Page 63 of A Touch Enchanted

“We have enough of a charge between us to separate until we get to shore. We’ll move faster on our own. Don’t argue, just go.”

I opened my mouth to retort, but she’d already taken off. “Fuck.”

I had no choice but to follow her. I kept her in my line of sight as she ducked and weaved between the snake-like bodies that tried to prevent her escape. It was like watching a dance underwater. All those years of playing a mermaid in the festival paid off in spades.

The eels didn’t stand a chance.

I did my best to keep up with her, but she was a force. Her tiny frame made it easy for her to slip through tight spaces of open water. The eels mistakenly thought she’d be the easier target due to her size, which helped clear the way for me to get through.

When one of the crocodiles snapped at her toes, I had a mild case of heart failure, but she pulled her foot back and kicked it in the snout, using the momentum to propel herself faster. I was in awe. If I hadn’t been in the process of fighting for my life, I might’ve stopped just to watch her go. She was radiant and in her element. I’d never loved her more.

Finally, the water became too shallow to swim through. We got to our feet and made a run for it. The crocodiles gave one last push, their claws kicking up sand and debris as they dug in and tried to catch us, but we were too fast. We sprinted onto the shore.

Once we were well out of reach, we collapsed. The beach had been deserted for days, but the scent of coconut oil still lingered in the air. Trash from that first chaotic appearance of the eels still dotted the sand, along with a handful of abandoned coolers and umbrellas that no one had bothered to clean up. The town probably expected us to deal with it.

My heart thundered in my chest as I tried to get my breathing under control. “If Nirah shows up, tell him I’m already dead.”

Violet laughed and buried her face in the crook of my shoulder.

Up ahead, just beyond the rock wall that separated the beach from Stardust Parkway, a small crowd of locals had gathered. All the tourists were gone by now, leaving only those who lived here and those who had been charged to protect them.

As black smoke curled around their ankles and their gazes turned suspicious and accusing, I had to wonder just how much worse things were about to become.

Chapter twenty

Violet

“Getup,Beanie.”Itugged on Donovan’s arm. “We can’t stay here.”

We’d taken the River of Life to the Well of Rebirth. Narrowly avoided being torn to shreds by Nirah’s beast. Fought off five sharks, swum through hundreds of electric eels, and dodged a handful of crocodiles. I needed a nap in the worst way. But we couldn’t afford to rest. Not when the others were still trapped in the cave.

The fact that Nirah didn’t follow us to the beach should’ve been a relief, but all it did was increase my worry. If his attention wasn’t on us, where was it?

Donovan groaned as he sat up and rubbed the muscles in his powerful thighs. He was in great physical shape, but he wasn’t an avid swimmer like me. It didn’t surprise me that he was sore. He had to keep going, though. We still had to get back to the cave.

“I’m up.” He stood and cracked his back. “I’m ready.”

“Great, let’s go.” I grabbed his hand and pushed more of my energy into him. I didn’t have Finn and Thora’s healing power, but giving him more of myself was its own kind of balm. It gave him the push he needed to get moving.

“Hold on.” He pulled me to a stop. “How are we going to get through the forest?”

“What do you mean?”

He rubbed his hands over his head. “There isn’t a lot the animals in there can do for us against a fifteen-foot snake, arrows, wasps the size of a baby’s fist, and warthogs that can shave the skin off us like a cheese grater. They’ll scatter at the first sign of danger. Our magic is more the defensive kind.”

“I don’t know what we’re supposed to do then.” I threw my hands in the air, frustrated with the situation, but also frustrated with him for pointing out the obvious. “Our offensive team is currently trapped in Nirah’s cave with the body of his dead lover, and I have no idea how long the curse is just going to let them hang out there without doing something worse. So I don’t know what alternative you have in mind.”

“We need another offensive team to get us through the forest.” Donovan turned his gaze toward Leo’s. “We need Kenna and Galen.”

I let out a startled laugh. “Kenna and Galen hate each other. They haven’t practiced their magic and Kenna has no control over her fire. She could burn down the whole forest.”

“I know.” Donovan pressed his lips into a thin line. “But what choice do we have?”

None. Damn it. We had no other choice. The truth of it settled like an anvil in my stomach. “Call Galen, have him meet us at Leo’s. See if you can get Cole to come too.”

“My phone is soaked.”

I pulled mine out of my back pocket. The screen was cracked in a million places from ramming into the stone walls on the way down the River of Life, and it was completely dead. It would have to be replaced. Just one more hit on my dwindling savings.

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