I dragged Urs down deeper, while my own lungs burned so bad they felt as if they’d explode.I’d done this before though.The pain and panic would stop soon, she just had to ride it out.
Her fist swung wildly, connecting with my side.I quickly wrapped my arms around her, holding her immobile and waited her out.She jerked, throwing her head back, then forward, smashing her forehead into mine.Cupping the back of her head, I pressed her face into my shoulder so she didn’t knock herself out.
It took several more minutes, but finally she began running out of steam.She’d just fought for her life, expending everything she had.Her survival instincts hadn’t yet worked out that it had never been on the line, even if logically she knew different.
Then, she stilled completely.
I waited, then slowly let my hand slide down her back when she lifted her head.Her eyes opened, bright green and filled with fury, staring back at me.It wouldn’t surprise me if she head butted me again?—
A shadow moved above us, and she tilted her head back, this time seeing it as well.
Nathaniel wasn’t giving up.
She looked at me again, and the anger slipped away.She nodded.She was good, the burning had stopped, along with the desperate need for oxygen.She knew why I’d done what I had—still, I didn’t want to let her go.
Her hands covered mine at the small of her back, and she pulled them from around her waist, then staying deep, she swam off in what I assumed was the right direction.I let the belt slip from my fingers and followed close behind her.
I stayed vigilant as we swam through the black seas.We were far from out of danger.Who knew what other creatures lived down here.It would take hours to make it back to shore, and we were being hunted all the way, whether that was from above or below.
Something glowed purple and gold to the right of us.Magic.The witches…and they movedfast.They’d cast some kind of spell and were surrounded by a glowing force field.I couldn’t see any other teams, not from down here.Either they’d gotten away or the angels had cut through a good many of them already.I couldn’t risk giving our location away by going to the surface to check.Nathaniel could still be close by.
We swam for probably an hour or more without incident, then Ursula stopped suddenly and jerked back.Treading water, she pulled her knife from the sheath at her hip.I swam up beside her.Something dark and huge loomed in the water ahead, its movements sleek and predatory.
Taking her hand to get her attention, I motioned down, and we both dove deeper to reach a crop of jagged rocks surrounded by schools of tiny glittering fish.I called my sword forth, and it appeared in my hand.Whatever that thing was, it was hunting.We were in its territory, and it wasn’t going anywhere, which meant the only way to get past it was to fight our way through.
Ursula turned to me, pressed a finger to her chest, then pointed up to where we’d just been, then back down here.She wanted to use herself as bait to draw the beast here, where I’d be waiting with my sword.
It was a sound idea, but I fucking loathed it.
She swam upwards, and my hands shot out before I knew I was going to do it, grabbing her ankle before she could reach the top of the rocks.Urs frowned down at me.
My fingers flexed against her skin, and I knew I had to let her go.This was a good plan, but the idea of letting her use herself for bait made me sick to my stomach.
She shook her leg and lifted a hand, palm up, saying without wordsWhat the hell?Let me the fuck go.She scowled harder and tried to pull away again, and from the look on her face was probably also saying something like,are you fucking glitching, angel?
Fuck.
Reluctantly, with no other choice but to let her swim toward danger, I let her go.
Six
Ursula
Silas finally releasedme and I gripped the rocks, holding myself in place, while I searched for the beast.It was circling, on the hunt.I kicked off, swimming up so the big bastard would see me.My muscles had started to ache during our swim, but they still held strength.I had to assume the rest of my body was feeling the lack of oxygen as much as my lungs were.At least the pain level had dropped to bearable.Gods, if Silas hadn’t stopped me from swimming for the surface earlier, that vicious fucking angel would have gone for my head.I hated that he’d seen me panic.That couldn’t happen again.It was time to prove my worth on this team.
The monster seemed to be scanning the ocean floor, so I thrashed about to draw its attention.Its huge head swished my way, flashing long, jagged teeth, and without pausing, it burst into action.
Fuck.
I did the same, trying to swim away.I wasn’t the strongest swimmer, there wasn’t much cause for it in Hell, and now that the creature was streaking through the water toward me at full speed, I wasn’t sure I’d make it back to Silas in time.
Panic filled me for a second fucking time that day, before I was yanked violently back down by the belt Silas had hooked through a loop on my jeans, and with such strength and speed, my legs and arms were thrown back, forcing me to do a scorpion, like the videos Roxy and I watched, laughing at the idiots falling on their faces while their legs flew up and almost touch the top of their freaking heads.
There was no time to feel humiliated, though, because the creature was right on my tail.Silas yanked me back behind him and charged forward with his sword thrust out.He impaled the giant sea monster with the razor-sharp tip, then drove the blade deeper as it thrashed and shrieked.A dark swirling cloud surrounded them as blood pumped from the gaping wound, and Silas hung on, yanked his sword free, then plunged it back in, sawing at the beast’s throat.Shaking off my stupor, I kicked off the rocks and went at it from the other side, thrusting my Hell-forged blade into its leathery flesh.It was like riding a mechanical bull, the both of us hanging on with everything we had while it tried to toss us off.
Neither of us let up, and finally the monster stilled.Its mouth fell open, and its long blue tongue flopped out one side.We pulled our blades free and let it sink to the ocean floor.
Couldn’t get much deader than that.Still, we both watched it for several moments to make sure.Silas nudged me and we headed off again into the dark, murky seas before the scent of blood drew more unwanted attention.