We swam for what had to be several hours, until my limbs were burning and my muscles were twitching and cramping.The cold had seeped so deep, my bones felt encased in ice.Silas pointed to something floating above us.A thick chain anchored whatever it was to the ocean floor, and it had a hole underneath.Some kind of floating air trap?Silas kicked, swimming for it, and the top half of his body vanished inside.He popped back out a moment later and motioned for me to follow.I kicked with what little strength I had left and swam up.I emerged inside a small space, an air trap like I thought, and dragged in a breath, my lungs filling with musty and briny oxygen.The bottom was thick, the small space shaped like a dome.It was fairly dry and sheltered from the wind and rain.Silas’s head came up beside me.
“Climb up,” he said.
“What?Why?”
“You need to rest.”
“No, I don’t.Besides, there’s only room for one of us.”
“Get up, Urs,” he said, his voice deep and no nonsense.
“First, you need to modify your tone when you speak to me.I don’t take orders from you.Second, I’m fine.I could keep going for hours.”My pride was doing all the talking now, and apparently, she was a complete idiot.
“Bullshit,” he said, seeing right through me.He grabbed my waist and tossed me up, surprising the hell out of me.
I landed on my ass.“What the fuck, Silas?”
“Your muscles are starved for oxygen.I can see you’re struggling, and we still have several hours of swimming to go.If we’re attacked by another one of those creatures, you won’t be able to defend yourself.”
Fury mixed with humiliation throbbed through me.“Are you saying I’m weak?”
“Right now?Yeah, you are, and if you fight me on this, I’ll just hold you down until you pass out from exhaustion.Shouldn’t take long.”
If I wasn’t so godsdamn exhausted, I’d throat-punch the controlling prick.“You wouldn’t dare.”
“Try me,” he said, so low and deep, I felt his voice vibrate through me.
He meant it, and the worst part was he was right.In my current state, I wouldn’t be able to do anything but lie there and struggle like a pathetic weakling.“So what, you want me to just lie here and?—”
“I want you to rest.Take a power nap, then we’ll get going again.”
“I’m just as strong as you,” I said, my pride talking again and, yes, through her ass.
“I know that,” he said, humoring me.“But you’re not used to going without oxygen for this length of time, that’s why your muscles are seizing.”
What was he?Some kind of psychic?I wanted to argue, but I’d be of no use if I carried on as I was.“Fine, I’ll take a short break.Wake me in fifteen.Then we’ll switch.”
“Sounds acceptable,” he said.
So glad you agree, you heavy-handed, arrogant asshole.I curled up on the rough wood floor.There was no way in hell I’d be able to fall asleep like this.It didn’t matter how tired I was, if I felt vulnerable in any way, it wouldn’t happen.Once on a mission in a seriously dangerous realm, I didn’t sleep for five days straight.
I startled awake when a splash of icy water sprayed my arms and face.
I blinked into the darkness, confused for a split second, then Silas’s head burst up through the hole in the floor.He growled, then he was gone again.
I shot up.
His head popped back through.“You’re awake,” he said, panting.
There was a slice down the side of his face and another at the base of his throat.
“What the hell happened to you?”
“Just some unwanted guests circling while you were resting.I dealt with it.”
“You dealt with it?”I said in disbelief.“How many?”
He was looking down, still searching the water beneath my little refuge.“A few.”