*Ryatt*

We stood in silence against the beating of drums and the thrumming sounds of voices lifted in song. I’d watched the eclipse cast the entire world in shadow, the event making my own shadow powers sing. But my eyes were on the lake–still as glass–and my mate, who’d gone beneath the surface. 

I waited. I tugged on our bond. She hadn’t closed me out, but the water acted like some kind of barrier between us regardless. 

Then it happened. A few seconds after ...