Fate's Pawn: Five Jewels

Fighting the Waves

Eros knelt beside me his hands seeking mine but I slipped beneath the water's surface as the ship pitched.

"Holly!" he gasped.

Thankfully his words were torn away by the screeching wind and the pelting ice cold rain so no one got to hear his little slip up. It would be far too complicated to try to explain my special little situation.

I was forced deep under water until my finned butt hit the bottom of my river and I cried out in pain.

A moment later I stared into the eyes of Eros as my brave cabbit dove into my little enclosure just to pull me tightly to his chest. The boat continued to sway, and I desperately tried to get him back to the surface but its as if were were suctioned to the bottom and unable to make it back up.

There was no way Eros could survive down at the bottom in these kinds of conditions for too long. I wrapped him in my arms and struggled to get some sort of momentum going.

Eros only hugged me tighter, stroking my hair as his eyes told me everything was going to be alright.

Nothing could be alright if he was in danger!

Another pair of hands plunged into the water and it wrapped around Eros's collar, hauling him out of the water none too gently. A second later, the same hands grabbed me and pulled me free.

I hit the surface gasping for air as Eros did the same. Rain poured down Angel's face and he glared at the two of us. "What that man sees in you, I'll never know!" he screamed as the roaring wind and waves sought to steal his voice.

Did a part of him remember me? Is that why he was fighting so hard to save me? My heart beat harder at the thought and tears gathered at the corner of my eyes. Maybe… maybe it was breaking through!

Angel grabbed me by the waist, tossing me over his shoulder as he struggled to stay upright. The deck bounced as the massive ship climbed wave after wave, but even I could see the giant wall of water that was heading our way.

"Watch out!"

It towered above us, arching so high it was hard to see the crest.

Would it kill us all? I swallowed and clung to Angel tightly as I prepared for the worst.

His warm hand stroked the small of my back. His touch lingered and his scent flooded my nostrils as he held me close in the pitch blackness and time seemed to tick by around us.

"Don't worry," his whisper was caught by the screaming wind but I saw his lips move and my entire body warmed from the inside out at the gentleness that had entered his eyes.

That was my Angel, even if it was only for a half of a second, I'd seen him trapped behind the guise of this doctor.

Even if this water took me and my adventure would be over, I would have this fleeting connection and the sense that my world had righted itself.

Then the wave hit.

Angel dropped to the ground, he used his body to cover mine as water poured over us and pushed us to the edge of the ship as it bucked like a wild horse in the water.

He lost his footing and we fell backwards and towards the dark abyss of the sea.

"You're a pain!" the words were a merciless growl as a set of arms grabbed my hands and hauled both me and Angel to safety.

"Eros!" I searched for my companion but I couldn't see through the pelting rain. My heart raced as I tried to struggle to a sitting positon.

Angel grabbed one of my arms and Quix grabbed the other. Together they lugged me in doors and out of the way of more waves, barely able to keep the door open to get down the stairs as the wind sough to rip it from their grip.

"Damn it fish woman," Angel complained. He plunked me down on a soft bed and proceeded to take of his shirt and try to wring the material out.

Suffice to say, I was distracted for a few heartbeats as I was given a glimpse of the body of the man I loved so dearly. It made my mouth go dry as I watched his muscles ripple beneath his skin.

"I've got him!" Maxwell's cheerful voice called as he drug my precious Eros into view. He ran a hand through his drenched hair and laughed. "Looks like we're all okay!"

Angel scoffed. "Well, I'm so happy for you. This wouldn't have happened if the people riding on this boat had any common sense. When you see the weather start to change like that, you find shelter. It's simple enough that a child should be able to understand the implications."

Maxwell ignored him as he sat beside me and took me into his arms without a second thought. "Are you okay?" he questioned his eyes searching mine. "I knew Quix would be able to find you. I would have went myself but the instant I went out there to look for you I saw our poor guy over here trying to jump ship and take a swim."

Eros gave a weak wave before spewing a jet of water from his lungs. "Thank you," he wheezed.

Maxwell waved his words away as he continued to grin down at me. "I know things are rough now, but I've got news from the captain."

I repressed the urge to groan. If Dagon has his way I'd just be pitched overboard and left to my own devices. "What is it?"

"We have to make it through this storm, but the instant we do he's already spotted land. He's found our first stop." His eyes glowed as his thumb rubbed along the curve of my hand. "Your wish is going to come true, Coral."

No, my wish was still a long way from coming true, but at least I'd be taking the first step on the journey and just maybe I'd really find a way to bring my mates back to me. I intertwined my fingers with is and gave a gentle squeeze as his warmth and love washed over me. "Thank you," I whispered.

He chuckled and held me tighter as he tucked my sodden locks behind my ear. "Anything for you love, anything."

I tucked my head beneath his chin and listened to the slow and steady thump of his heart. No, this man hadn't been one of my previous mates, and maybe this was just the pull that he as feeling from my fated destiny, but at the moment I didn't want to have to leave his side.

For this moment, I wanted to be his.

"Oh?" purred a soft voice in my mind. A voice unlike any I'd heard before. "A greedy little mermaid is coming to visit me? I can hardly wait."