Page 79 of Prince of Tides
“If this is some sort of ploy to get us to let you up so you can take a piss, it won’t work. You can go right there.”
I looked down at the hospital gown, glad I was still wearing my underwear, at least. My transport from the hospital hadn’t been overly polite, and I didn’t want any of these men getting a look at my lady bits.
“Whatever,” I said. If it came to that, it came to it. They could just smell my damn pee right along with me. As long as I got my water.
“Perimeter check,” Eric ordered into a walkie-talkie.
Someone appeared at my side, holding up a cup to my lips. I gulped it down, draining it dry. “More?” I pleaded.
A second cup was brought after a nod from Eric, who was busy staring at his walkie-talkie.
“Something wrong?” I laughed when he demanded someone check in who wasn’t.
The lights in the warehouse flickered. Eric looked around wildly, still yelling into the walkie-talkie.
“What’s going on out there?” he bellowed as if shouting would make the person on the other end more likely to respond.
“I told you this wouldn’t end well.”
Eric hissed, pulling out a pistol and pressing it to my temple. “Oh, trust me, it won’t. Because if I’m going down, it’s going to beafterI’ve splattered your brains all over the floor.”
I stiffened at the press of cool metal to my skin. I hadn’t expected Eric to be quite so ready to take me down with him. Perhaps I should have been, but it was too late now.
“Show yourself, asshole!” Eric shouted. “Come out now, or I swear, I’ll put a bullet through her fucking brain!”
The only sound was his voice bouncing off the thin metal walls and some of his goons breathing a bit more heavily as they held their weapons up, looking nervously at the shadows.
One of them abruptly cried out and keeled over into a ball as his body shrank, his skin and muscle shriveling.
“Who was that?” Eric screamed. “Someone find him!”
I knew who it was now as the air around me grew damp. Beads of water formed on my skin and were promptly absorbed. I felt slightly icky, knowing that the water stolen from the thug’s body was being infused into mine, but my energy and strength were returning by leaps and bounds, showing me just how weakened I’d become from the lack of moisture.
Bearing a sea dragon baby is no joke, apparently.
“Try that on me, and I’ll pull this trigger before it’s over!” Eric shouted.
Another of his henchmen shriveled up and died. Then another. From somewhere out of sight, there was another cry, and a body sailed through the open space with a thud, crashing into a folding table and spilling papers and other items.
“What thefuck!” Eric shouted, whirling.
“Big mistake,” I muttered as his action pulled the gun from my forehead.
Wind whispered, and suddenly, Rip wasthere, moving fast as a bullet. Bones crunched as he crushed Eric’s hand.
“Rip!” I shouted as a previously unseen thug appeared from behind some boxes at the far wall, pointing his gun at me.
The dragon shifter spun to face me, giant wings sprouting from his back as they wrapped around me protectively. I heard thethudof several impacts as the bullets hit the leathery membranes and failed to penetrate.
“Hi,” he said as therat-a-tat-tatof the assault rifle continued unabated. “How’s it going?”
“Oh, you know,” I said as Eric goggled at the giant wings protruding from Rip’s back, struggling to form words. “Swimmingly.”
Rip blinked. “Really? Puns at a time like this?”
“Sure, why not? You’ve got this under control, though I’m not sure why you’re drag-gon it out so long.”
“Unbelievable,” Rip said, sighing.
