Page 1 of Gemini Hunted
Chapter One
Zara
The shark comes at me out of nowhere.
Minutes ago, I was somersaulting backward off theFilibuster’s gunwale, with my dive mask and regulator held to my face so the choppy wind-whipped surf off Icarus Island wouldn’t knock my mask loose or my mouthpiece off.
Despite the danger of this stunt we’re about to pull, I was even enjoying the tropical warmth of the Med. I mean, the water’s warm in comparison to the gale-force winds that buffeted our bodies in the dinghy.
Of course, we’d need to do this dive on the edge of the worst tropical cyclone this ocean has seen in decades.
Encased in a black wetsuit, Ronin’s powerful frame knifed into the churn beside me, sleek and deadly as a barracuda, dark ponytail streaming in his wake. Holding his own mask in place with one hand and gripping his speargun with the other. Barely lit by the little lantern in theFilibuster’s prow, I curled my arms overhead in the diver’s universal signal to the pilot to give theall clear.
As the rubber dinghy motored away under Neo’s careful steer through the boulder-strewn surf, I ducked under the wavetops, switched on my flashlight to get my dive buddy andme both oriented, and used the fins strapped on my feet to propel myself deeper.
Ronin swam at my side, speargun tucked close to his streamlined body. Guarding my ass the same way he guards my heart.
For better or worse, all our words have been said.
Back on the yacht a nautical mile out, we left Vasili and Zephyr practically at each other’s throats.
And not in a good way. (They’re warlocks, not vampires.)
Ronin and me?
We agreed to get under this tropical storm, like, ASAP. Top priority. Under the violent churn of this storm-tossed sea, our prize is waiting.
God knows, these powerful currents haven’t been making this deadly contest any easier. I’m a strong swimmer and a hella experienced diver. But this is red flag weather—and then some.
Plus I’m tiny.
These waves have been throwing around my little body, hindered by my gear and the heavy cylinder of compressed air strapped to my back. Making me bob along the dangerous tides that swirl around the rocky cliffs of Icarus Island at midnight like a buoy busted free from my anchor.
Until a whiplash of vicious undertow ripped Ronin from my side. In a blink, his powerful body was gone. Vanished.
I swept the beam of my flashlight through the inky depths and reached through our telepathic bond.
Ronin! You okay?
After an alarming silence, his reply bounced back like a sonar ping.
No worries, love. I’ve got this. Meet you in the grotto, yeah? Current’s headed straight for it.
The worst of my tension eased its grip. Ronin’s solid in the water, trained and certified in the choppy surf of the Irish Sea. Plus he’s more than my dive buddy.
So I trust him.
Same way he trusts me.
Besides, it’s not like we have a choice. That big fat zero currently sitting on our team’s scoreboard for our witch academy finals isn’t gonna correct itself.
Roger that,I shot back.Stick to the plan—and watch yourself till I get there, for real. See you at the grotto.
I thumbed the button to bleed air from the inflatable BCD zipped around my torso, shedding buoyancy and swimming deeper, looking to hitch a ride on the same current. Struggling to sink under the surge and get farther away from the highly visible orange dinghy having its own problems in this storm, even with Neo’s capable hand on the tiller—
That’s when I see the shark.
Arrowing straight up from the inky depths into the searching beam of my flashlight.
