Waves of Desire

Chapter 8: The Choice of Love

The storm had left as quickly as it came, retreating like a beast that had unleashed its final fury. The skies were clear now, stars twinkling against the velvet black. The ocean, once wild and destructive, was calm. Waves lapped gently against the shore, their soft rhythm a sharp contrast to the chaos that had just unfolded.

Calista lay still in the sand, her body spent, the last of her magic drained from protecting them both. Her chest rose and fell with shallow breaths, but even in her exhaustion, her eyes remained on Isabella. She had done it—used every ounce of her power to shield them, to keep them together for just a little while longer.

Isabella knelt beside her, brushing damp strands of hair from Calista’s face. Her own heart was still racing, a mixture of relief and fear coursing through her veins. She had nearly lost Calista to the storm, to the ocean, to her sisters. But Calista had stayed. She had chosen love, even when the sea had demanded her return.

But as Isabella looked down at Calista’s weakened form, she knew this peace would not last. The sea was still calling to her lover, still whispering its relentless demands. Calista’s body could not survive much longer on land, not after what had just happened. The pull of the ocean was too strong, the magic that bound her to the water too deep.

Calista stirred, her hand weakly reaching for Isabella’s. Her fingers curled around hers with what little strength she had left. “Isabella…” Her voice was faint, barely above a whisper. Her eyes, though heavy with exhaustion, were filled with sorrow and love.

Isabella squeezed her hand, leaning closer so that their foreheads touched. “I’m here,” she whispered, her voice tight with emotion. “I’m not leaving you.”

A shadow of a smile tugged at Calista’s lips, but it didn’t reach her eyes. She could feel the ocean’s pull stronger than ever now, the tide calling her home. It was an unbreakable bond, one that no amount of love could sever. And yet, her heart refused to let go of the woman in front of her. The thought of returning to the sea without Isabella, of leaving her behind forever, was a pain sharper than any storm.

“I can’t stay,” Calista finally whispered, the truth tearing at her. “Not on land. The ocean… it won’t let me.”

Isabella’s breath hitched, the reality of those words sinking in like ice in her veins. She had known, somewhere deep down, that this moment was coming. Even before the storm, even before the battle with Calista’s sisters, she had known that their time on land was borrowed. Calista wasn’t meant for this world. She was a creature of the sea, and the sea would eventually reclaim her.

But knowing didn’t make it easier.

Isabella shook her head, tears welling in her eyes. “There has to be another way. We can figure it out. We can—”

“There isn’t,” Calista said, her voice soft but firm. Her fingers tightened slightly around Isabella’s. “I’m tied to the ocean. If I stay… it’ll destroy me. And I can’t bear to hurt you.”

The weight of Calista’s words pressed down on Isabella’s chest, making it hard to breathe. She looked out at the ocean, its calm surface betraying the storm it had unleashed just moments before. It was as though the sea was waiting, watching, ready to take Calista back the moment she stepped into its embrace.

Isabella’s heart clenched. How could she let Calista go? How could she stand on this shore, watching as the woman she loved disappeared beneath the waves, knowing she would never see her again?

Calista’s hand slipped from hers, and she sat up slowly, wincing as the movement sent a wave of pain through her body. Isabella quickly reached out to steady her, but Calista shook her head.