No, not float ...
She flew.
One moment, she was on the ground, and in the next, she was high above the floor. Oh this ... this was scary.
And it was a whole lot of fun.
Suddenly, Enrique reappeared.
Didn't I kill that bastard?
"Give me the stone or I'll kill him!" Enrique held a knife to Ren's throat.
Without hesitation, she started to return, but Ren threw his arm out, and gently blasted her with wind, lifting her up higher.
Save the world Kateri.
Tears filled her eyes. "You are my world."
And you are mine. Now please, Kateri, if you love me, finish the task we were given. Reset the calendar, and then we'll kill this asshole.
Only Ren could make her smile when she was this scared and upset.
Nodding, she reached up and realized that from the ground the painting was a trompe l'oeil that made it appear flat. From up here, she saw the small space in the heart of the hummingbird that had been cut like a puzzle piece specifically to hold her necklace.
As soon as she touched the painting, she had total clarity of thought.
Eye. Heart. Soul. I am the power that drives out the evil. I, alone, can fight it and keep it from the most vital parts of my being.
The sun wasn't just the light that banished the darkness. It was the warmth that kept away the icy chill of hurt and harm. Focus on the things that make you happy, that fill your heart with joy. They are all that matter, and they are what will keep you safe. They are what will keep you strong even in the worst storm.
And that joy was what gave her a heart. Her hand shaking, she placed her necklace inside the hummingbird.
Lightning ricocheted through the room. The hummingbird fell back into the mouth of the thunderbird as it shot an orange light straight up through a small hole in the top of the cave.
She turned her face away to protect her eyesight from the searing beam that shone brighter than high noon on a summer's day.
"No!" Enrique screamed in horror. He turned to throw his knife at her.
The moment he did, Ren rose up from the floor, and snatched the red stone necklace from his neck. He looped it around Enrique's throat at the same time Enrique let fly his knife.
She ducked the knife, and for a moment thought Ren was using his necklace as a garrote. Until he fastened it around Enrique's neck and stepped back. "Enjoy Carcel Infierno, amigo." Give Grizzly and Windseer my best.
Enrique screamed as the floor opened and sucked him into it. He tried to fight, to hold on to the surface. But it was useless. The ground swallowed him whole.
As soon as Enrique was gone, Ren hit the deck. Hard.
Forgetting her own necklace, Kateri flashed herself to his side. Cold dread and all-out terror filled her. He was so pale. His breathing so shallow.
She carefully placed his head in her lap and brushed the hair back from his handsome face. "Baby? You're not going to die, right? You're immortal."
He shook his head. "The blast pierced my heart. I'm dying, Kateri."
"No!" Tears blinded her as agony tightened her chest. She couldn't lose him. She couldn't. "Don't leave me, Ren. Please. I need you."
Ren savored the words that he'd never expected to hear out of another person's mouth. And to have them come from someone as remarkable as his Kateri ... It was more than he could ask for. More than he deserved. Thank you for saying them. How he wished he could stay with her, but fate had made other plans for the two of them. "You don't need me, my precious. You were fine without me."
"I might have been fine. But I wasn't excellent. Not until you barged into my world, and stood by me while I was under fire. I don't want to be alone anymore, Ren. Just because I can stand alone doesn't mean I want to."