She wasn’t afraid of him. On the contrary, since the day they’d met, she’d been drawn to his innate sense of calm—a counterbalance to her storm.
That’s why she’d come.
“River?” He released the doorframe and reached for her. “What’s wrong?”
Her heart throbbed, and that age-old desire that had plagued her for years rose in her chest. She shoved it down, refusing to give it any of her attention. That forbidden feeling would only complicate matters, and she couldn’t afford that. She had minutes, maybe less, before her lastthreads of control slipped, and she unleashed death on the sleeping city of Lakewater.
Throwing herself into his arms, she buried her head against his chest and sobbed, “I need your help, Nikhail.”
A heartbeat passed. In that single moment of time, she wasn’t sure what he’d say. Maybe she’d been wrong in coming here. Maybe she’d made a mistake, and now, it would be too late.
Maybe she really was all alone.
Doubt was a dark, swirling mass in her mind. It tangled itself in her thoughts, an infection sweeping through her and dragging her towards despair.
Far above her, thunder boomed. Bolts of lightning lit up the night sky. Branches cracked as the wind whipped them around.
My magic does not control me. I control it.
The mantra had a frantic edge as River repeated it in her mind. The words weren’t helping—they were as empty as Mrs. Valois’s lifeless eyes.
River knew what would happen if she didn’t get this under control. It didn’t matter that nearly a decade had passed since the last time this had happened. She’d never forget the way magic had ripped from her chest, never forget the uncontrollable storm that had streamed out of her.
Rain, summoned from the depths of her soul.
Not a river, as her name implied. Not even a lake. An entire, gods-damned tempest.
That was what she struggled with every waking moment of every day. She’d never known true peace.
River had been born with death at her fingertips, and she’d never been able to escape her fate.
The dark mass of doubt grew in her mind when sherealized Nikhail hadn’t spoken. She’d been wrong in coming here. He couldn’t help her. And now…
Now she was going to hurt people.Again. A tremor ran through her as she pulled her head away from his chest.
“I’m so sorry,” she gasped through tears. “I shouldn’t have come here. I just thought… but I was wrong.”
She was alone. That’s how it had always been, and that was how it would always be.
Trembling, River tried to gather strength to fling herself away. She had to leave, had to find a way out of the city before her curse destroyed everyone.
His hands tightened around her, and he fisted her scrubs.
“Don’t,” he said gruffly, pulling her against him. “Don’t go.”
River shook in his arms, a leaf blown by the wind.
“Don’t leave, River. I can help you.” His firm hold was unwavering, and for the first time since the code blue was called, she took a deep breath. “Just tell me what you need.”
That was the question of the hour, wasn’t it? The problem was, River needed so many things, she wasn’t sure where to start.
She needed not to be cursed. She needed to have her magic under control. She needed her father to be cured from the Stillness. She needed to turn back time and get to the hospital early. Gods, if that were possible, she needed to go back to that horrible night when she was fifteen and not lose control of her magic.
There were so many things that in the end, she couldn’t say a single one of them.
“River?” Nikhail placed his thumb under her chin, drawing up her face as his eyes searched hers. “What do you need?”
CHAPTER 4