I lean down and press my lips to his. I’ve air left in my lungs from before I jumped. I give it to him.
The touch is electric. My entire body comes alive even more so than before. I still feel the strength of being underwater. I feel the confidence, the power.
And my mind returns to me.
Riden.
I grip his arms and kick to the surface. His face breaks free of the water and gulps down breath after breath of air.
The waves fight against me with everything they’ve got, but I don’t surrender. I keep Riden above the water where he can breathe. It is beyond strange to be so surrounded by both water and him, as if the two forces are battling each other for residence in my mind. The water encourages the siren, Riden the human.
“Pull us up!” I shout as loud as I can. I’m prepared to sing to Kearan if he hasn’t covered his ears yet, but the rope starts yanking us toward the ship, Riden spluttering as we are pulled through the waves.
The cold hits me once I’m out of the water. Riden shivers next to me, but I haven’t felt the cold long enough to be affected so deeply by it yet. The extreme temperatures of the ocean don’t harm or even register to the siren.
When we reach the ship’s edge, several girls pull Riden from my arms and get him onto the deck. Then they grab me. Instead of lowering me lightly onto the floor, I’m practically thrown.
“What the—”
A weight drops on top of me. Ropes. No, a net. I paw at it, trying to break free, but that only entangles me further. Then I’m being dragged.
I focus on my surroundings, wondering who could have possibly boarded us in the storm. But I’m not staring at intruders.
“Niridia?” I say, astonished to find she’s one of the girls dragging me. “Get this damned thing off me! What are you doing?”
“Get Riden to Mandsy so she can look him over. And for star’s sake get his ears covered.”
Oh. She thinks I’m the siren. Of course she does. I went into the water.
“Niridia, I’m fine. It’s me.”
Haeli and Reona, two of my riggers, look to Niridia questioningly at my lucidity.
“Ignore her. Captain’s not herself. She’ll be all right by morning.” She leans toward Sorinda. “The creature’s getting cleverer.”
I sigh. “Niridia Zasperon, I’d really rather not spend the night in the brig. It puts me in a mood the next day.”
She steps away from the netting and looks at me. “Only the next day, Captain?”
“Very amusing.”
She places her hands at her hips. “You would have me put the safety of this crew in jeopardy so you can have a soft bed?”
I hold in a growl. “Fine. Put me in the brig, but I need dry clothes so I don’t freeze. And extra blankets.”
Niridia chuckles to herself, though I can’t hear it over the wind. “All right. Let the captain out. She’s fine.”
*
When I can feel my fingers again, I head belowdecks with everyone else. Kearan stays above to keep the ship righted. I promise to relieve him shortly. He brushes off the comment as though he couldn’t care either way. He’s a lot like Sorinda in that regard.
In a corner of the crew’s sleeping quarters, a little girl cries into her father’s arms. As soon as she spots me, Roslyn stops her sniveling. She stands tall, pushing out of her father’s grasp.
“I will accept whatever punishment you have for me, Captain.” She pulls her dagger from its sheath and offers it to me.
I watch her carefully. “Did you hear Niridia call everyone belowdecks?”
“No, Captain, but…”
“But?”
“I saw the riggers lowering the sails. I knew the winds were getting dangerous. And I shouldn’t have allowed Riden to put his rope on me. It was my choice to stay up in the nest without protection.” She doesn’t look down; she keeps those blue eyes on me.
“From what I saw, it looked like you put up quite a fight.”
“Well, yes, Captain. But I should have been strong enough to fight him off.”
I kneel down to her level and hand back the dagger. “As far as I’m concerned, sailor, you did nothing wrong. You are not expected to be anything more than what you are. You didn’t deliberately disobey orders, and Riden is alive.”
Her eyes light up. “Alive? Truly?”
“Yes. The only one you owe an apology to and a punishment from is your father for scaring him half to death.”
“Rest assured,” Wallov says, “she’ll be punished.” He tousles the hair on the top of her head.
Roslyn nods solemnly before asking, “May I go see Riden?”
“Not yet,” I say. “He needs to be checked out by Mandsy first. I’m going to find her now for an update, but I wanted you to know he is all right.”
She wraps those little arms around me and gives me a squeeze before returning to her father.
I keep a hand on the railing for balance as I ascend the steps. The storm has only worsened, and I worry for the safety of the ship and crew. If we should run aground in this weather …
“How’s she holding?” I shout to Kearan once I make it up top.
“Not easily, but I’ve got her.”
I nod, tell him I’ll be back after I check on Riden, and head for my quarters. Niridia said the girls had carried Riden into the infirmary, a room with a padded table for patients, but the ship was too unsteady for him to be elevated. Eventually he had to be taken to my room. The lush carpets on the floor were the best solution. He can’t fall off there.
“For the last damned time, Mandsy, I don’t want any water! I just spent the last ten minutes coughing it out of my lungs.”
“Your body has been through an ordeal. You’re exhausted and you should drink something.” Mandsy isn’t intimidated by any of her patients. Ever. She’d treat a snarling bear if it was injured. She tries to bring the cup back to Riden’s lips.
“What I want is to be left alone so I can sleep. Surely sleep is part of your treatment?”
“Yes, but you could be concussed if you hit your head on something underwater. Someone should watch over you.”
The ship rocks. Mandsy backs up to catch her balance, but some of the water still tips out of the cup she’s holding, and Riden braces himself with his arms from where he lies on the floor. When the ship straightens again, I step all the way into my bedroom.
“Mandsy,” I say, “go below and check on Roslyn. Make sure she’s all right.”
Mandsy treads past me as Riden looks at me in alarm.
“Did she fall into the water, too? Is she—”
“She’s fine, thanks to you,” I assure him. “I just wanted Mandsy out of here so you would stop being rude.”
His worry morphs into a glare. “I said I didn’t want any company.”
“This is my room, and I just saved your life. You could show a little gratitude toward all the people who are trying to help you.”
He won’t look at me now. He finds his feet far more worthy of his fury.
Riden’s managed to change into some dry breeches. (I’ve already dried myself off with my abilities.) A towel hangs around his neck, keeping his hair from dripping onto his bare chest. A dry shirt lies next to him, but he probably doesn’t have the energy to pull it on.