It’s there in the burning look he gives me. He leans close, his breath hot on my cheek, and sheer unadulterated panic cuts through me. I kick out, catching him in the groin.
He doesn’t even blink.
I kick him again.
He just leers, moves in closer, his chest brushing my breasts.
And that pisses me off.
A spurt of red-violet anger wells up inside. Bringing both my knees up, I whip out my legs, catching him once more in the groin. At the same time my fist connects with his jaw and with my left I poke my fingers into his eyes.
He yells and his hold loosens.
And I kick him, punch him. Finally gripping his shoulder, I move closer, bury my teeth into his arm, and hold on, not caring that he’s screaming above me, not caring when the blood gushes into my mouth, runs down my throat. When I snatch my teeth from his skin, a piece of flesh comes away with it.
And then he lets me go and I fall to the ground.
He howls, a wolf’s cry of anger, but I don’t care. All I can think of is Jai. Is he still alive?
His big body shudders and he turns to where Mikhail is standing, holding a massive piece of metal. It’s the door leading to the ship’s cabins, which must have come loose in the explosion. As I watch he swings it, smashing it into the shifter.
Not waiting to see how the shifter reacts, I spring to my feet and leap the last few feet towards Jai. I don’t notice the pain shoot through me as my knees connect – hard – with the decking.
Jai’s eyes flicker open and he looks straight at me with those amber eyes glowing gold in the light from the fire ahead of us.
"You’re bleeding," he says, his voice hoarse, a puzzled look in his eyes as if he’s not quite sure where he is.
The breath whooshes out of me and I touch his cheek, run a finger down that square jawline, and realize what a fool I’ve been.
I’ve wasted these precious few days when I could've spent every second getting to know him. Feeling him. Seeing him as he’s seeing me now, a depth of feeling in his eyes.
"Take my sword," he says. "Use it."
As I hesitate, he says, his voice urgent, "Do it Aria. Now."
Leaning over him, I pull out the sword from the scabbard, almost reeling under its weight, when a sound makes me jerk around. I look up in time to see the shifter bring his fists down on Mikhail’s head.
Mikhail takes a step back, stunned, his big body wavering on its feet.
My throat closes in alarm, as the shifter follows it up with a massive punch to Mikhail’s side.
Even at this distance, a crunch, like the sound of bones breaking reaches me. Before I can react, the shifter leans down, drags Mikhail to the side by his arms. Then heaves him over the edge.
A cry escapes me and I can’t believe what he’s just done. He’s just dumped a living man overboard. Just like that.
Not Mikhail. No!
A thousand images run through my mind, all bleeding into each other, till I can’t tell what is what. Except they are all woven with Mikhail. I hadn’t loved him. But there'd been something unspoken between us. Something that’d made me very aware of him. And now he’s gone.
He’d taken care of Lily, given her a home. Given us refuge.
And now he’s gone!
Just like my parents and so many other friends. Lost to time. Lost to me. Can someone cease to exist just like that?
Something inside me shatters.
A part of me refuses to believe it. And yet, the other part, the instinctive one, is already moving forward.
Shock runs through my body, pumping the blood through my veins, slamming my pulse against my temples. And springing to my feet I rush towards him, Jai’s sword outstretched in front.
Anger bubbles up inside me. Leaping into the air, not even aware that my body is twisting in an arc, I thrust the blade, catching the giant in his side. He growls. Sidesteps me. Landing on my feet, my muscles tense to spring at him again. Gripping Jai’s sword, putting everything I have into it, I attack again. Lunge and catch him on the other side this time.
He screams and charges at me, throws his weight at me; I step aside but not fast enough to evade him completely.
He just brushes past me but his momentum is enough to take me down. I go sprawling on to the ground, still holding onto the sword. Without waiting to recover, I spring back to my feet and thrust the blade, only to be hit from behind.
Not fair, a part of me cries out inside even as I’m punched again, this time so hard it feels like my guts are in my throat. Almost puking, I fall facedown.
The brute I had fought earlier walks up to me, and bending down, peers into my eyes. And then he grips my upper arm, his fingers circling mine, all the while staring at me as if mesmerized by whatever he sees in my eyes.
His fingers tighten.
Tighten.
Pain. White. Hot. Red streaks up my shoulder and I don’t realize I’m screaming. I don’t even realize my fingers have lost their grip on the sword till I see him throw it across to another shifter.
Then I’m yanked to my feet, barely conscious as the pain ebbs away, leaving my wrist throbbing, hanging limp.
Throwing me over his shoulder he begins to walk away. I struggle in earnest, only to be punched in the side. My breath comes whooshing out.
The sound of feet thudding against the deck and Niko runs towards us. His massive gun is aimed at the shifter holding me. Then the sound of fire, and Niko too falls to the ground. Behind him another two shifters, and past them I see the rest of the team, on the floor. Wounded. Dead.
My throat chokes up, my gut twisting with fear.
And then it gets worse. I shout a warning as the other shifter, an almost human-looking one, walks up to Jai with his sword. Raising it, he slams the heavy handle against the side of Jai’s head.
Fear squeezes my heart. I scream, punch; throw everything I have, pushing against the arms holding me down. Another arm is thrown around my legs. And it’s like a wall of stone has fallen on me, holding me down.
Stepping over Jai, the leaner shifter walks towards us with Jai’s sword. His mother’s sword.
Then the shifter holding me captive turns as well. He reaches the side of the ship and then it dawns on me. He’s leaving the ship, and taking me with him.
34
When the shifter reaches the side of the ship, a fresh burst of adrenaline has me struggling against him. Turning my head sideways I bury my teeth in the back of his upper arm with enough force to make him yell out. Then he lets go of me so I crash to the floor. Red-white pain slices through my head and I lie there stunned for a second. By the time my eyes fly open, he’s already bending towards me, his face twisted with anger.
"I hate being bitten," he howls, reaching towards my neck when someone crashes into him.
It’s Jai.
The two go flying across the deck all the way, tumbling over each other.
He’s alive.
A fresh jolt of adrenaline rushes through my blood. Watching them grapple, my heart leaps into my throat.
And he’s going to get hurt. Again.
Disregarding the pain that still rattles inside my head, I jump to my feet, and run across to where the shifter is bringing his fist down on Jai, who’s trapped below his massive legs.
Screaming, I throw myself at the shifter, clinging to his neck. He gets to his feet, swaying with my weight on his back. All the while he’s moving, trying to shake me off. But I tighten my arms around his neck, hold on fiercely, and try to kick him again from behind. I will not let go. I will not let him hurt Jai.
The shifter squeezes his massive palms over my arms. Pain blooms up my side. A slam of red that shoots through my brain. I scream in pain. And the already hurt arm goes numb. I fall to the floor on my back.
Gritting my teeth, I manage to roll away before the shifter can step on me. But already Jai reels to his feet. Bending his head, he charges at the shifter, ramming him in his stomach. And again. Then plows his fist to
the shifter’s face. In a fluid motion, he turns around, moving so fast I can barely make out his actions.
Jai kicks the other male in the face with such force that he topples to the ground, spraying blood and bits of teeth.
And then I’m up and not even aware I’m moving. I spring feet first, putting all my power into my thighs, my legs, firming them like rocks. Aiming them at the other shifter—the almost human-looking one—who has come to save his companion.
Mistake!
He charges at me but I’m already there, in his way, my legs hitting his middle with such force that he simply keels over backward and lies there, winded.
Jai’s sword goes flying from him and before he can recover, I have it. I grip his sword, holding onto it, fingers wrapped around the handle.
And then Jai is running to me. When he grabs my free arm—my injured arm—I cry out in pain before biting down and stifling it.
Not now.
I need to keep going just now.
Jai drags me to the side of the ship, across from where the leaner shifter had climbed down the ladder. When we reach the end, he looks at me and in his eyes I see his intent.
He wants us to go over.
He wants us to jump?
I look at the churning dark green water below, the tops of the waves turning white in the wake of the ship.
Jump into that.
I hesitate and he turns to me, touching a palm against the side of my face.
‘Trust me," he says, his voice hoarse.
When I don’t respond, an intense look comes into his eyes. He’s bleeding from his nose, from a cut to the forehead. His shirt is almost torn to pieces and the wound in his side is bleeding. Blood stains the upper half of his body so his torso shines dark red and black, reflecting back the light from the fire that still rages in the background.
He looks…dangerous. As animalistic as the shifters. Or just a man pushed to the edge. The power I had sensed in him, churning under the surface, has been unleashed. It’s out in full force and there’s no going back.
"Do you trust me?" he asks, his voice more urgent this time.
He lets go of my arm, then cups my face between both his palms.
His touch is soft, so tender, so opposite from everything I’ve been through in the last few minutes. The simplicity of his gesture, the gentleness, takes me by surprise. His amber eyes shine with a seriousness that reaches out to me, tugs at me. He won’t hurt me. He’ll never hurt me.
I nod, then remember I still have his sword.
When I hand it over, he leans down, brushing his lips over mine to say thanks, before sliding the sword into the scabbard, securing it over his back.
Just then a growl cuts through the silence between us. It’s the beast. He’s limping over to us, his fists held up in front, the look on his face clear. He’s not going to stop till he kills us.
Jai’s hand grips mine. Tight. It feels like our skin is melding with each other’s. So firm, I don’t feel the pain anymore.
I look straight ahead. Not down at the harsh sea below. Not up at the setting sun which bleeds red, into the clouds.
Just straight ahead to the horizon.
Then we jump.
35
Our palms are still clasped together when we hit the water.
It feels like I’ve slammed into concrete and gone right through. The waves close in on me, shutting out the light; it feels like I’ve plunged off the edge of the world. My heart slams into my ribs, my throat closes in on me, and it feels as if I’m suspended between heaven and earth. Between two worlds. And yet I’m sinking.
Still sinking.
A shudder runs through me, and I fight down the increasing wave of panic that threatens to overcome me. Then my reflexes take over. I kick out and begin to rise. And only then do I notice that he’s gone.
The cold surrounds me, pressing in on me, and I shiver. Panic clogs my throat, and it’s only instinct that keeps me kicking out, that propels me upwards. Up. Up. Till I reach the surface and break through, gasping as the air hits my skin.
Treading water, I look around for him. My eyes swivel, stinging from the salty water. The sun beats down on my head while the rest of me is buried under water, still cold. A shiver runs down my back. Fear gnaws at my gut. I bite down on it, refusing to give in.
He was just here.
He is injured.
I was just holding his hand.
And now he’s gone.
Where are you, Jai? I swear aloud, taking in a mouthful of sea water, and choke when its harsh acidic taste stings my tongue. I go under once more and by the time I surface every part of my face is stinging. Shaking my hair out of my eyes, a flash of white has me swiveling towards it. It’s a head bobbing not five feet away.
Even before my mind can confirm that the figure is Jai, fear gives way to relief and I’m already ploughing through the water towards him.
I reach him, touch his shoulder and he turns around, grasping my upper arm. I don’t even wince at the jolt of pain which runs through me, just fling myself at him. As much as the waves jostling us will allow.
He crushes me to him and for a second we just float there. Warmth from him cleaves through the water, stretching towards me. Something inside me reaches out and pulls it to me, plugging it into a space deep inside. One which I hadn’t known existed. Not till now.
Then he kisses me hard on my lips. Once. Before saying fiercely, his voice hoarse, "Stay close and do as I tell you, OK?"
Before his words can sink in, he’s moving away, beckoning me to follow. I swim next to him, trying to keep up, but within a few minutes it’s already clear that I’m flagging.
And he’s more wounded than me.
Jai, in full health, would have torn through the water and pulled me along, I realize.
For the first time, the strength of the man next to me sinks in. Even though I know he’s changed, a part of me had still seen him as the young man on the verge of adulthood, the one I had met a few years ago.
But he’s changed. And more than I know. More than I can have imagined.
As he powers through the water, his shoulders moving up-down-up, rhythmically, I realize just how little I know about him. I'd pushed him away, pretending I didn’t feel anything for him. When really, it’s the only reason I’ve come along on this trip.
Sensing that I’m flagging, he turns and waits for me to catch up. My chest heaving, I pull up next to him. My breath comes out in short pants and I grasp his shoulder, hanging on to him for support. Still treading water, he grips my waist, steadies me and says, "Not much further now."
He jerks his head and I follow his gaze to where a small boat is bobbing not far off. One I had completely missed.
"What is that?" I ask.
He grimaces, "A watchdog of the shifters, probably left here as a lookout. We need to get to him, take him by surprise if we can—’
"And take the boat," I complete the statement. "It’s our only chance, isn’t it?" I ask, my voice resigned, and he nods.
Losing a breath, I let go of him and begin swimming towards the little craft. Within a few seconds, he pulls ahead, swimming with a single-minded focus, the determination evident in the steady pace he’s setting. This time I’m happy to fall in behind him.
The sound of his muscular body cutting through the water ahead of me is reassuring. And this is what attracted me to him. This sense of security that has me convinced that even stuck in the middle of the ocean he’s going to find a way to get me to safety.
Has my instinct known this all along? Right from the first time I had set eyes on him, driving up to the Jungle in his beat-up jeep?
As these thoughts whirl around my head, Jai pulls up so sharply I crash into him from behind.
"What is it?" I ask, shaking the water out of my eyes.
He doesn’t reply. He simply presses my shoulder, indicating I should stay where I am. He’s about to leave when I grip his arm. He turns and from the look on his face I know h
e’s already thinking forward about how he’ll overpower the man in the boat ahead.
Without giving myself time to think, I lean forward and brush my lips over his. Then releasing him, I move back. But not before his eyes widen, the amber in them glinting to show that it’s affected him as much as me. That my worry has communicated itself to him.
He hesitates. His jaw firms and he turns and swims strongly towards the boat.
36
I wait, treading water. Just a few minutes battling the waves and already it feels as if I’ve been kicked and thrown about in a particularly violent game. The strength is ebbing from me and I know I won’t last much longer.
I follow Jai as he swims up to the boat, approaching it from the shifter’s blind side. He must be in a lot of pain and yet it’s as if the core of the man is made of something quite invincible. He has the kind of stamina that comes from long years of practice, of fighting tough in difficult conditions.
And more.
That tough resilience in him, that feel of mettle I had brushed against, had touched again and again during the time I had known him. It’s as if a part inside of me had recognized him. And perhaps it was that which had pushed me away too, knowing that to give in, to embrace him, would mean never letting go. And when I was on the verge of losing him, I knew then that I was already lost. In him.
My mind stutters, the thought nearly gone as it sinks in. And I know I’ll never see him the same way. See myself the same way.
And it’s that which pushes me to start swimming towards him. Every time I come up for air I follow his progress as he clambers onto the boat, which tilts with his weight. The seamless way he throws himself at the shifter behind the helm.
By the time I reach the boat, they are grappling in earnest. The extent to which Jai is hurt sinks in when the shifter punches him in the side, his hurt side. Jai staggers, almost falling before righting himself.
I swear to myself.
Without waiting to see more I swing myself over the side of the boat, a streak of pain shooting up my arm. I fall back in the water, heave myself up. And this time I throw myself over the side in a far more inelegant manner than Jai.
Taken (Many Lives Book 2) Page 15