There’s a tightening on my wrist, and something snaps…
Then darkness finds me again.
“Kat, wake up,” a voice pleads over and over until I’m pulled from my darkness.
I look up and find Alec, his wondrous green eyes shining down on me.
“Kat.” He’s relieved. He looks tired and scared, like he thought I was dead.
I try to sit up. I want him to know I’m okay, but I quickly become dizzy and I fall back again. My head hits the sand. Sand? Wait. I thought I was on a boat. Before that, everything is foggy.
“Just relax, okay? You almost drowned.” Alec’s concern strengthens me.
But I did drown, I want to say. Someone pulled me out of the water. Then I remember Iris.
“The fire! Alec, is Iris okay?”
“She’ll be okay, but she’s badly burned, really shaken up, and in a lot of pain. The ambulance is coming.”
As if on cue, a siren blares in the distance. I pull myself to a sitting position to take a look around. The crowd has thinned significantly, and the remaining guests huddle in clusters, while watching the aftermath of the freak fire and windstorm that terrorized the entire party.
Alec looks worriedly at me and wraps me in a hug. “Are you okay?” The concern in his voice tugs at my heart, but I’m too disturbed from the events to return his affection.
I find the strength to nod. “I’m okay.”
Apparently, the croak in my voice tells him differently because he looks down at me with a helpless expression. He shakes his head, unbelieving. “That wave almost killed you, and it saved Iris’s life.” There’s a clear look of bewilderment in his expression. “I don’t even know how that was possible. We don’t get waves like that here.”
Guilt shakes through me to the point where I become nauseated at the knowledge that everything that happened tonight, including my near-death accident, was completely in my control. Or it should have been. But like Rose warned, I wasn’t ready.
I look over where Iris lies. Her hair is gone, her scalp is covered with blood, and a tear rolls down her cheek. She moans with pain, and my heart breaks for her. She was drunk, reckless, and mean, but she didn’t deserve what my magic did to her. I caused this. Maybe I should have died under that wave, but someone pulled me out of the water. But who?
“How did I get back on the beach? I got caught in a wave that took me under. I was drowning, and someone pulled me out.”
Alec shakes his head. “I don’t know. I saw you go under, and you were gone for a long time. Then, I don’t know how, but you just washed up on shore. I didn’t see anyone else.”
I shiver then look at the sky. Closing my eyes, I soak in the light of the moon, hoping I can reenergize so I can help Iris. When I feel my energy begin to rebuild, I clamber to my feet and go to Iris’s side. I place one hand on my emerald and the other over her heart. But something feels wrong.
My bracelet. The emerald is still secured around my neck, but the charm bracelet and locket my mom gave me are gone. No. My heart thuds deeply in my chest. My breath is caught in my throat, and I struggle to take another breath as panic sets in. How could I have lost my mother’s locket? A tear falls down my cheek, and I want to sob, but I need to help Iris.
Alec was right. Iris’s injuries are almost too much to stomach. I can’t completely see her scalp through the blood, but there’s no doubt that she’s been badly burned.
“Katrina.” Rose’s shrill voice startles me. “What happened?”
I release my necklace and stare up at my grandmother and Charlotte. I open my mouth to speak, but Alec cuts in. “The bonfire got out of control.” I hadn’t even seen him approach.
Rose’s gaze moves from Alec to me then stays on me. I know there will be consequences for what I did tonight, but I’m not ready to face them right now. Not until Iris is okay.
“Hey, someone should probably meet the ambulance on the street so they know where we are.” It’s the first thing I can think of to make him go away. If I’m going to heal Iris, then he can’t be here.
“Good idea,” Alec says. “I’ll be back.”
As soon as he’s far enough away, I lean in closer to Iris and clutch my emerald again. My stomach churns at the sight of her burns. Fortunately, the fire didn’t spread farther than that.
Rose and Charlotte shift so they are on the other side of her body. I’m glad they are here to help.
Iris opens her eyes, and tears flood her eyes. “It hurts, Kat.”
My chest aches. “Shh, it’s okay.” I squeeze her hand. “You’re going to be okay. Close your eyes.”
Iris obeys, and I place my fingers on top of her head. I let the energy take over my body as I look to the moon for support, just as Rose and Charlotte taught me. I feel it—the tingling sensation in my fingers as it transfers to Iris and heals her wounds. I can even hear the energy sizzling in the air now that I’m focused on healing Iris and that alone.
Rose and Charlotte extend their hands, too, their power now an extension of mine. I look at them both as they pour their healing into Iris. I’ve failed them. But when Iris finally begins to relax, it’s hard for me to be anything other than overwhelmingly relieved. Her eyes remain closed, and I think she’s sleeping. Her heartbeat is strong. She’s going to be okay.
Alec returns, directing the ambulance to pull onto the beach. I stand to greet him. “You should go with her.”
Alec frowns. “What about you? You were hurt too, Kat.” His voice is so gentle it sends a knife through my chest. He has no idea I caused this disaster. He thinks I’m a victim.
“We’ll take care of Katrina,” Rose says to him, her tone firm.
I give Alec a small smile. “I’ll be okay, but Iris needs someone. You’ll call her parents?”
“Already did. They’re heading to the hospital now.” Alec looks at me, defeated. “Kat, I don’t want to leave you.”
I reach for his hand and squeeze it. If he had any idea what I did tonight, he wouldn’t want to be anywhere near me. My heart aches. He would hate me for what I am, for what I did. Still, I press my lips to his, not caring that Rose and Charlotte are standing by. “Go,” I whisper.
After another second of hesitation, Alec jogs to the ambulance where the paramedics are placing Iris into the back of the van, and joins them.
I watch until the doors of the ambulance close behind him and the vehicle rolls away into the distance. With a final glance at the scene on the beach, I follow Rose and Charlotte back to Summer Manor—ready to face my fate.
Back at Summer Manor, Rose and I sit facing each other in the great room. Charlotte has gone to make tea. Rose isn’t looking at or speaking to me. Deep concentration is evident in her features. My heartbeat escalates as I replay the last couple of hours over and over in my mind, like a broken record. What have I done? What will my punishment be?
I look at Rose, considering the fact that she is disappointed in me. A sinking in my chest tells me I don’t want that. Charlotte enters the room moments later with a tray and three full cups of tea. Steam rises from them, reminding me of the smoke from the billowing flames of the bonfire. I shudder.