Chapter 28
Chapter
Twenty-Eight
RANAN
B efore Vali’s spear connects, I know what’s going to happen.
I shout even as the fish bolts away, swimming at top speed, and drags her smaller form along with it.
“—if they weren’t such a pain to catch,” Balo finishes, his voice rising in panic. “No!”
I toss aside my crutch and dive into the water. There’s no time to think—I have to get to Vali before the fish swims so deep and so far that she drowns. I move through the water, using all four arms to surge as fast as possible. Balo will call for help rather than attempt to save her himself—he knows he won’t be fast enough—but by that time, it might be too late. I kick in the water, ignoring the hot shock of pain that lances up my leg. I swim, following along behind that fish, moving so speedily that it’s nothing but a blur in the waters.
And dragging behind it, frantically clawing at the water, is my Vali. She flails as the fish darts back and forth, trying to shake her loose, but she’s got the safety loop tied to her ankle. The fish drags her along, feet first, and zigzags back and forth along the ocean floor. I know these fish—I know that they bolt and head for deeper waters when startled, and that is a death sentence for Vali. I fight my own panic as the fish darts, moving entirely too close to a coral reef. My leg throbs in pain but I ignore it, because I’m gaining on the impossibly swift thunderfish.
With every bit of energy I have left, I surge forward and reach for one of Vali’s flailing arms that windmill in the water. I grasp onto her and she clings to me, a bubbled scream emerging from her throat. The fish jerks and slows, trying a different route for escape with more weight on the line, and I clutch my mate even as I climb up her body, heading for the offending cuff. When I reach it, it takes a few moments for me to undo the tight knot, and then her foot slips free. She immediately darts for the surface and I grab her hand, hauling her along with me. She hasn’t been under so deep and so long that she needs to surface slowly. Right now, she needs air more than anything.
I want to shout with relief when I break the surface and drag Vali upward until she crashes through. She immediately coughs and chokes, spewing water from her mouth and nose.
“I’ve got you,” I tell her, anchoring an arm at her waist that will keep her head above water.
She sobs as she coughs, clinging to me and sputtering. More water pours out of her and her ragged breaths sound wet. She’s shaking all over and the realization that I almost lost her hits me. If I hadn’t been standing there, Vali would be gone. Dead. Balo—or any other human—can’t swim fast enough to catch up with a panicked thunderfish. She would have just disappeared, never to be seen again.
The idea terrifies me. I shake her, frantic. “What were you thinking, Vali?!”
She coughs harder, managing to sputter, “Lord…Vor…”
“I said I would take you! What, you think a few days with a spear and a few swimming lessons and you can suddenly do whatever you like? Don’t be foolish, Vali!”
She pushes at me, another sob breaking her throat. “Can’t you wait until we get back to the flotilla to get mad at me?”
“You almost didn’t make it back! I almost lost you!” I give her another little shake. “Do you understand that?”
Vali splashes water at me, as frustrated as I am. “I know it was wrong now! Quit yelling!”
“I’m not yelling!” I bellow.
“I’m just trying to prove my worth!”
“Your worth?” I roar, trapping her above the water’s surface with my right arm while my left arms swim frantically for the safety of the flotilla. A brief glance shows me just how far Vali’s been pulled, and it makes my leg ache just seeing how far it had taken her so quickly. “You don’t need to prove anything! To anybody!”
Vali lets out a scream of rage…that she ruins by coughing. “I don’t understand you, Ranan! If we’re not here so I can prove myself to your people, then why are we here?”
She clings to me, even as she argues, and I don’t mind that with every cough she’s spraying my face. I welcome every ragged breath she takes. Even though I’m furious, I’m starting to grow angry at myself, too. Vali thinks that I brought her here to see how she’d fit in with my people? Doesn’t she realize I don’t care if she fits in with them or not?
“We’re here,” I say, rolling onto my back so I can let her rest her upper body on my stomach as she shivers and quakes, “because I am proving myself to you . I am going to marry you in front of all of my people so you will no longer think I am trying to get rid of you. So we’ll have truth between us and you won’t feel the need to pretend out of fear that I’ll give you away. So you’ll realize what I’ve been trying to tell you all along. That you are my wife , now and forever.”
She stares at me as she clings to my abdomen, and I anchor my arm tighter around her waist. I can’t help but notice that she’s still wearing the foolish dress she insists upon, though now it is bunched and gathered at her waist, stuck around the belt. Her magnificent breasts heave against my chest, and she sputters. Her hand slaps against my chest, though it doesn’t hurt. “You…idiot! Are you serious?”
“Very.”
Vali bursts into tears and holds onto me tighter.
I…hope that’s a good sign. I run my knuckles along one cheek even as I continue to backstroke the long way back to the flotilla. “You’re not hurt, are you? I can’t bear the thought of you hurt.”
“I’m fine,” she sobs, even as I continue to swim us to safety. “You could have told me.”
“I’ve tried. I’m terrible at this. At us. At telling you how I feel. You deserve better.”
Vali just shakes her head and holds onto me tighter. “I don’t want better. I want you. I thought you hated me. That I embarrassed you in front of your people.”
“Never. And…I don’t care what they think. I just want you to realize that I want you.”
“Even if I’m a bride and not a bribe?” She sniffs hard, lifting her head.
“You are the greatest prize I’ve ever pulled off a boat. I didn’t realize I wanted you at first, but now I’m glad I have you.” I give her another little shake, still terrified at the sight of her disappearing under the water, tugged along by the thunderfish. “And for the love of all the gods, do not go fishing without me!”
“Oh no, your leg!” she blurts out, her hands moving frantically over me and nearly causing me to dump her back into the water. “Is your leg all right?”
“I’m fine. I’ll live. It doesn’t matter. All that mattered was saving you.”
She clings to my wet chest and gazes up at me with dark, aching eyes. “Please tell me this isn’t you misspeaking. Tell me the truth, Ranan. I can handle it, I swear.”
Exasperated, I roll forward and grab her in all four of my arms, holding her tight. My leg throbs and aches, but I ignore it so I can look her in the eye. “Woman, I am going to drag you in front of my people and marry you because I love you. Will you be my bride, Vali? My wife?”
She squeals and flings her arms around my neck.