Page 33 of Trapped By Clocks and Hearts

I clenched my teeth to shoot Allie another look. “Allie!”

Allie kept blinking then she flinched in a startle upon satisfaction of her assessment. She met my gaze. “NOW!”

Hurrying back, I hoisted Allie up the side of the railing so she could jump off.

Her gaze widened, spotting something over my shoulder. She tried to warn me, “Rabb!” but she had already fallen back into the water.

A sharp pain gouged deep in my shoulder. Yelling out a groan, I lurched over, easily tipping over the railing.

The roar of the mob turned faint as I dove headlong into the rushing cold water.

Chapter 10 - Beware Rainbows

“Ihate this river.” I spat as I hauled myself out, pulling the knife from my shoulder with a grunt. At some point during the swim, the hat and elastic Allie had insisted I put on had both washed away.

Almost disappearing through the mist, the steamboat sailed off and away down the river continuing on its cruise as though nothing had even happened.

Panting as she dragged herself onto the shore, Allie shot me an incredulous look. “What was your plan exactly? You thought you were going to fight all of them off? You shouldn’t have attacked that one guy.”

“Good thing you kicked him in the nuts. Save him that misery,” I huffed, not understanding her concern. I may not have had my magic but I was certain I was still at least three times stronger than any of The Dodo’s pathetic thugs.

“I had to do something,” Allie pointed out. “You couldn’t just go around breaking people’s arms.”

“I wasn’t going to break his arm,” I corrected. “I was going to kill him.”

Allie groaned. “And what else, oh great and deadly assassin? You didn’t want to torture him first?”

I shot her a look. “We didn’t have time for torture.”

“Oh, of course! How silly of me.” She shook her head in disbelief. “This is just great.” She wrung out her hands, her drenched outfit still dripping.

Clutching at my injured shoulder, I groaned at the sting. “For god’s sake, help me,” I rasped in annoyance as blood ran onto my clothes, diluted by the fresh river water. “Aren’t you a doctor?” I gestured to her lab coat.

“Oh, hell.” Allie threw her hands up. “I’m not that kind of doctor!”

Grunting again, I pressed my hand against my wound. We were still too close to the river for my magic to awaken. We were both soaking wet. I glanced distastefully down at myself. “We’re going to need to get out of these wet clothes.”

Allie made a big show of turning to give me an incredulous, wary look.

I knew exactly what she was thinking. “What?” I prompted again in exasperation. “I just meant so we don’t catch a cold. How do you propose we get dry otherwise? By running around in circles?”

“For a moment there, I thought you were trying to pick up where we left off when we were—how did you say it?” She tapped her finger on her chin. “Trying to sneak in a moment of pleasure.”

I sneered. “Do you think I’m still trying to seduce you, Mary Ann? I told you I don’t have feelings like normal humans.”

Allie still looked in disbelief. “Oh and what? Are you saying you were never attracted to those pretty women companions that visited you night after night after night for all your nocturnal activities?”

“I never had feelings for them. Attraction is different,” I told her. “It just makes achieving release easier. But even that is not necessary.” I dismissed her ridiculous tangent with a shake of my head and struggled to straighten up. “We need to get much further away from the river if I am to regain my magic.”

She eyed my gait. “Are you sure you can walk? I think you lost a lot of blood.”

I hissed at the sting in my shoulder. “Don’t have much choice.”

Allie’s face still looked like she’d eaten lemons.

I rolled my eyes. “Wipe that look of pity off your face.” I wanted to saunter away but with my first step, I already had to grunt in pain.

Allie caught my arm before I stumbled. “Jeez, Rabb. For a fearsome, daunting guy, how can you be such a big baby?”