Chapter 19
Arina
Icy blue water envelopes me.
It's as though I've been consumed by peaceful, swirling nothingness. My only sense of direction is the glittering gold flecks on the water above me in contrast to the open maw of black below as I spin in unending circles.
The peace is promptly interrupted by so much noise I think my mind might implode. A world's worth of sound suspends the silence.
I want to scream, but there's no air left in my lungs. The ache in my chest grows as I try to make sense of the madness. Something touches me. No. Something is ripping at me, pulling me tight from every angle.
It's a tasty snack, brethren.
A morsel of undying chaos.
We should devour it, yes?
My eyes burn in the water, but I can make out hundreds of small, skeletal creatures covered in glowing algae and barnacles. Their giant eyes, webbed appendages, and sharp teeth are amplified when the iridescent light moves through them.
They pull and bite at me, and it burns.
Its blood is poison.
We cannot consume its sorrow.
Each tiny creature that had taken a piece of me to taste spits and chokes. How fitting. Even the monsters in the ocean don't want me.
Something large must be in the water now, because I'm knocked forward, and the nasty little things swim away in a fit.
I'm ready to concede to whatever horror awaits when strong hands grip my middle, pushing me to the surface and onto the boat where I cough and sputter.
“WHAT,” I gasp. “THE FUCK.” My body quakes. “WAS THAT?”
“Those were Huri,” Raiden says, rubbing my back as I choke out the rest of the water I've swallowed.
The touch is so soft, and heat rushes to my cheeks as I remember the dream I'd had.
“They never turn down a meal. What did you do to them?” He sounds sincere.
There's not a hint of ridicule in his tone.
“They said my blood was poison.”
He raises an eyebrow. “Interesting. I don't think I've ever heard of them talking to their victims. Then again, I'm unsure anyone has ever survived an attack in order to give a recount.”
“They weren't exactly talking to me. More like about me.” The open air feels unnerving, exposing. My eyes ache from the amplified light, but it's worth it to have the delicious rays of sun kissing my skin.
His thumb passes over my neck, and when he pulls it away, it's covered in my blood. He looks at it, then wipes it on his shirt. Gods. My body betrays me, and my heart speeds back up.
My arms are blooming with bite-shaped bloodstains in the spots where the Huri had taken pieces of flesh before discovering they didn't like the taste of me.
I tug at the magic I usually reserve for healing others, but it feels different. Somehow it's bigger, like the thing that usually holds it has been overfilled instead of mostly empty.
What normally takes heaps of effort feels like blinking, and suddenly the marks are gone.
“Whoa.” I hadn't meant to say it out loud, but I'm stunned by the ease with which I've healed myself.
“Are you okay?” Raiden asks, worry lines creasing his brows. Normally, I would hate for a male to check in with me like that, but when he does it, it feels so genuine, and I almost swoon.
I contemplate how much to tell him, not wanting to make a big deal of the extra helping of magic in case it's only temporary. “I'm fine. Not really up for any more surprises, though.”
He reaches out for me, and the thing inside me that is aching to be taken care of overpowers every other instinct. I let him wrap his arms around me, sinking into him, and allowing my walls to come down just a little.
“You don't have to pretend this isn't hard. You do not have to be brave. Not with me,” he whispers into my hair, and I let the tears fall, releasing all the fear and anger I've been clinging to for too long.