Kelia froze. Her heart lurched in her throat. Daniella had to tug on Kelia's wrist to remind her to hurry up and get off the boat.

"I don't think you'll be leaving now, poppet," Robert said. He, too, was behind her, probably standing next to Casey. "The Queen is expecting you."

"You can tell the Queen," Kelia said, slowly turning around, "that due to unforeseen circumstances, I won't be accepting her invitation."

Her voice was still ragged, her throat burning with each word she spoke. She did her best to hide the pain with a look of cool indifference, but it was difficult to do, especially considering she could not even stand up straight due to the stiffness in her body.

"Unfortunately for you, the Queen doesn't like it when people reject her invitations," Casey said, his eyes narrowed in on Kelia. Neither of them moved; neither of them even attempted to stop Kelia from leaving. "An audience with the Queen is a rare circumstance. She doesn't grant them to just anyone."

"And yet she must have granted one to you two," Kelia pointed out as she threw her leg over the boat. "Sorry to disappoint, gentlemen. Shall I send a new, pressed handkerchief along with my sincerest apologies?” Antagonizing them was unnecessary and foolish, but she was so angry she couldn’t stop herself. “I can have it embroidered with her initials if she would like. I should get the letter B stitched in the silk, correct? For Bitch?"

Both Shadows were touched with darkness the minute the word came out of Kelia's mouth. It was difficult to describe, save for their body hunching over, tensing as though they were ready to spring into action. Their brows furrowed heavily over their eyes, their nostrils flared, and their long, sharp fangs protruded from their mouths.

Kelia’s heart skipped a beat. Daniella had made it into the boat with Emma. Kelia needed to throw the rest of herself over immediately.

"Get in the boat," Emma urged with a tight voice.

Someone tugged on Kelia's dangling ankle. Kelia fell into the boat with an ungraceful thump.

The rain started to get heavier, pelting down without forgiveness. They needed to get back to the Wraith lest they wanted to get caught up in the storm.

It wasn’t just Sirens they had to worry about, either; there was risk of catching a debilitating illness. Kelia had already suffered one months before, following Drew's timely rescue of her from the breeding program. She had been incapacitated for days, drinking everything Emma threw at her.

Her fear paralyzed her. Even now, as she found a seat and took a set of oars in her hand, she refused to look over the side of the boat, afraid a beautiful demon might pull her under once again and cause her to drown. However, a small, dark part of her considered risking it, if only to ascertain whether her mother was still alive.

"You best start rowing," Emma snapped as she kept her dark eyes focused on the Shadows. "Get the boat away from where they can reach it. They might be confined to the ocean, but if they can land on different boats, they can move across the ocean freely.. My powers cannot work on water. I am an earth witch, and the water—especially water controlled by Sirens—will repel my own. Daniella can pull fire from energy around us, but the rain will make it difficult. Start rowing. Now!"

It was the one thing Kelia could do without question. Perhaps the task was mundane, but it was a way for her to help, so she did it and did it quickly.

Without warning, the small vessel nearly toppled over after a loud thud. Kelia didn’t have to turn around to see that one of the Shadows leapt from their boat to land in Emma's.

"All we want is the human." The voice sounded like Casey's. "We'll let you both go if you give us to her."

"I'm sorry," Emma said with a forced politeness that sounded foreign, coming from her mouth. "That human is free to do as she wishes, and she clearly has no desire to be with you or your Queen."

"Perhaps I should take you, too." There was a thundering boom and then another. The boat rocked violently with each step he took. "I'm sure the Queen would be pleased to meet the witch who ripped Drew away from her. You did, after all, break his bond, Emma. She was not happy when that happened."

"Did she send you specifically to track down Drew?" Emma was stalling him, Kelia realized. If they could just get back to the Wraith, Drew would be able to help. "Or were you an afterthought, someone who heard about it and thought you could take it on even though the task is much too complicated for your small brain to decipher.”

"Tend your mouth, witch," Casey said in a low voice, each word perfectly enunciated. "What would happen if someone sewed your pretty, little lips shut? What then? Would you still be able to cast your spells? Would you still be able to please Drew and the others the way they long to be pleased?"

Kelia’s heart skipped a beat at the words. It could not be true—she knew it could not be true—and yet, she could not help but feel... It was difficult to describe. Jealous, perhaps? Heartbroken?

"What's this, Slayer?" Another step, and the boat rocked harder. "Was that your heart trembling at the thought of your precious Drew Knight being pleased by his witch? Do I detect feelings for him in your quiet and stoic demeanor? Would you like to know how you can help your friends? These witches are your friends, are they not? Or will you have to re-evaluate, considering Emma, here, is also Drew's lover. Can one be his lover and your friend, I wonder?"

"You’re asking if you can be his lover and my friend?” she asked, turning his taunting around onto him without missing a beat with the oars. “I don't think you're his type. And I have enough friends."

"The Queen is always looking to add another," Casey said. "And she doesn't ask."

Kelia’s shoulders and arms started screaming in pain, still suffering from being pinned against the mast of the ship, but she pressed forward. She had no blade, no other weapon. She needed to row. She could not stop until she reached Drew.

At that moment, the boat started to bob left and right. There was a struggle. It was difficult to see. Daniella muttered something. A loud twack pierced the quiet night.

Kelia stopped, craning her head to look over her shoulder. Daniella was recovering from what Kelia assumed was a powerful slap that, luckily, did not rocket her overboard. Emma, on the other hand, had been lifted by the Shadow, his hand wrapped around her neck.

"Ah, yes," he said, a darkly amused glint in his eyes. "The Queen wants you alive. She likes to personally deal with anyone who has offended her. But I bet if I snap your neck right now, she would forgive me, knowing you would not be able to break Drew's bond once more."

A garbled sound came out of Emma's throat, and it took some time for Kelia to realize Emma was actually laughing. From the corner of her eye, Kelia caught sight of Daniella hunched over, pretending to be knocked unconscious, her body just out of the way of the Shadow. However, slight movement indicated she was trying to get her fire going the way she had when freeing Kelia.

Kelia snapped her head back around, hoping not to give Daniella away. She continued to row. The Wraith was nowhere in sight, but it was too difficult to discern anything in this darkness. She had been handy with directions, but she was rowing blind, and hoped that the placement she had put the boat in was the correct one.

"May I ask what is so amusing to you, witch?" Casey asked. Kelia could not see him, but she could hear the sneer in his words.

"Only that you think Drew would ever allow himself to be bonded with the Queen again," Emma managed to croak out. "He would rather die than be paired with her the way he was before."

A telling silence filled the small boat. The rain caused waves in the ocean, the surface of the abundant sea still so angry. Every now and then, a particularly powerful wave would hit the boat and fill it with water. Soaked from rain and rogue waves, Kelia's tunic clutched her body like a second skin.

"Why do you think the Queen wants the girl first?" Casey asked. "You think she expects Drew to come back to her willingly? Of course she knows that won’t happen. The Queen is as intelligent as she is beautiful. She knows better.”

"Yet she would waste her resources on Kelia?" Emma said, her voice pinched from being choked. "She is of no use to anyone—nothing more than a trinket to soothe Drew. She can't do anything except hold a blade."

Kelia knew Emma was buying time, and she knew Emma was trying to make Kelia sound as inept as possible on purpose, but she couldn’t help but feel slightly pained by what she was hearing. It sounded too true to her own ears.

Casey still didn’t leap forward and take Kelia. He certainly had the ability, which meant...which meant he was afraid. Of Emma or of something else, Kelia was unsure, but she knew at some point, that fear would be overridden with desperation. He would make his move.

"You foolish witch,” Casey growled. “After torturing the girl, after bringing her to the precipice of death, the Queen will use her as a bargaining chip." Another step. "Drew would gladly do anything for her safety. You know it as well as I. The crew knows it. Why do you think none of us questioned Drew when he brought her aboard? Why do you think none of us even thought to approach her, afraid to touch her? Not because we feared Drew, but because the girl is to be untouched until she is brought to the Queen."

"You're saying the crew is conspiring against Drew?" Emma said slowly. She sounded genuinely surprised.

Kelia gulped. Was Drew safe, being with them now? She was certain Wendy would protect her brother, and she believed Christopher was loyal as well. But she did not know if two Sea Shadows and an air witch could take the twenty or so Shadows that claimed to be Drew's crew.

Her arms begged her to stop, but it was her thoughts that pushed her forward. She would not allow Drew to suffer by himself. She had to get back, she had to help.

Help? a snide voice questioned. How could you possibly help? Even Emma sees how useless you truly are.

Perhaps Emma had only said those things as a ploy to distract Casey, but it didn’t make them any less true.

Kelia gritted her teeth and continued to row, shaking the damning thoughts from her mind. The rain helped ease the tension in her arms and upper back, but as they continued to row toward the hopeful direction of the Wraith, Kelia's stomach was swept up in nausea. She still had not eaten, and the strong waves pushing the boat back and forth did not help matters.

She grunted, closing her eyes, trying not to feel anything. She needed to get through this. She needed to get to the Wraith.

That, and she needed Daniella to hurry up.

Kelia risked another glance over her shoulder at Daniella. She was barely moving—a good portrayal of unconsciousness—but her shoulders jutted out, catching Kelia's eye.

Smoke tickled her nose.

Kelia suppressed a grin. Daniella had it. But she needed more time—as did Emma.

There was one thing Kelia could do. She set the oars down and took a breath. Slowly, with shaky knees, she stood and turned around. She needed to adequately distract him. She hoped he couldn't smell the smoke, that the scent of the ocean was more overpowering, or, if he could, she hoped he assumed it came from the nearby island rather than this boat. She did not want to think about Robert and where he could be at this point. Hopefully, he would stay on the other boat and wait for Casey to return, which, if all went well, would not happen.

"If I go with you willingly, will you release Emma?" she asked. "Would you let her go?"

Kelia dared not to even mention Daniella. Casey might remember she existed and look at her, realize what she was up to, and do something destructive. Destructive and deadly.

"The Queen wants her, too," Casey pointed out. However, Kelia noticed that he did loosen his grip on Emma so her feet were able to stand fully on the boat. "I could take both of you—”

At that moment, the smell of smoke was too persistent to ignore. Not even the falling rain could mask it. The cackle and snap of dancing sparks caught Kelia's attention.

Casey spun around and narrowed his eyes on Daniella's seemingly unconscious form. “Hey!”

He dropped Emma and stepped toward Daniella. She rolled to her other side and threw a fireball at Casey, propelling him in the air and off the boat. Casey shrieked in pain. The flames licked his skin hungrily, and the scent of burnt flesh invaded Kelia's senses.

She couldn’t ignore her stomach any longer, even as she heard a graceless plop in the water nearby, and emptied what little contents currently resided in her stomach into the waves. She didn’t care if her stomach was too insistent to waste any time worrying.

"Is he dead?" Daniella asked.

"Besides silver, Shadows hate fire because fire eats them alive with joy and quickness," Emma murmured, her voice scratchy. "I do not know for sure, but Casey is at the least terribly injured. We best get back to the Wraith in case his anger is so consuming as to keep him alive."

Over the edge of the boat, Kelia could make out his form, a shadow even darker than the sea, still moving between the waves.

Casey wasn’t dead. Not yet. They needed to get out of here before he resurfaced.

Kelia sat, grabbed the oars, and began to row, but the pensive look on Emma’s face troubled her.

“What’s wrong?”

Emma pressed her lips together and shook her head. “It’s Drew,” she said, averting her gaze to the sea. “It’s—you know, it’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.”

Kelia wondered if the lie sounded as sharp in Emma’s own ears as it sounded in her own.