Chapter 21
TWENTY-ONE
CASSIA
Nerissa appeared at the station just after noon.
Cassia heard her before she saw her—the click of heels on stone, the soft rustle of expensive fabric. The siren moved through the world like she owned it, every step deliberate, every gesture calculated to draw the eye.
Today, she wore flowing teal silk that moved with her body like water. When she smiled, it was warm and sympathetic and utterly, inexplicably wrong.
“I hope I’m not interrupting.” Nerissa’s voice was honey and salt water. “I brought lunch. I thought you might need sustenance after all these long hours of research.”
She held up a wicker basket—the same kind of thing Aero had brought to the cliff, Cassia noted with a twist of something she refused to name as jealousy.
“That’s very thoughtful.” Aero’s voice was neutral. Distant. The warmth that had softened his edges when he spoke to Cassia was nowhere in evidence. “But we’re working.”
“Everyone needs to eat.” Nerissa set the basket on the corner of Cassia’s workstation, her iridescent gaze sliding from Aero to Cassia. “Especially weather witches who’ve been running themselves ragged trying to predict the unpredictable.”
Cassia’s spine stiffened. “I’m fine.”
“Of course, you are.” Nerissa’s smile didn’t waver, but something flickered behind her eyes. “I only meant—the anomalies must be so draining. All that power, constantly reaching for more. It must be exhausting.”
“I manage.”
“I’m sure you do. You’ve been managing your whole life, haven’t you? That’s what I’ve heard, anyway.” Nerissa leaned against the edge of the workstation, casual and elegant. “The Gale witches have such a reputation. Such… persistence.”
The barometer pendant at Cassia’s throat pulsed cold. Her magic stirred, responding to the threat she couldn’t quite identify.
“The Deepwater Courts have always been fascinated by weather witches,” Nerissa continued, her voice smooth as silk over steel. “The way your power connects to the ocean. The way your storms affect our currents. We’ve studied the interaction for centuries.”
“I wasn’t aware there was anything to study.”
“Oh, there’s always something to study. Especially now, with the surge affecting everyone’s magic so dramatically.” Nerissa’s gaze sharpened. “Tell me—has your control gotten better or worse since it started?”
The question landed like a blade between Cassia’s ribs.
Worse. Her control had gotten so much worse. The surge had amplified everything—her power, her emotions, her inability to contain either one. She woke to storms she didn’t remember summoning. She sparked lightning when she was startled. She called weather with feelings she couldn’t suppress.
Three squalls in the past week. A waterspout during a phone call with her father. The pier flooding when a seal startled her. Every incident recorded in the back of her mind like a list of failures she couldn’t stop adding to.
But she would chew off her own tongue before admitting any of that to Nerissa.
“My control is fine,” Cassia said flatly.
“Is it?” Nerissa tilted her head, her hair drifting with the motion.
“Because I’ve heard the fishing cooperative has been struggling.
Unusual weather. Rogue waves. The boats can’t find safe passages anymore.
” Her voice dropped to something almost sympathetic.
“It must be so difficult. Having power you can’t contain. People must blame you for everything.”
Cassia’s nails bit into her palms. Outside, thunder rumbled.
“No one’s blaming anyone.” Aero’s voice cut through the building tension. He hadn’t moved, but something in his posture had shifted—subtle, predatory. His dragon was close to the surface. “The anomalies are being investigated. Their source will be identified.”
Nerissa’s smile flickered. Just for a moment. “Of course. I only meant to offer support.” She straightened, smoothing her silk dress. “The Deepwater Courts want Haven Shores to thrive. Any assistance we can provide—”
“We’ll let you know if we need it.” Aero’s dismissal was polite and absolute.
Nerissa’s iridescent eyes held his. Something passed between them—old history, old rejection, old wounds that Cassia could only glimpse the edges of.
“I’m sure you will.” She turned to leave, then paused at the door. “Cassia—do take care of yourself. Weather magic is so unstable these days. It would be terrible if something… slipped.”
She was gone before Cassia could respond.
The thunder outside intensified.
“Cassia.” Aero’s voice was quiet. “Breathe.”
She hadn’t realized she was holding her breath. Hadn’t realized the wind was howling outside, rattling the station’s windows, threatening to tear the antennae from the roof.
She breathed. Pushed the magic down. Forced the wind to be gentle.
“I hate her,” she said.
“I noticed.”
“There’s something wrong with her. I can’t—” She shook her head, frustration coiling in her gut. “I can’t put my finger on it, but every time she talks to me, I feel like I’m being taken apart. Like she knows exactly where to cut.”
Aero was silent for a moment. When he spoke, his voice was careful. “Sirens have an innate sense for vulnerability. Their magic allows them to identify emotional weak points.”
“So she’s been manipulating me.”
“Not overtly. If she were using her Voice, you’d know.” He moved to stand beside her, and the warmth of his proximity steadied something inside her. “What she’s doing is more subtle. Targeted observations. Pointed questions. Establishing herself as sympathetic while undermining your confidence.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know yet.” His jaw flexed. “But I intend to find out.”