Chapter 36 The Waters Aren’t Safe
Chapter Thirty-Six
The Waters Aren’t Safe
Davin
Even the cool breeze blowing off the water didn’t calm his temper as he leaned over the rail looking out into the cloudless late afternoon sky. Sindu save him, she was infuriating! What was the deal with her questioning him about his fighting skills?
He hung his head, staring at his hands as if they held the answers he needed.
And why did he still want to pull her into his arms and kiss her stupid?
He answered that question to himself immediately.
Because it might be the only way to still that sharp tongue of hers.
Despite their current situation, the thought made him smile.
He couldn’t stay upset with her for long.
Alex had a way of getting under his skin, but he was afraid that she was starting to worm her way into his heart as well.
Either that or there was a very real possibility that he was simply going mad.
The sun reflected brightly off the waves as the M.M.S.
Iris kept pace in the near distance. He raised a hand, waving at the passengers aboard the other med ship cruising along beside them.
A small boy with white bandages on one arm waved vigorously in return.
A smile bloomed across Davin’s face, seeing the little one’s pure joy, watching him bounce around the deck with whom he assumed was the boy’s father.
It was always bittersweet to see the bond between children and their parents, their undiluted happiness, and to realize that he may never truly know that feeling.
He wasn’t sure he had it in him to ever go through that again.
A shimmer just beneath the water, near the stern of the M.M.S.
Iris, caught Davin’s eye. He watched as it moved back and forth in the wake of the ship, mesmerized by the reflection varying from blues to greens in hue.
A large snake-like head popped out of the water, followed closely by an elongated flipper, before disappearing back under the waves.
“What in the name of Maura was that?!” His exclamation was loud enough that it caught a few of the nearby passengers' attention.
A chorus of excited cries echoed across the ship as more and more passengers began running to the railing to see the giant fish.
Davin watched in fascination, not quite sure exactly what he was seeing, but his gut was telling him that was no fish.
Its movements bothered him. Something about the way it carved through the water didn’t fit.
It didn’t move like a fish. It looked as if it was spiraling under the water and surfacing every few moments to assess where the ship was. But that couldn’t be right.
The shimmer turned and disbelief flooded across his face as the water rippled twenty yards from his ship.
Staring out at it, he gasped. That was definitely not a fish.
But…it couldn’t be. They were legends. They simply do not exist. His mind reeled.
He must have been mistaken. Alex’s warning from earlier echoed in his mind about the waters not being safe.
The beast reappeared, changing direction yet again, this time hurtling through the water towards the other ship, its metallic scales glistening in the sun.
It only took Davin a second to realize what its intentions were.
He started to call out a warning to the M.M.S.
Iris but his words were drowned out by the sudden screams from his own ship, the sound of chaos erupting around him.
Davin looked on in horror as the beast launched itself out of the water, slamming its huge, scaled body into the ribbing of the M.M.S. Iris. The ship rocked, sounds of splintering wood ripping through the air, as it listed sideways, shuddering from the impact.
The cries of the passengers melded with the increasing fear aboard his own ship. The beast disappeared beneath the waves again before it hurled itself out of the water a second time, swinging its giant barbed tail, leaving another gaping hole in the hull.
Wasting no time, Davin spun, yelling out to anyone he passed to take cover, as he sprinted towards the doors leading down to the infirmary.
He had to get to Alex. He knew her and knew damned well that she was going to re-injure herself trying to help fight.
He hated that she was right. How did her father know that those creatures existed?
That the waterways weren’t safe? He had no time to entertain those thoughts, though, as he hurtled towards her.
Slamming into her cabin, Davin skidded to a stop at the end of Alex’s bed. She screamed, taken by surprise at his sudden intrusion.
“What is wrong with you!” She screeched, throwing a pillow at his face.
Davin caught it before it could hit him, tossing it into the corner of the room. Alex’s eyes grew round as she began to hear the cacophony of screaming coming from the open doorway.
“What the fuck is going on out there, Davin?” she demanded, swinging her legs as if she were going to try and stand.
“Oh no, you don’t,” he said, moving quickly to scoop her legs back into the bed, pushing her firmly back into the mattress. “You will stay here and wait for me to come back to get you. Do you understand me?”
“Absolutely not! What is going on out there?”
He knew it wouldn’t be that easy to convince her to simply stay put, but he also knew that he couldn’t lie to her about what was happening, so he told her the truth.
“We’re under attack.” Holding up his hand to halt her barrage of questions, he hurried on. “It’s a beast, looks like maybe a…” His voice trailed off as he scrubbed his face with his hand. “It’s attacking the M.M.S. Iris. I need you to stay here. You are of no help in your current condition.”
Alex’s face echoed the horror Davin already felt deep in his own chest. He had no idea what he should do, but he knew that she had to stay put. She still hadn’t spoken but he could see her inner turmoil raging.
“Alex, look at me.” Her eyes shifted to his. “You must stay. I need to try and help but I can’t do that knowing that you are in danger.”
His words finally broke through her shock, anger quickly taking its place. “Oh fuck no!” She exploded, trying to swing her feet out of the bed once again. “You will not keep me here when people are out there, possibly injured. I can help!”
“No, you can’t! You can’t even walk without ripping yourself back open! If you go out there, you are signing your own death sentence.” His gaze was afire with the fear and anger that swirled in his gut.
“You aren’t my keeper, Davin. You don’t get to tell me what I do with my own life.” Alex snapped.
“You won’t have a life to decide what to do with if you don’t stay in that Gods damned bed!” Davin roared.
A loud boom rocked the ship, followed by more screaming. Davin jerked his head towards the door, instinctively taking a step. He had to go help. His gaze slammed into Alex’s.
“I swear to the Gods, Alex, if you don’t stay put, I will tie your ass down myself! Just. Stay. Here.”
Alex
With that Davin turned, slamming the door behind him.
Alex took several deep breaths, trying to slow her racing heart.
He wasn't going to keep her here. Fuck him. She wasn’t a princess stuck in a tower, and she definitely didn’t need to be rescued.
Easing to her feet, she slowly straightened.
Pain shot across her lower abdomen. Shit. Shit. Shit. Gods that hurt!
Leaning back against the edge of the bed, she moved her dressing gown to the side and checked her bandages.
No new blood seeped out, thank Kiel. Letting the gown fall back in place, she scanned the room.
Her clothes were nowhere to be seen. She would have to go up there in this flimsy gown with her ass exposed but at least it was better than sitting down here waiting to be fish food.
Grasping the ties on the gown, she pulled them as tight as she could.
It still hung on her petite frame but at least it covered most of her nakedness.
Alex limped towards the door, using the bed and wall to help her stay upright.
She wasn't moving fast, but she was moving.
Opening the door, she stumbled into the hall when the ship pitched suddenly.
Gasping, she panted through the pain but kept moving forward.
Davin
Davin staggered through the ship, stumbling out onto the deck as it lurched.
He could see Captain McConnell standing near a group of passengers and deckhands alike, barking orders, trying to regain some semblance of control.
Davin strode over, clapping him on the shoulder.
McConnell tilted his head in acknowledgment but finished his orders before turning to him.
“What the hell is that thing, Monroe?” he barked, anxiously running his hand down his beard. They watched as the passengers of the M.M.S. Iris struggled to keep their footing, slipping in all directions, some even falling overboard, as the beast continued its assault on their ship.
Davin watched as the beast turned, mouth opened wide, exposing its double row of teeth and elongated curved fangs, just before it snapped its jaws around the torso of a man trying desperately to swim away.
His screams of agony pierced the air, blood spewing down the beast's maw. The man’s screams abruptly cut off as his legs ripped free. Davin couldn’t look away. McConnell gagged. The upper half of the man followed the rest of his body down the gullet of the beast.
The water was stained with the blood of its previous victims, various body parts bobbing in the waves. The devastation around them rapidly increased as panic and fear took hold. “We have to do something before it turns on us.” Davin’s voice shook with frustration. “Where are your weapons?”