A spark of light amongst the mocking shadows.
The warmth moves slowly, burning an ever-growing trail through my skin. With each second the shadows recede a little further and my ribs feel less like a constricting prison.
The roll of the ocean is the first sound to break the barrier, the noise enough to speed up the process of becoming calm again.
Then there’s a voice.
“Breathe, Cyrus. Follow my voice and come back to me.”That voice, so sweet and filled with a warmth that feels like the sun after a bad storm.
Her thumb moves across my cheek, gliding along my cheek bone.
That’s what that warmth was that brought me back.Her touch.
Faster and faster the shadows recede and light filters back into my vision, giving away to the pint-size angel of this island, her hand reaching up to cup my jaw.
Her eyes blaze with concern, tracing every facet of my face trying to determine what’s happening and if I’m coming back to her or not. Yet there’s a gentle smile on her face. Nothing more than a slight upturn of her lips, but it's enough for my lungs to remember their purpose and take in full breaths once again.
The warmth on my cheek slowly filters to my bloodstream and carries her light around my body, lighting me up from the inside out.
We stand like this for some time. I don’t know how long, seconds, minutes or maybe even hours. Time is blurry as I regain myself from a shutdown.
Once my limbs no longer feel like stone, I clear my throat and force a shaky step back. Giving her a light nod in gratitude, not quite willing to trust my voice yet.
Tally rapidly blinks as her hand falls back to her side, before she shakes herself out and lets her usual grin fall into place. But I can tell it doesn’t quite reach her eyes like it normally does and concern still lingers in those dark irises.
She clears her own throat. “Your Captain, although unconscious,” the words threaten to take me under again but I force it back desperate to hear the next part. “She’s breathing steady, even with the fractured ribs. She’s comfortable and no longer bleeding out.”
Air whooshes out of me. Relief somewhat dousing the flames of pain and panic.
Tally clears her throat again, regaining my attention. “And Mabel has yet to leave her side. She’s even still in her blood-stained clothes.”
My heart thumps wildly, on the verge of breaking. Of course Mabel is with her.The captor and captive. A story that shouldn’t make sense, yet even I can’t deny it works for them.
I nod again, my mouth moves before I even realise I opened it. “Thank you.”
This time it’s her turn to nod.
Then with swaying arms she starts stepping back. “You know it’s pretty impressive. Even when you're falling apart inside, you’re still stone on the outside. It’s one hell of a mask you’ve perfected. But it doesn’t meanIcan’t see you shatter.”
This time my heart just stops.
The only person who’s ever effectively been able to not only glimpse past my walls, but smash them down through sheer willpower.
Her sweet smile then morphs into something darker. A deep smirk that tells me I won’t like what comes out of her mouth next.
“I’ll look forward to the moment you come crawling to me.”
With that, she turns her back to me and makes her way off deck. Her voluptuous hips swaying in a hypnotic rhythm with each step.
My jaw drops open as I watch her walk away.
I’ll look forward to the moment you come crawling to me.
And fuck it all if she’s probably not wrong.
I track her all along the dock, the swish of her hair along her waist keeping me locked in on her.
“Catching flies there, Cy.” Henri’s deep tone breaks me from the spell Tally had over me once again.
