PART II
The wind off the water never stopped. It tore across the beach in sharp, uneven bursts, carrying salt and grit and the sound of the surf crashing in endless repetition. The ocean was black, featureless, restless.
Quinn was on his knees in the sand, his hands locked at the center of Scarlet’s chest. He counted under his breath as he pressed down, rhythm steady even as his arms began to shake. “One, two, three, four.”
Scarlet lay limp beneath him, her body heavy and unresponsive. Her hair clung to her face in dark ropes, her skin pale beneath the moonlight. She looked smaller than she ever had.
Ward hovered at her side, soaked through, breath ragged but already slipping into something colder and more focused. His fear had narrowed into precision. Nearby, Soren staggered out of th
