Page 93 of The Last Lost Girl

She darts forward and disappears into the water, signaling that she has no plans of letting him get back aboard his ship.

In his stunned state, Hudson is unmoving as I curl my arm tightly around his waist, careful of the blade’s edge. I suck in a deep breath one heartbeat before Hudson is tugged under.

She pulls him down into the darker water so fast, the pressure in my ears builds and my lungs start to burn.

When the sun’s light above us looks like nothing more than a distant star, she slows. I work my way down his body, clinging to him so she doesn’t tear him from me. Slipping down, I wrap an arm around his thigh, then work my way toward his calf.

I slash her forearm and she releases Hudson with a shriek that reverberates in my bones.

Teal blood billows in the water like squid ink.

With an arm around Hudson’s middle again, I kick as hard as I can for the light, focusing on reaching it and ignoring the insistent urge to exhale. A dark dot bobs between the light and us… the skiff.

Hudson slowly goes slack in my arms. His arms float upward, his legs surrender. Then his muscles begin to spasm.

He’s drowning.

Dying.

Then, I see a flash of coral. The mermaid I saved swims toward us in a rush. I push Hudson toward her, but she hesitates. I point to him, insisting. Begging. Please. He’s dying.

She clamps an arm around his middle and pushes upward, her powerful tail pumping as she carries him to the surface.

I kick to follow, but the assent is slow. Every kick is harder than the last. When I can no longer ignore the burn in my lungs, the coral mermaid grabs my wrist and surges upward.

We breach the surface and I drag air into my lungs, gasping and trying to calm my racing heart. “Where is he?”

She seems to understand and points to the ship.

Smee and the crew are hoisting the rope looped beneath their captain’s arms and around his chest, hauling Hudson’s limp body from the water.

“Thank you,” I tell her, then push toward the ship with one dagger still clutched in my hand. Though I lost the other dagger in the deep and I hate to rob Smee of his knives, I let go of the one I still have to free my hands. Then, I push against the insistent waves that seem to claw me away from him.

The mermaid begins to chatter ominously as she peers into the water beneath us. Swimming in a nervous circle, she bares her teeth, lets out a growl, and dives under.

The water churns directly under me and thousands of bubbles surge over my skin. There is thrashing, followed by a loud splash as the coral mermaid and the siren surface, snapping at one another’s throats.

They disappear beneath the waves, and I tread water as more bubbles rise around me. Circles of them form in concentric rings, some only as wide as I can stretch my legs and some surging as far as the ship’s hull.

Then, the fury of bubbles stops and the sea is quiet. Everything is.

The mermaid appears a few breaths later, alone. Her teeth are rimmed in deep teal, but her eyes are lined with guilt and sorrow.

“She didn’t give you a choice,” I offer.

She chatters something mournful. Her large eyes dart to the horizon and she takes a shuddering breath.

“I’m sorry it came to that, but I’m not sorry you lived.”

Her eyes race to mine and she inclines her head in acknowledgement. When I hear coughing from the ship’s deck, my tense heart relaxes a fraction.

“Thank the Stars!” Smee shouts.

I look at the mermaid. “You saved us.”

There’s hatred in her eyes when she hears Hudson say Smee’s name, then mine. She gives me an accusatory look. I can’t blame her after what he did to her.

“He was wrong. What he did was wrong,” I admit. “I’m not defending him, but he knows it now. He knows you can all be healed. He’ll help the others as soon as we can get more salve.”

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