He tore away his mouthpiece. “Anni.”

And crushed his lips to hers.

“You vanished, you scared me. You’re beautiful. You’re everything.”

“I had to go deep. Didn’t you hear the songs?”

“They tore at my heart,” Sasha said.

“You should take it.” Annika held the star out to Bran.

“When we get back. You’re made of magick, Annika. And we should go back, finish this.”

“Couldn’t we just take ten? I just want to swim out, see—”

Doyle grabbed Riley’s arm before she could. “Now.”

“Now,” Sawyer agreed. “Hold on to your hats.”

It took seconds in a whirling kick that seemed to punch them out of the water and onto the floor of the villa.

“Holy shit, Sawyer.”

A little wide-eyed himself, he grinned at Riley. “What a rush! Rock-in-a-slingshot time. It must’ve been the star. Swear to God it wasn’t me.”

“It’s so beautiful.” Annika looked down at it, glinting, glimmering, madly blue in her hand.

Sawyer looked down as well, not only at the star, but at Annika who sat, tail curled under her, on the floor.

“You may want to, you know, change. And—” He grabbed her dress. “Put this on.”

“Oh, yes, I forgot. It lives. It breathes.” She offered it up to Sawyer.

And it pulsed, without mass, but warm and real in his hands. “Whoa, I’ll say. Over to you.”

As Bran took it, Annika rose on her legs, shimmied into her dress. As Bran had with the Fire Star, he shielded it in a clear globe. “To protect, to respect, to shield, to hold.”

“We should do it quickly. She knows.”

With a nod at Sasha, Bran crossed to the painting. The rest gathered around him, washed in that blue light. “As before, we each lay a hand on the globe, all say the words. To protect this bright water, this pure light, I send it safe where no eye can see, no hand can touch, no darkness shadow.”

Power shimmered, swirled. The encased star pulsed its light, and that light spread over the house on the cliffs, turned the soft sky into brilliance. Then slipped into the painting. With a final flash of blue, it was gone.

“It’s quiet now,” Annika murmured. “And safe from her.”

“It will be safer—and stronger I think.” Bran held out a hand. The painting vanished. “Stronger now that two are together.”

“She’s fury.” Beside Bran, Sasha shuddered. “All fury and madness. She’ll rain fire, burn us to ash.”

“We should just go—you know—zip right to Ireland.” Glancing around, Riley shoved her wet hair back. “I’m always up for a fight, but this might be the time to retreat and regroup.”

“She’ll follow, and the fire rains there. It’s fire—I can feel the burn. It’s cold.”

“If it’s here or there, I want to take the shot.” In fact, Sawyer craved it. “I can buy us time, turn her around so she’ll have to find us again rather than just follow our trail. Either way, we need to suit up.”

Sawyer unstrapped the underwater gun. “And fight some fire with fire.”

“Fire with fire,” Bran agreed, but added a sharp smile, “and given all, I think, with water.”

“So we’re going to get hot and wet—sexual innuendo absolutely intended because, why not. Scuba gear under the pergola. I’ll have it picked up there.” Riley shrugged. “They already figure I’m way over-eccentric.”

Annika followed Sawyer to his old room where he’d left a change of clothes, his boots. His weapons. “She’s a god, Sawyer. She may not let you go.”

“I’m not going to give her a choice.”

“But she—”

“Listen.” He paused to take her shoulders, look into her eyes. “You need to trust me on this, like I trusted you in the cave. Okay, I had a minute of panic when you went down, when I couldn’t see you.”

And it had taken Doyle and Bran together to hold him back.

“But I pulled it together. Because I knew you were doing what you were meant to do, had to do. And would do. I need you to trust me, to believe in me. I need that or I can’t do it.”

“If I believe, it helps you?”

“All the difference in the world.”

“Then I believe.” She cupped his face, laid her lips on his, poured all she was into that one moment. “You have all my faith.”

“Then I can’t lose.”

He changed quickly, joined the others.

“You’ll be in the firestorm, and in the deluge,” Bran told them. “I’ll do what I can to send it up, away from you, but it’s going to be rough.”

“I like it rough.” Doyle drew his sword, sent Riley a glance. “Sexual innuendo intended.”

“Good one.” She drew her gun, gripped her knife.

“Keep her minions off me when you can.” Sawyer looked up, realized he didn’t need Sasha to tell him they were coming. Overhead, the sky already thrashed. “If she’s with them, and the seer says yeah, I need to get close enough to pull her in. I may need a toss-up,” he said to Bran.

“You’ll have it.”

The sky cracked open, shaking the world. And the bitter, flaming dark poured out.

“All my faith,” Annika told him.