Page 15 of Within the Flames
Faster and faster she walked, dragging Jared with her.
Water.
Then, suddenly, the ground stopped and there was nothing there, just air, and she fell, screaming.
Time slowed down as she saw the glowing walls of a new cave, reflecting on the surface of the water far below them... but it was coming closer, fast, and then they crashed into it, sinking quickly.
Without even thinking about it, Macey shifted. It was probably the fastest she had ever changed into her kelpie form, but it was also one of the most painful shifts ever. Her bones hurt where they'd lengthened and thickened, and even her scalp was throbbing. She breathed in the icy water, her gills filtering it.
It tasted amazing. Salty, refreshing, pure. Unbelievable pure for being under such a large, polluted city.
She flicked her tail through the water, her mood changing to playfulness. This was a place she was going to be able to have some fun. Rónàn might want to join her in a long, drawn out swim. She focused on her antenna sense, searching for other people in the water. It was only her and Jared so far, the others must have been able to stop.
Jared. Oh no. She swam towards the incubus who was sinking ever lower, unmoving. She gently took his arm between her jaws, shaking him. No response. She had to get him out of the water. Incubi couldn't breathe underwater. The kelpie in her found that very strange, but her human self was still strong enough to realise how important it was to get Jared to the surface.
She gripped his sleeve with her teeth and pulled him up, swimming as fast as she could. They'd drifted down further than she'd realised. The water was dark, almost black, but she knew where the surface was. She was a kelpie, after all.
When her head broke the surface, she brought her legs underneath Jared's body, lifting him up until he was lying on his back, his face in the air. He wasn't breathing.
Fuck.
She wasn't going to be able to shift while holding him above the surface of the water. How was she supposed to help him? Revive him?
She whinnied in distress, the sound echoing through the cave, making it sound as if there was a whole army of kelpies standing around her.
"Coming!" a voice called from far above, and a moment later, a body crashed into the water beside her, spraying her with water. Her eyes were beginning to dry out, not used to being exposed to air, so she lowered her head beneath the surface, taking a deep breath.
It was Rónàn, shirtless and with bare feet, swimming towards her. He was so much better prepared than she had been. Oh well, it was her who'd discovered this lake... kind of, so of course she'd been surprised by the fall and the water.
The selkie surfaced, taking in a deep breath, then immediately took over from Macey, holding Jared's head. He put his ear against the incubus's chest, listening for a heart beat.
He smiled and nodded at Macey when he found it, then pressed his lips against Jared's, breathing into his mouth.
This was the second time now that those two were kissing. Well, this time it was a kiss of life, but still. At least this time, there was no jealousy in Macey's heart.
She shifted back as quickly as she'd changed into her kelpie form, the anxiety over Jared's fate making the pain pale into insignificance.
She thought about begging Rónàn to work faster, to save him, but she knew it wouldn't make a difference. The selkie wouldn't skip on saving Jared. He cared about Macey and their family unit too much. She just hoped that his selkie magic was enough to save her incubus. Tears slipped down her face, unnoticed through the salt water itself.
"What's happening?" Cam shouted down from the ledge above.
She didn't answer, but relief filled her just by knowing that she didn't have to save two of them.
Air buffeted the water, causing ripples to cascade over the surface. Macey looked away, not really wanting her eyes to dry out too much. That would make re-submerging them painful and she had no desire for that to be the case.
"Let me take him back to the land," Luc requested.
Macey shook her head.
"What good would that do? Obviously we need to be down here."
"Or maybe this is just another test. This doesn't work unless you trust me."
Her eyes met those of the daimon as Rónàn continued to try saving Jared.
"Prove it."
"How would you like me to do that? This isn't the best place to doubt anyone," Luc pointed out.
