“Cheeky one, isn’t he?” Pharzuph said to Mammon, who could only stare at his son’s spirit with something like regret. Pharzuph nodded to the two whisperers hovering above. “Get him, boys.”
In a darting movement the dark spirits seized him. Flynn’s soul was a blur as he fought against them. Through it all I held out hope. I waited for a bright light to break through the night and an angel to save the day, but nothing came to Flynn’s rescue. I choked on a sob as the whisperers dragged his spirit down until he was gone.
“Damn,” Astaroth muttered. “You killed him too soon. We didn’t get any information from him.”
Mammon was breathing hard, a frenzied look still in his eyes. “He ticked me off.”
“At least we know for certain there’s a traitor in our midst,” Astaroth said. “Now we have to find out who.”
Mammon’s arms were limp at his sides as he stared down at his son’s once-strong body.
“Come on,” Pharzuph said. “Let’s get those human toerags back to the mainland. We’ll drag the Neph’s body out to sea by rope and let him loose. He’ll never be found. And you—” He pointed up at the Neph girl. “Get back into hiding.”
She scrambled from the ledge and disappeared.
“I’ll go get the women while you tie up the body,” Melchom said.
The Dukes got busy with their tasks, grumbling about how they should have brought along another Neph to do the dirty work. Pharzuph complained of blood on his shoe.
I thought I’d be ill when they tugged Flynn’s body from the dock and he landed in the water with a splash. They tied him up and pushed him under the dock so he’d be hidden from the women. The body floated a mere ten feet away. I squeezed my eyes shut and fought the urge to gag.
A few minutes later the women boarded and water swooshed around us as the boat began to move, dragging the body behind it. Kai helped lift me higher just in time to avoid water in my mouth.
Again we waited, encompassed in the icy sea, giving the Dukes ample time to be out of hearing range. It seemed like forever. And then Blake moved to the edge of the overhanging walkway inside the boathouse, grabbing it and pulling himself up. He grimaced, but managed to climb with stiff motions. Next he stuck out an arm to help Kopano, who gave a mild wince. Together the two of them pulled up Zania. Kai swam us over and lifted me by the waist. The guys were there to grab my arms and pull me from the water. It hurt to lift my arms, but it wasn’t a normal surface pain. It was deep within the muscles.
I couldn’t feel my body and it was a struggle not to collapse. Zania cried out in pain as she reached for me and we lay side by side in the night air. Kaidan splashed his way onto the platform with a curse as Blake tugged his arm.
“We g-gotta g-get the boat,” Blake said through his teeth.
“I will go w-with you.” Kope’s voice was a hoarse whisper.
With jerky movements, Kaidan sat on the dock next me and pulled me to his lap, then helped Zania settle against me. Together she and I battled violent tremors. I couldn’t keep my eyes open or make out what Kaidan was saying. Something about hypothermia. My heart and body were broken.
At some point Zania left my lap and I was lifted in the air. Kaidan’s breath warmed my temple as he whispered over and over, “You’ll b-be all right now.” I wanted to tell him he was shaking, too, but I couldn’t talk.
I found myself in a chair next to Zania in the boat while the others rushed around, hollering to one another in shaky voices about blankets and heaters and wet clothes. With much effort I raised my arm across Zania’s lap and took her hand, damp and cold like a dead fish. My head fell back and my eyes closed. Multiple footsteps banged overhead on the boat’s deck as someone started the engine and a blast of heated air rushed through the room.
“We must remove our wet clothing,” said a soothing deep voice in front of us.
I tried. I really did. When it didn’t work I felt my shoes being removed. They hit the floor with a squishy thud. Next my socks were peeled off, but the hilt stayed around my ankle. Kope murmured something to Zania in Arabic, but she was unresponsive, asleep.
“Can you do the rest?” he asked me. I reached for the button of my shorts, fumbling with tingly fingers while Kope undid Z’s sandals. With great effort I got the zipper down and lifted my hips, pushing. The wet fabric stuck to my skin and I was too weak to push the shorts all the way down.
“I can’t,” I whispered. Had I been in my right mind, I would have told him to focus on Zania while I waited for Kaidan or Blake to come down. But I wasn’t thinking clearly, and under the circumstances the entire scenario of undressing was a necessity. Nothing more.
Kopano grabbed a blanket from the bed. “Here,” he said, laying it across my midsection. “I will not look. Try again.” He stared down at the floor next to me.
I whimpered and pushed my shorts farther. When they were at my knees Kope grabbed the bottoms and tugged down my calves, keeping his eyes averted. A growl of fury sounded from the doorway and my heart stopped.