Of the Sea

Chapter Thirteen

Astrid turned around, her hair standing on end, and she scanned the inside of the dock for the source of the voice. An indistinguishable form moved in the corner, hidden in the shadows, and as she neared it, the form began to take the shape of a body. Crumpled in a soggy heap was Reece. She shivered in her wetsuit, and her head lolled from side to side.

"Shit." Astrid whispered in disbelief. She rushed to the swimmer's side, and steadied the girl's head. "Reece. Reece, what happened? Are you hurt?"

"Who..." The girl's eyes rolled, and Astrid patted her face.

"Are you hurt?" She repeated, noticing a dark spot through the girl's wetsuit, and when Astrid pressed her side Reece let out a sharp hiss. When she drew her fingers away they were warm and sticky. Reece also had a knot on her forehead, and several cuts on her cheeks. Only when Astrid tried to move her did she discover the extent of Reece's injuries: the swimmer let out a blood curtling scream, and that was when she saw the white of bone protruding for the leg of the wetsuit. The only reason Reece Pinion had not bled out was the tightly wrapped seaweed around her shin and upper thigh.

Astrid choked back a gag at the sight of the wound. Reece needed help beyond her expertise, and with the dying look in the girl's eyes, Astrid bolted. She pushed herself to run as fast as she could back to the house, because every second that ticked by could have been another pint of blood gone for Reece. When she finally managed to dial 911, she was almost too out of breath to speak.

"Reece Pinion...has been found..." She panted, "I need an ambulance out here....now!"

Once she'd given them the address, she stood waiting for them out in the driveway, pacing back and forth. It wasn't long before the sirens could be heard, and eventually an ambulance was pulling up. She lead them to the dock, where Reece had fallen back into unconsciousness, and there they loaded her onto a stretcher.

"Is she going to be alright?" Astrid asked.

"It's hard to say at this point with the blood loss. Are you related to her?" The EMT asked. Astrid shook her head. "Lucky you found her when she did," was all he said before he and the two others were leaving the dock. Astrid did not follow them, but watched as they disappeared out of sight, before turning back to the water.

"Morgan." She called, waiting for him to break the surface. It had to have been him that saved her. "Mor-"

Only a brief shriek broke the air before Astrid was dragged into the water and below the surface. Whatever had grabbed onto her ankles was slowly making it's way up to her throat, before finally cupping her jaw in their slimy hands. Something firm pressed against her lips, massaging them, and she realized she was being kissed. As dim as the light was, and as murky as the water had become, she could still make out those two electric blue eyes.

They broke the surface and Astrid gasped for a well-needed breath of air.

"I thought it was you, oh by the All-Maker, I thought it was you." Morgan wrapped her in his arms, treading water for both of them. She had barely gotten a second breath when he pressed his lips to hers again, this time briefly before kissing the rest of her face.

"Morgan, what is- what are-" She was having a hard time catching her breath, for more than just one reason.

"That girl, I thought it was you. I thought it was you, and I-" Morgan hugged her closer to him, and Astrid hugged him back.

"What happened to her?"

Morgan pulled back, and hoisted Astrid out of the water and onto the dock. "It was them. They're here."

"You mean Pisces?"

Morgan furrowed his brow. "How did you know the name?"

"Nevermind that, what happened to Reece? What did they do?" Astrid urged.

"They ambushed her, and I heard her scream and I thought for sure..." Morgan gritted his teeth and looked away, a storm brewing behind his eyes. "I managed to get one of them. The other got away. I brought her here, because I thought you might come by."

"What did you do to them?" She asked.

Morgan swallowed. "I, uh..." He raked his claws across his throat, silently telling her what had occurred. "The female got away." Morgan chuckled to himself, and put his head on the dock, muttering, "All for a human. If they didn't like me before they really won't now."

Astrid reached out, and ran her fingers through his hair gently, as if to soothe him. He turned his head sideways on his folded arms to speak to her. "I wasn't in those nets by accident, you know."

"For whatever reason," Astrid whispered, "I'm glad you were."

They stayed there for what could have been hours, enjoying being back in each other's company. Astrid was still somewhat in shock from the kiss. Their silence went unbroken until Morgan looked up at her. "How do you know about Pisces?"

"That's what my dad was after, and now he's gone, too." She sighed, and put her forehead to his. She closed her eyes tight, and wished the answer would come to her. "Morgan, what are we going to do?"