Page 98 of Take No Prisoners
Niall hoped he could save his friend, and that Vadim could hold on until he reachedStarlight Specteragain, or maybe his grandmother was with them. He thought he sensed her magic, but she hadn't tried to contact him. Maybe she was too far away.
Niall clasped his hands over Klaus's chest by his heart and held his head above water. He inhaled a calming breath and pushed against Klaus's chest with his healing energy.
Breaking Vadim's hold seemed far too easy, as though Vadim had been waiting for him to try before removing the bond on his own.
Whatever had happened, this was the break Niall needed. He poured healing power into Klaus. Niall swore he felt Vadim's power recoil on itself and retreat through the hole in the ship. He tried to chase it with a tether of his own, to try to restore their bond once Klaus was healed. He couldn't connect to Vadim's power with either life or death magic.
He didn't have time, either. He kept Klaus afloat by balancing him on his thighs as he kneeled in the water. He placed his hands on Klaus's chest and sought the damaged areas throughout Klaus's body. When he tried to push healing energy into Klaus, it didn't work. He took a deep breath, and Vadim's words came rushing back to him. Consent. He needed consent to heal.
"Do you consent to be healed?"he asked.
"What kind of ridiculous question is that?"Klaus's voice thundered in his head, far stronger than Niall expected."Of course I fucking consent! Heal me of this shit once and for all!"
Niall pushed more healing power into Klaus's chest, into his heart, and then into the vessels that pumped his blood. Klaus's ailment was bloodborne, either a virus or cancer that attacked his body from the inside out. Niall followed his healing instincts to remove the ailment at the source deep within Klaus's bones.
"Niall?" Klaus opened his eyes and stared up at him. "What's going on? What have you done?"
"We need to get out of here!"
Klaus gripped his arm and righted himself in the water. Niall turned his attention back to their cell. The water was above his knees when he was standing, and he still didn't have a way to escape.
He heard splashing in the hallway. Someone was coming for them. Niall didn't want to be trapped in the cell when they arrived.
A force rammed the ship hard enough to rock them away from the hole. Niall almost fell backward against the cell door. Then, giant teeth took a bite of the hull, widening the opening.
"All hells, no!" Klaus's grip tightened on Niall's arm. "I'm not ... those are ..."
"Efren's." Niall recognized the sharks as the gift they were and dragged Klaus to the opening. Niall hefted Klaus onto his back. "Hang on."
Klaus wrapped his arms around Niall's neck in a death grip.
"Not that tight," he choked out.
Once Klaus allowed him to breathe again, he collected a small pocket of breathable air between them, big enough to fit both of their heads. Niall didn't know how long the air would last, but it would get them away from the ship. Then, he pushed against the rush of water filling the hole in the ship. Once he was in the open water, a long gray body swam up to him. He latched onto her notched dorsal fin with both hands.
"Can you control these things?" Klaus whispered.
"I hope so." Niall didn't risk using their precious air to explain he recognized this shark. Instead, he reached out to Efren and told him to call Arrowtip home toStarlight Specter.
In the meantime, he hoped she would heed his commands. With a thought, he told her to rise to the surface. She took her sweet time, pulling them closer to the island. Niall didn't know how to share they were going the wrong way, but she changed course as their heads finally breached the surface. Beyond water, his control of his other elements was still fickle. He chose to refill the air bubble with fresh air instead of letting it go.
They were now facing the bulkhead of Coryn's ship, which sat at a jaunty angle from the waves. The shark headed for the nearest thrashing man, who must have jumped overboard. Niall's storm continued to roil the skies overhead, striking new scorch marks on the listing ship. He hoped that would draw Coryn's attention away from them and from the ship Niall couldn't see over the horizon.
"That sailor's mundane," Klaus whispered. "That means he's here by choice, and he'd tell Coryn he saw us the moment he's rescued."
Niall understood Klaus's words, but he squinted his eyes shut when Arrowtip's jaws snapped around the man's waist. She dragged them back under the water, taking them as deep as the inlet would allow and releasing him. A giant bubble of air rushed from him, and then the shark attacked again, chewing him down and leaving the rest for the other sharks circling around them. Niall did his best to push the blood away from them on the current, but he could still smell it in the water around their air bubble.
"We need to go," Klaus whispered.
Niall urged the shark toward Efren, but then he noticed the sharp rocks marking the edge of the inlet looming before them just below the surface. That way would be dangerous. He urged the shark to swim up the inlet instead.
"How long can you make it storm?" Klaus asked.
"As long as we need," he said. He kept hold of the weave as it continued to draw moisture and static charge from the air above the boat. He didn't dare tie it in place, for fear Coryn would siphon it and use it against him instead. He would remove it only when they were safe.
"Can we stay below the surface until we start to run out of air? Coryn might not see us escape."
"It's worth a try," Niall said.
