VIOLENT TIDES (gxg - editing)

27

Ainsley was surrounded by the roar of wind and rain. She was lashed at from all sides, soaking wet in seconds, and she couldn't even speak through the wind that tore at her hair and clothes. She couldn't see anything until lightning flashed, lighting the masts that towered above them and the waves that crashed against the hull, throwing glittering spray against the deck.

But Gael's hand never left hers, and the urge to crumple to the deck in a trembling pile was fading. Ainsley swallowed, squinting into the darkness.

She didn't hear Gael's gasp, but she felt the pirate stiffen, fingers curling tighter around Ainsley's hand. Ainsley sucked in a sharp breath of air.

Wreathed by the rain, a snout had appeared.

It snaked out of the low-hanging clouds that surrounded the Finch, followed by the rest of the head and then a long, serpentine neck. When lightning flashed again, it glinted against huge eyes, spikes as tall as the Finch's masts, and huge wings silhouetted in the clouds above. Ainsley's heart raced so fast she thought it would burst out of her chest. The behemoth loomed over them, head tilted to one side and large enough to smash the ship to splinters.

Ainsley took a step forward. Gael stayed close to her side, holding her steady against the swaying deck. Thunder rolled again, but this time, Ainsley barely heard it over the roaring in her ears. She reached out with a hand that shook violently and rested it against rain-slick scales.

Everything seemed frozen in time for a moment, and Ainsley's couldn't hear anything beyond the thudding heartbeat of the dragon she touched.

She pulled her hand away and the head reared back, plunging back up into the storm. Its wings swept out, brushing against the foam-tipped waves, and with a terrifying display of power, it lunged back up into the sky.

The awe at touching such a beast never truly faded.

Ainsley looked at Gael, who still held her hand tightly between them. The pirate's hair blew wildly about her face, and when lightning lit up the undersides of the storm clouds again, it glinted off of the rainwater streaming over her face.

Gael tipped her head back toward the hatch, and Ainsley nodded. No words were needed. The two of them tumbled back into the depths of the ship, dripping water all over the floor and breathing hard. Ainsley trembled from head to toe.

"Are you alright?" Gael asked, holding her arm.

There was a clap of thunder that sent a nervous shiver through Ainsley's spine, but she couldn't help the smile on her face.

"That was incredible."

Gael laughed, and Ainsley found herself laughing too, shoulders shaking as she fell back into Gael's arms once more. They were both soaked through, but neither seemed to care, rocking with the sway of the boat beneath them.

"Are you absolutely sure you wouldn't like to spend the night with someone?" Gael asked at last, separating from Ainsley.

Ainsley swallowed.

With Gael, she was fine. Better than fine. She could forget about her fear. But she didn't want to go back to that dark hold by herself and wait for the storm to end.

"I... would appreciate that, actually, Gael."

Hand in hand, the two proceeded back to the captain's quarters, where Gael shut the door firmly, then went to the bed in the corner and pulled off a heavy blanket. She wrapped it around Ainsley's shoulders and their hands met for a moment when the princess took the corners of the blanket and held them close to herself.

"That may have been reckless. You'll catch a cold."

"I suppose you'll just have to keep me warm," Ainsley blurted, the words slipping out before she could stop them. Gael froze, and there was a long silence. Ainsley's heart plummeted. Gael didn't feel the same way. Of course not. She shouldn't have expected anything else. She licked her lips but forced herself to forge on. There was no use hiding it now.