Not just mortal and Fae book I (Azriel x Suree)

CHAPTER 6

At first I was just drifting in the icy water, my body weightless. I remembered the time Zander had taken me to a lake in the woods, behind our house, I was sixteen and he was teaching me to swim. It was a warm summer's day and we where the only people there. I remember taking my first few step's into the water before going under completely. I panicked at first but then I felt a strong pair of arms lift me up and I was breathing again. As the weeks went by I got better, and soon I was able to swim to the other side of the lake without help. I rember seeing my brothers face as he lifted me up, shouting into the sky with joy as we spent the rest of the day by the pool.

But this was not the same joyous feeling, this was a cold, dark lonely feeling, that was chilling my bones and crushing my lungs. I soon started to realize I was drowning. I opened my eyes and saw a storm raging above me, waves churning. I began to kick up using all my power and muscles as I desperately reached for the top. Just when I thought I couldn't bare it any longer I broke through to the surface, coughing and hacking up saltwater. I looked around me for a piece of wood anything to grab onto, until I saw a thick slab from the broken deck of the ship floating about six feet from me and I swam with what little effort I had left. I hauled myself half way over the side as I caught my breath, spitting out sea water. Once I got my bearing's together I noticed a dark shape, slumping a few metres away from me, unmoving, but breathing faintly. At first I thought it was some kind of animal, but then I took in it's form, the wings, the hair, the scarred hands and I realised it was the Illyrian. My blood boiled and I felt the knife pressing into my neck again, as I pondered weather or not to stab him or drown him. Before I could decide the ocean made the decision for me as it washed over him, taking him under. I nodded in satisfaction. So long and good riddance, I thought as I began to paddle in the opposite direction, though stopped immediately.

I couldn't just leave him, could I? Of course I can, he tried to kill me, I had every right. But what if he could help me, what if he could take me across the border to find my brother, I most certainly was not going anywhere in the state I was in and the storm showed no sign of relenting. Plus he would have to owe me considering I saved his life. I looked back at the place he had been, temptation and guilt swelling up inside me. I shook my head annoyed, Mother darn me and my sympathy. Without another thought I took a deep breath and dived under after him. It didn't take me long before I spotted him, his large wings making him almost impossible to miss. I dove down and down until I reached him and slid my arms underneath him and began to pull. For Mother's sake, why was he so heavy, it was like carrying a sack of potatoes, a really muscular, large bag of potatoes. I kicked as much as my stiff limbs would allow, but it felt like we where going nowhere. I lost my patients and kicked him, trying to stir up anything inside that hollow head of his. My desperation seemed to kick in as I nailed him in the Crown jewels as I hard as I could. It must of worked because he stirred slightly and began to kick and together we broke to the surface. I gasped and panted as I brought him over to my small slab of deck and hauled him over the side. As I brought myself onto the broken timber, and hauled the rest of him over the side, I froze as I gaped at him. He wasn't breathing. I ripped off his armour over his chest and began to push down on him, over and over again.

"Come on you miserable lump of muscle, wake up!"

I slapped the side of his face and punched his chest, chocking on my words, "wake up."

He then began to stir and a second later he began to cough up water, and I turned him on his side as it spewed out of him. After a few more seconds of hacking he turned to look at me and tumbled off the raft.

"What are you doing!?" He yelled over the storm, the cold, angry look I had grown to hate was now plastid on his face.

"Oh just going for a pleasant swim while sun bathing on a piece of broken wood, WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE I'M DOING!?" I shouted back, my temper finally getting the better of me.

"You where trying to kill me!" He called out, hatred intertwining his every word.

"If I wanted you dead, I would have let you sink to the bottom of this miserable sea, while water drowned your breathing or better yet, killed you myself!" I yelled, through gritted teeth.

"Why save me!?"

I looked him dead in the eye, scowling as I considered just leaving him there.

"Because your human, and despite what you think of me, I'm not the heartless bitch you think I am!"

Cautiously, he made his way back to the raft, never breaking eye contact with me. When he reached it, I raised my eyebrow at him.

"So there is a brain in there after all."

He snarled at me as he looked around to see if there was land.

"Can you fly?"

He looked back, before processing what I said and slowly nodded.

"Do you think you could fly the both of us to land?"

He stretched his wings out shaking them slightly. "Maybe, I just need a minute?" I shivered and remembered how cold I was and my teeth began to jitter. "We may not have a minute, if you can fly now is the time." He looked at me, annoyed but I didn't care. I was freezing, hungry, thirsty and my patience was basically non-existent now.

He sighed before pushing himself fully onto the deck, almost tipping it as he tried to balance himself. When he finally found even ground, he scooped me up in his arms and stretched out his wings.

"Surprised your not just going to leave me here, given your past urges to want me dead, guess all that sea water hasn't completely left your system after all, or the cold has started to make you a decent person, take your pick."

He didn't look at me, just said, "hang on." and not a moment later we where soaring through the sky, leaving the broken pieces of the ship behind.