“Fading. But I’ll keep this up as long as I have to.”

Or until I passed out. But saying that wasn’t going to help Triton keep himself alive, so I kept it quiet. Thankfully, he could only hear my every thought when we were really close to each other.

“Can Rayna handle Eila while we take out the rest of them from behind?”

My gaze went back to the fight.

I… had no idea who was winning.

Both of them were bleeding, but they were still moving so fast that I was pretty sure they were fine.

“I think so, but I can’t really tell. She looks okay for now. I only see a little blood.”

“If she’s moving normally, she’ll survive. I’ll be there in a few. Be safe, Sweetheart.”

“You too.”

Our minds parted, and I slammed another wave against the beach.

My magic was fading to the point that every use of it was starting to feel too intense, but I couldn’t let myself think about that.

I only had to keep it up for a few more minutes. It sounded like an eternity, but I would handle it.

The stakes were too high not to.

My hair clung to my face with saltwater and sweat, so I threw it up in a fast bun, tying it in a big knot to keep it out of the way. My hand brushed the hoops on my ear as I did, and my skin was so alight with magic that I felt a tingle in response.

My nose started to bleed as I sent wave after wave onto the sand, keeping the water off of Rayna and Eila, but I couldn’t stop.

I knew what was at stake.

Not just my life, but the lives of all of the turned humans in the castle. My friends. People I cared about. Their kids.

No matter what it took, I couldn’t stop. I wouldn’t stop.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Rayna go down hard.

There were less selkies in every group that came onto the beach, but there were still too many. Triton wasn’t done.

Eila snarled something as she pinned Rayna down with her knees, angling her spear toward Rayna’s throat.

Fuck.

I moved without thinking, launching myself off the roof of the castle like Rayna had. A column of water snaked off the sea to carry me down to the sand, and I sprinted across the beach as I threw another wave at the shrinking number of selkies.

Something wobbled on top of my head, and I vaguely remembered the tingle of magic. My crown must’ve appeared. My bun would have to hold it in place, because I didn’t have the energy to send it away.

There wasn’t much I could do in a fight, but I hoped I could at least buy Rayna enough time for Triton to reach us.