Chapter 238

Agnes

The dim blue glow of the stone had flickered once, twice, then went out completely. The pool went still and silent, and when both James and I called out, Elijah didn’t surface.

“I’m going after him.”

Without hesitation, James stripped off his jacket and dove in headfirst. The splash echoed through the chamber as he disappeared beneath the surface. I stood at the edge, heart pounding, counting the seconds until he reappeared.

Thirty seconds. Forty-five. A minute.

Finally, James broke the surface with a gasp, water streaming from his hair. “It’s too dark down there,” he panted. “I can’t see anything—even with my night vision.”

“But Elijah—”

“He’s down there somewhere,” James said, treading water.

My mind raced. If James couldn’t see with his wolf’s night vision, how could we possibly find Elijah in time?

Suddenly, I had an idea so ridiculous I almost laughed out loud. “Fire,” I said. “I can make fire.”

James’ eyes widened as he realized what I was suggesting. “Underwater? Will that even work?”

“I don’t know,” I admitted. “But I have to try.”

I kicked off my boots and pulled my sweater over my head, then kicked off my pants and tank top. “I’ll go with you,” James said, swimming back to the edge. “If you can provide light, I can help search.”

I nodded, took a deep breath, and jumped.

The water was cold—much colder than I expected. It sucked the air from my lungs as I plunged beneath the surface. I forced my eyes open, ignoring the sting of the mineral-rich water. Complete darkness surrounded me. I couldn’t see anything, not even my own hands in front of my face.

I focused on my palms, trying to summon that familiar heat that occasionally bit at my skin. Nothing happened. No warmth, no glow, just the cold press of the water. Of course it wouldn’t work underwater; especially not water this cold.

With my lungs burning for air, I kicked my way back to the surface.

“Nothing?” James asked as I emerged beside him. Lena was kneeling by the edge of the pool, watching with a rapt expression.

I shook my head, gasping for breath. “It’s not working. The water’s too cold, or too much—I don’t know.”

“Try again,” James urged. “Really focus this time.”

I nodded, and we dove together, kicking down into the black water. This time, I concentrated harder, thinking of Elijah somewhere in the darkness, possibly running out of air while I failed him. I thought of Thea, who needed her father. I thought of everything we’d been through, everything we’d survived.

No. I would not lose him now. Not like this. Not when we were so close.

I felt it then—a flicker of heat in my palms. Just a tiny spark at first, but I latched onto it, feeding it with my fear and desperation. The heat spread, my hands warming against the frigid water.

Hotter. Hotter.

I pushed more, feeling the familiar burn begin to build in my veins. The water immediately around my hands began to warm, then heat up rapidly. Still, I couldn’t see anything—the heat wasn’t producing enough light.

I was about to give up again when suddenly my palms flared bright red, the glow illuminating a small sphere around me. The water was bubbling now, actually bubbling around my hands despite the depths. I’d never produced this much heat before.

And there—just visible in the reddish glow—I could make out a form on the bottom of the pool. Elijah. Unmoving.

I kicked frantically toward him, the fire in my hands growing brighter. James swam beside me, his eyes reflecting the red glow. As we got closer, I could see that Elijah was lying motionless on the rocky bottom with the stone still clutched in his hands.

But something was wrong. The stone wasn’t resting on the bottom—it was pressing down on him, like it was impossibly heavy, pinning Elijah there. His eyes were closed, face slack.

My lungs screamed for air, but I ignored them, pushing toward him with everything I had. Finally, I reached him, grabbing for the stone. James took hold of Elijah’s shoulders, trying to pull him up, but he wouldn’t budge.

The stone felt cold to my touch despite the heat radiating from my hands. I expected it to be impossibly heavy, but as I pried it from Elijah’s grasp, it felt almost weightless. The moment it left his hands, his body floated upward slightly.

James immediately wrapped his arms around Elijah’s chest and kicked toward the surface. I followed, clutching the stone, which had begun to glow blue again as soon as I took it. The heat from my hands intensified, and I realized with alarm that the water around me was heating rapidly, almost to boiling.

I tried to tamp down the fire, to pull back the heat, but my panic made it harder to control. Steam bubbles began to form around me, rising to the surface in a cloud. If I didn’t get control soon, I’d cook myself alive.

Focus, Agnes. Focus.

I concentrated on the stone, on the cool blue light it emitted. It seemed to pulse in my hands. Slowly, the water temperature began to drop as I regained control.

When I finally broke the surface, I was gasping for air, my hands still glowing red-hot. The stone pulsed with blue light, creating an eerie purple glow where the two lights met. I swam awkwardly to the edge of the pool, trying to keep my burning hands above water.

James had already pulled Elijah onto the shore. He was on his side, coughing up water, his chest heaving as he fought for breath. Alive. Thank the Goddess, he was alive.

The sight of him, conscious and breathing, sent a wave of relief through me so powerful that my fire immediately began to fade. The red glow dimmed, the heat receding back under my skin where it belonged. The glow returned to a pure, brilliant blue.

I scrambled out of the water, still clutching the stone, and rushed to Elijah’s side. “Elijah! Are you okay?”

He nodded weakly, still coughing. “The stone,” he managed between coughs. “It was… so heavy.”

“I know,” I said, brushing wet hair from his forehead. “But I’ve got it now. It’s safe. You’re safe.”

His eyes fixed on the blue glow emanating from my hands. “You did it,” he murmured. “You pulled it out.”

“We did it,” I corrected him, glancing at James. “All of us.”

I glanced at Lena then, and that was when I noticed her expression. She was staring at the stone in my hands, her face eerily illuminated by its blue glow. There was something in her eyes that I’d never seen before.

Something hungry. Something fierce.

For a brief moment, her face looked almost… menacing.

But then she blinked, and her expression softened into a serene smile. “You did it,” she said softly. “You actually found it.”

I clutched the stone tighter to my chest, suddenly feeling wary.

“We should get back,” James said, oblivious. “It’s a long hike back to the estate.”

James was right; the journey back through the cave was grueling, and the hike back was even more so. We had to stop frequently for rest, and the rock climbing section was particularly challenging. But eventually, the forest began to thin, and we found ourselves back on the main road. I nearly leapt for joy when I saw our vehicle parked on the side of the road, waiting to carry us back to the estate.

Just to be safe, I checked the compartment in my backpack that housed the stone as we got settled in the car. It was no longer glowing, although it was even more beautiful in the light. The carvings were intricate, and the material was almost a translucent greenish-blue.

I caught Lena’s gaze in the rearview mirror. She was staring at it with that same hungry look in her eyes.

Swallowing, I quickly tucked the stone back into my backpack. When I looked at Lena again, she was staring out the window.

The sun was beginning to set by the time Richard’s estate came into view. The golden light of late afternoon made the grand house look almost magical against the backdrop of forest and mountains.

But as we approached the front drive, my steps faltered. There was a vehicle parked there that hadn’t been there when we left this morning.

A coroner’s van.

Elise was dead.