go. She was his, and that was it. He would do anything for her, even if that meant suffering. Even if it meant enduring pain. He would even die for her, and he wouldn’t hesitate to do so.
How scary, this feeling he had for her. The power she had over him.
Time sped up. Once they reached their peak, they had no choice but to fall back down to the deck. It groaned under their weight but held, surprising Drew with its sturdiness. Still, he did not let go of her.
“Kelia,” he said in a low voice, “I—”
“Oy, Shadows,” Daniella called from the shore. Her hands were on her hips and her head was tilted to the side. Wendy stood beside her with Emma behind them, a small, amused smile on her face. “Are we interrupting you?”
“Is that a rhetorical question?” Drew barked, not taking his eyes off Kelia, even as she climbed to her feet when she realized they were no longer alone.
“Actually, no,” Wendy said. Her arms were crossed over her chest.
Drew furrowed his brow at his sister’s tone and climbed to his feet as well. He was not sure if she was reserved because she was upset or because of everything that had happened recently. Perhaps the lingering sting of their aunt’s dismissal still affected her.
“You are needed, Drew,” she said, glaring at him.
Drew turned to look at Emma. In all their time together, he knew Emma would always be honest with him no matter what.
“It is time,” she said. “The moon is starting to come out, which means Sirens are starting to roam. We need to get them here.”
“And how do you suppose we do that?” Kelia asked. “I highly doubt they’ll come if we call.”
The corner of Emma’s lip curled up. “It only matters how
you call,” she said. She pulled a knife from the fold of her skirts. It glistened in the moonlight. “We will need blood from a Shadow. And then they will come. I am sure of it.”