Page 27 of Surface Pressure

The warmth against her neck jolted her back to her work studio. Soulara spun around. Her fingers gently wrapped around the stone Milan had given her. It had been an instinct, protecting it against prying eyes. She only dared wear it in here, for fear her father might see it and know she’d been visiting her mother again.

Her heart calmed, a gentleness flowing through her in soft waves. Soulara closed her eyes and eased into the contact with the soul her mother had given her. Opening her eyes, Soulara could see the gentle lines of the gray ray with white speckles along its fins and down its tail. Soulara relaxed instantly. Her companion continued the calming waves.

“Why are you here?” Soulara asked Nylah.

Nylah’s reply was a gentle flap of their wings as they moved closer to Soulara. So far the creature had communicated from a distance, and this change of behavior was unnerving.

Soulara cringed as Nylah reached out with the tip of one wing and touched her cheek. But the touch was gentle and soothing. Soulara closed her eyes, but instead of the darkness she expected to find there, she saw Autumn in the dazzling bright light of sunshine. Her body moving around in their secret meeting space.

But she moved awkwardly.

Stiff.

Agitated.

Soulara bit her lip as she continued to observe.

“Is she okay?” Soulara opened her eyes and stared at Nylah, expecting an answer.

Nylah flipped a fin up and swam away quickly, the sleek lines of their body moving rapidly through the water.

Soulara hesitated, her fluke ready to push her to follow, but her heart and her mind were at war again. This wasn’t because she was desperate to know that Autumn was all right. Not because, despite her inability to make a choice, Autumn was lovely despite being the enemy.

But was she really the enemy?

Not all of her people would agree with all decisions she would eventually be forced to make once she stepped into her inevitable role as queen. That wasn’t what worried Soulara. She didn’t want to be queen. She didn’t want that responsibility. Those few moments of freedom with Autumn, swimming to her little sanctuary, had been exactly what Soulara had longed for years for.

Could Autumn be the same?

Forced into doing what she had to?

Soulara would make similar decisions for her people, and she would expect them to follow. But not blindly. Not without thinking. Not without telling her to shut the fuck up if she was wrong.

Autumn knew what was happening. Autumn was stealing water from other planets—Soulara’s home.

But what was home anyway?

Soulara followed Nylah, refusing to overtake while simultaneously wishing the ray would move faster. As if her wish was her command, Nylah quickened their pace.

Soulara struggled to keep up, swimming in and out of coral reefs and around sharks. She dodged all manner of fish as the water became lighter as the soundings thinned between her and the surface. The water was so bright up here, and Soulara could see for ages. She flipped around one last rock and stopped.

Autumn.

She stood at the edge of the water before falling to her knees, her hands on her legs and her chin drooping. Her dark hair covered her face, making it impossible to see her eyes. Soulara’s throat tightened, and Nylah swam near her before vanishing again.

Soulara had come here for a reason, and while logic told her it was to learn more from the enemy, when she looked at Autumn now, all she saw was a human just as broken as she was. Pushing forward, Soulara breached the surface of the water, the sun’s rays hitting her face instantly.

“Autumn,” Soulara called out. She had no idea what she was going to say beyond that. Everything about Autumn was unknown. Soulara held back her cringe as she breathed the air and it bit in her chest, her magic swirling through her to make that burning sensation vanish all the more quickly.

Autumn jerked her head up, her head tilting to the side, tears streaming down her cheeks. Soulara moved slowly, closer to the edge of the water. The sand against her skin and tail itched, and Soulara moved her magic deeper into her body. Autumn looked so small and insignificant on the edge of the beach—but that wasn’t true at all. Autumn had become so much a part of her world that Soulara couldn’t resist her.

“You came.” Autumn’s voice carried on the faint breeze that tickled the water on Soulara’s cheek.

“Are you okay?” Soulara moved closer to the water’s edge.

Autumn’s steps were long and fast, meeting Soulara before she could get far enough out of the water to transform.

“Am I okay?” Autumn laughed. The sound didn’t ring like joy, and missed her eyes entirely. “No, I’m not okay. They won’t listen. They’re going to kill you, and your people. I’m no one.”

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