Page 115 of Bring Me Your Midnight

I slowly close the space between us, wrapping my arms around him, holding on tight. He hesitates for a single breath, and then his arms are around my waist and his head is against my neck, his breath sending goose bumps all along my skin.

I thought it would feel odd, hugging this boy I barely know, but it doesn’t. I think my body remembers him, remembers the way it felt to be wrapped up in him.

He feels like home.

We hold each other for a long time, breathing each other in. I feel safe in his arms, peaceful and calm, even though I don’t remember. Even though I left such an unimaginable mess behind me. This is where I’m meant to be. Right here.

I finally pull away from him. “Take me home?”

He nods, holding his hand out to me.

And I take it, letting him lead the way.

Wolfe and I are sitting on a boulder that overlooks the eastern shore, watching as the sky changes from velvet blue to black. The stars are out tonight, and the half-moon shines brightly, reflecting off the water of the Passage. Lightning flashes in the darkness, and a few moments later, thunder rumbles in the distance. Then the sky opens up over the channel separating us from the mainland, drenching it in rain.

Landon’s boat is halfway across the water, theEmerald Princesssign lit up on the back of the ship. Small globe lights hang along the railings, slightly illuminating the silhouette of a person walking inside from the stern. I watch as it pulls farther away from the Witchery, and I wonder what kind of conversations he’s having with his parents, what he said to them after we spoke. I can’t deny the relief I feel as his boat gets farther away, knowing how close I was to being on it with him.

I’ve said goodbye to so many things today. I’m glad this island isn’t one of them.

The lights on the ship move in the distance, jerking to the right, and I sit up, straining my eyes to get a better look.

They swing back to the left.

“Oh my god,” I breathe, getting to my feet.

“What is it?” Wolfe asks, placing his hand on my back.

At first, I think it’s the storm battering the ship, but the swells aren’t big enough to jolt it like that. It’s something else. “The boat,” I say. “It’s caught in a current.”

For a moment, I just stare, mesmerized by the way the ship tips and thrashes as if it’s weightless. It starts spinning around and around, and I can hear the groaning and breaking of wood from here.

“We have to do something,” I say, rushing into the water, braiding the moonflower into my hair so I don’t lose it.

Wolfe follows me, conjuring a thick cloud of magic that fully immerses me. I feel it working, entering my lungs and flowing into the water, overwhelmed by its power.

“We’ll use a current to get there quickly. You’ll be able to stay underwater for minutes as long as you stay close to me.”

I nod, then put my hand in his and dive into the water. We’re immediately caught in the current he created, but instead of spinning us around, it drags us out into the Passage. I kick my legs and reach with my arms as we’re carried closer and closer to the ship.

The groaning of metal and wood punctuates the stormy night, and I kick harder when I hear yelling. An awful crack splits the air, followed by a large wave that rushes toward us.

It pushes us back several yards, but the current finds us againquickly. My formal gown drags in the water around me, and my body shakes from the cold as we’re pulled farther out to sea. Another bolt of lightning cuts through the darkness, and rain pelts us as we swim.

When we finally get close enough to see the ship in detail, Wolfe slows the current, and we tread water.

“Do you know how many people are on board?” he asks, breathing heavy.

I shake my head. “Landon and his parents for sure. Probably a captain, maybe some staff?”

Wolfe works beside me, his magic rising around us. This time, it stretches to the heavens, and I’m amazed when his palm lights up with a silver-blue glow.

“Is that moonlight?” I ask, completely amazed.

“It will help us see underwater.”

A scream pulls my eyes from the moonlight, and I recognize the voice immediately as Landon’s. He’s in the water now, thrashing around with all the debris of his broken ship. His scream is swallowed by the Passage as he’s pulled under.

“I’m going,” I yell, forcing myself underwater and begging my eyes to adjust. Wolfe follows, stretching his moonlight into the depths, turning the black water a soft shade of gray. The current swirls in front of us, violently stirring the sea.

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