Chapter Sixteen
Tony glanced back from his position behind the wheel, grateful for Melvin’s quick thinking in commandeering a speedboat. Tony had spent the last several minutes helping Henry into his dive gear and ensuring he understood the semantics of the deep dive.
“I’m not a stranger to diving,” Henry barked, adjusting his oxygen tank. “Just hurry and get us the hell out of here.”
“I am sorry…” Naura’s voice floated through Tony’s psyche, weak and full of regret.
“Naura?” Silence. “Talk to me,” Tony mentally called to her in growing panic.
With a growl of rage, Tony spun the boat around, nearly throwing the other passengers over the side.
Henry stumbled toward the front. “What are you doing?”
“Naura is in trouble. We have to go back.”
Braum was instantly at his side, one of his big hands gripping Tony’s shoulder. “Vaulcron escaped with her. He is bringing her body to Aukrabah.”
Tony’s heart stuttered. “Her…body?”
The big Bracadyte nodded. “She has been injured by one of your human weapons.”
“Is she…” Taking a breath, Tony tried again. “Is she dead?”
“She lives for now, but is rapidly losing blood,” Braum stated, removing his hand from Tony’s shoulder. “We must make haste.”
A shudder passed through Tony, leaving him weak with nausea. Naura had been shot and was now bleeding out in the gulf without medical help. What if she didn’t survive the trip back to Aukrabah? He couldn’t finish the thought.
Turning the boat back around, Tony sped toward the drop point as though the hounds of hell were tight on his ass.
“Braum?” Tony growled, maneuvering the speedboat through the choppy waves. “The coast guard is minutes behind us. We need to get beneath as quickly as possible. We’ll need your help guiding us in.”
The Bracadyte male nodded without hesitation. “I will speak with Gryke.”
Though Tony couldn’t bring himself to actually like Naura’s lifelong friend, he did however respect Braum, he grudgingly thought as he slowed the boat to a stop and threw the anchor overboard.
After helping Henry with his facemask, Tony adjusted his own before grabbing the black bag that Melvin had left him and easing over the side of the boat ahead of the Bracadytes.
Braum appeared next to Tony, lifting his finger to point ahead.
With a nod, Tony followed him into the deep, thoughts of Naura plaguing him with every inch he put between him and the boat. She wouldn’t die. He wouldn’t let her. His tormented mind repeated like a mantra, Stay alive, Naura. Stay alive…
* * * *
An hour later, Braum stopped outside the underwater fall at the entrance of Aukrabah.
Tony peered behind him to be sure that Henry and Gryke had arrived safely before following Braum through the cascading water.
Popping up in the pool of life, otherwise known as the place of enlightenment, Tony removed his facemask and took a deep breath of natural air.
“Have Naura and Vaulcron arrived yet?” Tony questioned Braum as they swam to the pool’s edge.
The Bracadyte shook his head. “Vaulcron is moving slower with Naura’s body in his arms. He swims only with his legs.”
“Damn it,” Tony growled, tossing the black bag over the top and climbing from the pool. “Can you call for Hauke?”
“I have summoned him. He will arrive momentarily.”
“Oh my God, Uncle Tony,” Abbie breathed, rushing into the large cavern. “Are you okay?” She threw her arms around him, nearly knocking him off balance.
“I’m fine. Your father is right behind us.”
She pulled back enough to make eye contact. “Henry is here?”
“He is.”
“You cut your hair and shaved your beard?”
Tony rubbed at his smooth jaw. “It was necessary at the time. I’ll explain later.”
“Braum, my friend,” Hauke called out, clasping the Bracadyte on the shoulder. “I could not believe that you had contacted me. I—we thought that you were dead.”
A smile appeared on Braum’s face. “It is good to see you, son of Klause. I have much to tell you after I have filled my belly. I have not eaten for many moons.”
Hauke nodded. “What of Gryke?”
“He survived. He is attempting to coax the doctor through the falling water.”
“And Naura?” Hauke shifted his worried gaze to Tony.
Tony swallowed around the lump in his throat. “Vaulcron is bringing her home. Hauke. She’s injured.”
“Injured, how?”
“I wasn’t there, so I don’t have the details. All I know is Vaulcron conveyed to Braum that she’d been injured with a human weapon. I’m assuming that she was shot.”
Hauke’s lips peeled back to reveal his fangs. He’d never looked more alien to Tony than he did in that moment. “I will kill every land walker that still breathes if—”
“Easy, my love,” Abbie rushed out, effectively cutting off his threat. “You will upset Arcanum.”
A beautiful Bracadyte female sailed into the cavern, carrying a baby in her arms. “He wants his father,” she announced, handing the child to Hauke.
Tony’s chest constricted before he turned away. The little boy dredged up memories Tony relived in his nightmares. And for the sake of his sanity, he’d rather they remain there.
Henry’s head popped up inside the pool, and he spat and sputtered. His eyes were huge as he swam to the side and gripped the edge. “That damn creature tried to kill me.”
“Too bad he didn’t succeed,” Tony murmured, snagging a change of clothing from the bag at his feet.
“I heard that.” Henry hurried from the pool and embraced his daughter. “Abbigail. It’s so good to see you. I wasn’t sure if you were still alive.”
Abbie hugged him back. “I’m fine, Henry. You must be tired.” She pulled away. “Come. Let’s get you fed and into some dry clothes.”
“Your uncle said you had a child.”
“Yes. His name is Arcanum,” Abbie confirmed, holding out her arms toward Hauke.
Arcanum squirmed in excitement, two tiny sharp fangs displaying as he smiled at his mother.
Abbie lifted her son high against her chest and turned toward Henry. “This is your grandson, Arcanum.”
“He is like them,” Henry whispered, recoiling from the small child in Abbie’s arms. “I can see his-his…fangs.”
The hurt in Abbie’s eyes disturbed Tony’s normally dead heart. He wanted to drown Henry in the pool of life he stood next to. “I vote we lock the doctor up in a cell until he learns some couth.”
Abbie intervened on Sutherland’s behalf. “Nonsense. He’s just afraid of the unknown. He’ll come around. Won’t you, Henry?”
Tony watched as Hauke embraced Gryke, obviously attempting to block out Henry’s actions, if the muscle bunched along his jaw were any indication. Not that Tony blamed Hauke. Tony wanted nothing more than to shove Abbie’s father back in the gulf without an oxygen mask.
Hauke released his friend and faced the group. “Let us go. Klause will want an accounting of Gryke and Braum’s time on the surface once they have rested. And I need to have Zaureth prepare for Naura’s arrival.”
Everyone began to disburse to the main entrance.
Tony glanced toward the pool as he began stripping out of his wetsuit. “I’ll wait here for them.”
“You should rest,” Hauke offered. “I will send for guards to keep watch for my sister. They will know what to do.”
For the life of him, Tony couldn’t understand this need he had to oversee Naura’s safety. After all, she wasn’t his responsibility. He’d told her to return home when her stubborn ass had shown up unannounced several days back, wearing that damn tight sharkskin vest. No. She wasn’t his problem. “I’ll wait here for Vaulcron,” he found himself saying instead.
A strange look passed through Hauke’s eyes. “I
f that is what you wish. I must go have Zaureth prepare the infirmary.” He disappeared through the same corridor the others had taken.
Chapter Seventeen
Pain. So much pain. Voices raised in anger. Anxiety filled the air, suffocating in its intensity.
Naura attempted to roll over, to escape the excruciating burning in the center of her back, but a weight held her down.
Tony’s voice echoed through the room. “Can you remove the bullet or not?”
“If you do not desist interrupting me, I will have you removed,” Zaureth responded, frustration lacing his threat. “The bullet is too close to her spine. I have never encountered something of this magnitude before.”
“I’m going to get Abbie.”
Naura felt the instant that Tony left. Her chest constricted with emotion, making it more difficult to breathe.
“Tony…” she whispered, the word slurred from pain.
She forced her eyes open, squinting against the bright light surrounding her. “T-Tony?”
Zaureth appeared in her vision. “Naura? Can you hear me?”
She blinked up at him, affirming that she understood.
“You were shot in the back by a human weapon. The bullet remains embedded inside you, close to your spine. I will do what I can to keep you comfortable, but I am not certain that I can remove the lead without causing permanent damage.”
White-hot agony continued to race through her body, throbbing in time with her heartbeat. Her mouth opened and closed as she tried to form words. “Am I going to die?” she whispered in torment.
“I do not know. I will give you a concoction that will help alleviate some of your suffering.”
Something touched her lips. “Drink as much as you can.”
The foul-smelling liquid turned her stomach, but she would drink the innards of a rotten fish if it would remove some of her pain.
Naura swallowed the distasteful medicine and took shallow breaths to slow the need to heave.
Warmth spread across her skin almost instantly, calming some of her discomfort and the burning in her back.
“Is it true, Zaureth? There’s a bullet lodged next to her spine?” There was no mistaking Abbie’s voice or the panic she attempted to hide.
“Unfortunately for her, yes. And no amount of healing energy is going to help in this situation,” the healer responded, heading toward the entrance. “I will go let the king know.”
Abbie passed through Naura’s line of sight, stopping next to her head. “The bullet has to come out, Zaureth, or she’ll die.”
The healer’s voice grew faint as he drifted farther from the room. “I agree.”
“Take it out, Abbie,” Tony demanded from behind Naura’s head. “And hurry before it kills her.”
“Take it out with what? I have nothing to remove it with.”
“Then tell me what you need, and I’ll go get it,” he snarled, rage lining his voice.
Abbie exhaled hard enough it blew Naura’s hair away from her face. “There’s no time for that. It would take you hours to get to shore, and that’s assuming the coast guard isn’t anchored next to your boat.”
“I don’t give a shit, Abbie. I’m not going to sit here and let her die.”
“Abbie?” Naura forced out through numb lips.
Hauke’s mate leaned down to Naura’s eye level. “Hi, sweetie. I didn’t know you were awake.”
“T-take it out of me, my sister. I cannot bear it much longer.”
Abbie laid a hand on Naura’s cheek. “I can’t remove it without anesthesia or surgical equipment. It could kill you.”
Naura swallowed around the pain it took to speak. Her voice expelled in the barest of whispers. “Please. I am dead regardless.”
Tony was suddenly there, cupping Naura’s face in his callused hands. “You listen to me. You are not going to die. Do you understand? No matter what happens, you hold on. You fight, damn it. Fight with every ounce of strength you have. You’re the strongest, stubbornness person I know.”
A tear slipped from the corner of Naura’s eye. “Do you mean...” She swallowed and tried again. “You think of me as a person?”
“For now,” he barked. “But if you don’t gather your strength and stay strong, I will retract that statement.”
It took Naura a second to realize he was teasing her. The corner of his mouth lifted, making him appear touchable. He had to be the most beautiful man that Naura had ever seen. She would survive this and make him hers. No matter what she had to do.
With a will born of a Bracadyte, Naura gathered every ounce of strength she could muster and shifted her gaze to Abbie. “Do it before I change my mind.”
“Shit,” Abbie swore, rubbing at her eyes. “I’ve never done this before, Tony. What if I make a mistake?”
“You won’t. I have confidence in your ability as a doctor.”
“A doctor, yes. A surgeon, I’m not.”
“You have to try,” Tony growled. “It’s her only chance.”
“I know.” Abbie began barking orders like she’d done it a thousand times “I need hot water, lots of towels, antiseptic, and the sharpest sterile knife you can find. Get Zaureth back in here. His assistance is needed.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Tony ran from the room to gather the items Abbie had requested, leaving her alone with Naura.
“Tony needs you to be strong, my sister,” Naura weakly murmured. “He is more afraid than he cares to admit.”
Abbie bent and kissed her temple. “He just doesn’t like seeing you like this. Neither of us does.”
Hauke stepped into the room a few minutes later, followed by Zaureth, Vaulcron, Tony, Laurel, and Klause, each of them carrying supplies.
“Where do you want all this?” Tony asked, holding an armful of towels.
Abbie straightened and pointed to the side of the table Naura lay on. “Set it there.”
Laurel was instantly at her daughter’s side, tucking Naura’s hair behind her ear. “I love you, my child. Zaureth is making us wait outside while he and Abbie make you better. I will not be far.”
Naura attempted to smile at her mother, but her facial muscles didn’t seem to work.
The medicine is beginning to take effect,” Zaureth remarked while washing his hands in a basin of blue-colored water. “Though it helps to alleviate some of her pain, it will not remove it entirely. We will need someone to hold her down.”
Vaulcron and Hauke stepped forward.
Zaureth glanced up at Tony. “You will restrain her legs.”
Tony nodded and moved into position.
The healer turned toward the king. “She is going to be in need of blood once the bullet is out. Perhaps one of the guards could—”
“I don’t think so,” Tony growled. “If she needs blood, she will get it from me and not some random guard you snatched from the halls.”
Zaureth raised an eyebrow. “I was going to say that one of the guards could bring in a fresh kill. But yours would be better. There is nothing more potent than human blood.”
“I forbid it.” Klause took a step toward Tony, anger flashing in his jade-green eyes. “I will not have my daughter bonded with a land walker.”
“She is already bonded with him,” Abbie ground out. “He saved her life last year after she’d been taken and abused. Now, if you’ll excuse us, we have work to do.”
Naura would have laughed if she’d had the strength. Abbie had just put Klause in his place, something that not even the strongest of Bracadytes would dare.
Klause bent and kissed the top of Naura’s head. “Come, Laurel. Let us go wait in the great hall.”
“Thank you,” Naura whispered, loud enough that only Abbie could hear.
The foul-smelling liquid was placed at her mouth once again, and Naura fought a gag. She parted her lips to accept the nasty concoction, holding her breath as she swallowed.
“It will help her with the pain,” Zaureth informed the room’s occupants. “Let us begin.”
Tony waited for Hauke and Vaulcron to grip Naura’s arms before he wrapped his hands around her calves, and nodded for Abbie to begin.
Rage warred with sympathy in a battle of wills he was powerless to stop.
Damn Naura for following him to the surface against his wishes, Tony silently seethed, watching Abbie go to work on Naura’s back. Damn her for thinking she could protect him against humans, hell-bent on taking his life…and damn him for allowing her inside his head.
It pissed Tony off that Naura had been able to infiltrate a place inside him that no one had since his wife and child were murdered. How had she managed to slip past his defenses? He wasn’t sure, but if he didn’t get away from her, and soon, she would own more than his thoughts.
A moan slipped from Naura’s lips as Abbie poured a blue liquid over her wound, and began laying towels around the opening to catch the free-flowing blood seeping from the hole.
“Are these all the surgical tools you have?” Abbie questioned Zaureth, nodding at the few instruments lying on a towel near her hands.
“It is. We do not need more than this in Aukrabah, as there have never been humans here before now.”
Tony caught the innuendo, as did Abbie, if the look on her face was any indication.
Abbie picked up a small, sharp knife made from what Tony could only assume was crystal. Her hands shook slightly as she glanced around the room at expectant faces. “Hold her.”
A weak scream wrenched from Naura’s throat with the first slice of the blade into her skin.
“I’m sorry, Naura,” Abbie whispered, continuing to carve the wound into a wider opening.
Sweat popped up on Tony’s brow and upper lip. His stomach clenched as tight as his teeth. Naura’s torment seeped inside him, taking his breath and finally, his resistance.
He opened his mind to her. “Naura…”
“Tony. Thank you for being here with me,” came her weak response. “If I do not make it—”
“Don’t you dare say that,” he interrupted, pushing deeper into her mind. “You will survive. You have a long life ahead of you, with laughter and babies, growing old with someone who will love you the way you deserve to be loved.”
Naura Page 7