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“If we’re swimming over, we can’t take the guns,” he reminded me. I nodded and began to strip. So did the others. Stashing our underpants in the bag, I slipped the strap over my head and shoulder and looked around at my priests.
“Ready?” I asked.
They nodded. Wesley glanced over the side into the dark water and shuddered. “I hate swimming,” he complained.
“It’s the cat in you.” Jack grinned as he ungracefully launched himself into the water.
I had to agree. I could feel my lion’s disgust at the idea of submerging us into cold water, but needs must. The water closed over my head, and there was the briefest moment of panic as the dim light disappeared, until my head broke the surface and I set out with strong strokes towards the ship. The waves were growing bigger, and it was rough going. I kept pausing and checking around me to see if the others were keeping up, but thankfully all of us made it to the ship without incident. Towards the back of the ship was a small dinghy and a rope ladder hanging down the side, which gave us a nice point to climb up onto the boat. While not a full-sized cargo ship, it was still a decent size, and my arms were burning as I reached the top.
The ship rocked with the waves, and the nausea rose up in my throat again. I grinned to myself, imagining Davenport’s reaction if I vomited on him as he climbed up just below me. I signalled for the others to hold as I inched my head above the side, scanning for enemies. One guy stood with his back to me, watching something on the other side of the boat. I couldn’t quite make out what they were doing, but most of the crew seemed to be over on that side, and I could hear the clanking and whirring of some kind of machinery.
Silently, I climbed over the side and crept up behind the guard. He was holding a semi-automatic in his hands. I grabbed his head, forcing it around, and heard the snap as his neck broke under my hands. I let him fall to the deck, snagging the gun from his grip as he fell. I shoved the body into the shadows as Jack and the others crept out on deck. I motioned for them to fan out, and as one, we all shifted into our feline forms. Instinct kicked in, and our pride spread out, surrounding the crew. They wouldn’t attack if I warned them to hold off, but if the crew were involved, it was going to be a bloodbath.
As I crept closer, I saw that several of the crew members were operating some kind of winch. Large spotlights shone down on the choppy water. A large crate rose up into the air from the deck and swung over the side of the ship. My heart stilled for a moment as I realised Jasper had been right. The idea that my queen was trapped inside, terrified and alone in the dark, filled me with rage. I leapt forward with a snarl, my huge paws landing on the shoulders of the nearest crew member, and my teeth sank into his throat, tearing away skin and muscles. I heard shouting from the crew members nearby, then more screams, and my priests attacked.
The boat rocked again, with one larger wave rushing over the side, flooding the deck with water. It turned dark with blood and streamed off the deck into the black water below us. The container swayed dangerously in the air, and I raced towards it, taking out another two crew members as I did. A loud crack came from my side, and I felt the impact of a bullet hitting my right flank. I winced at the sudden pain then brushed the feeling away. No time for that. Four men were still at the winch, trying to lower the container farther down to the dark water, and I charged them, a flurry of teeth and claws. A glimpse of a darker mane and more screams nearby told me Zayn had attacked the two on the other side. Another crack, and a lion roared in pain.
I swung around to see a man standing on the metal staircase leading up to the wheelhouse. Even in the torrential rain, I could make out the sleek dark suit and the calm expression of someone confident in his own power. Instinct told me this was not someone to be taken lightly, and a cold chill crept along my spine as my fur bristled.
I moved towards him, stalking my prey as I would in the desert, my eyes never leaving my target. My muscles were tightly bound under my skin, ready to leap at any moment. The man looked straight at me with no fear. I didn’t care. I would make him fear me. He would pay. He raised his gun again, aiming dead between my eyes, but he didn’t fire. His eyes met mine, and he smiled a cold, cruel smile. He looked away and lifted his gun. It fired as I launched myself through the air, once and then a second time, before my body collided with his. He fell back against the steps, but continued to smile even as I bared my teeth, a low, rumbling growl resonating from my chest. Then I heard the crash as the container hit the water.
I whirled around. The bastard had taken out the ropes with his gun. Who the fuck could make that kind of shot twice? I didn’t stop to think, I just hurled myself towards the side of the ship and into the water, shifting as I went. I’d like to say I executed a graceful dive, but I was in too much of a hurry. My naked human skin hit the icy surface, and I gasped in shock at the cold. Even in summer, the North Sea was numbingly cold. I surfaced briefly, gasping in air, and then dived down into the darkness. My eyes searched the inky blackness, and I swam down, searching in vain for some sight of the container, but I saw nothing. Then, through the cries of despair in my mind, came a voice. It was faint and faraway, but as clear as if I could hear it.
“West. West, I need you... Austin... please...”
I closed my eyes, suspended in the dark water, and then dived down in the direction that my heart pulled me. My queen was calling to me, and she didn’t have to ask twice. I swam deeper and deeper, knowing she would be sinking quickly, and then I finally saw it. The spotlights from the ship managed to penetrate down into the depths, and I saw a gleam of light as they reflected off the metal of the container. I swam down, grabbing the edge with my hand, and panic flared within me as I realised it was going to drag me down away from the surface, which was already a long way above me. I didn’t have much time.
Feeling around the edge of the box, I managed to find the padlock. I wrenched it away, my supernatural strength serving me well, even though I was not at top strength. I hadn’t fed in so long, and she hadn’t either. I pulled the lid away, the possibility crossing my mind that if she had descended into bloodlust, her first thought would be to feed, and we could both drown before she fed enough to regain her senses. It was a risk I had to take.
I held onto the sides of the container, my heart sinking as I looked down and saw a wooden crate. My lungs burned as I reached down, pulling at the wooden slats until they splintered and tore away to reveal an Egyptian coffin painted with dark designs and words of enchantment. My skin crawled as my hands moved over the surface, searching for the edge. I could feel my vision darkening, or was that just the light fading as we sank deeper? Every inch of my body burned, and my lungs screamed for oxygen. I shook my head. No, I wasn’t ready yet. She needed me, and I’d be damned if I died when I was this close. Finally, my fingers found the groove I was searching for, and I dug them in, pulling the lid up.
I felt the tickle as strands of her hair drifted up in the water, flowing across my face. Reaching down, I tried to pull her out, but she was held fast. My hands roamed her body, until I found the straps holding her in. With a sharp tug, I broke each one and finally felt her body rise up. A pale gleam as her eyes opened told me she was awake, and I braced myself for her bite, but instead she looked up towards the surface. I wrapped one arm around her waist, and together we kicked like crazy. With an explosion of water and gasps of sweet air, we broke the surface. I swam one-handed to the side of the ship, wrapping my free hand around one of the cut ropes that now hung from the ship’s side, and tried to catch my breath. I could hear her doing the same, and I finally looked down at her.
My laboured breath caught in my throat as I looked down at the golden mask tied around her head. I recognised it instantly. It had been forged for her several thousand years ago when the gods of Egypt had fallen, some to sleep, others to a similar curse. That Coulton bastard had clearly been to her original tomb in Bubastis. I reached out to pull it from her face, but she caught my wrist and shook her head.
“Leave it,” she said, her voice hoarse.
I nodded. “Are you hurt?” I asked, a memory flashing through my head of her body, beaten and broken. I forced it away.
“No. He didn’t hurt me. You heard me calling?”
“I did. When did you learn to do that?” I asked, looking up at the ship that towered above us and wondering if I had the strength to climb the rope with her on my back.
“Just now,” she said quietly. “He told me how.”
I frowned, looking down at her. That damn mask meant I couldn’t see her face. “He? Coulton?” Why the hell would he tell her how to call me? That didn’t make sense.
“No, not him. The man in my dreams... In the desert...”
I opened my mouth to ask more, but I was stopped by a shout from above. I looked up to see Wesley’s human face peering over the side.
“Hang on, we’ll get you a ladder!” he yelled and disappeared. The four of them reappeared moments later, throwing a long rope ladder down to us. I moved around Tory in the water, holding onto the ladder and her.
“Can you climb?”
She nodded, though it took a couple of attempts for her to drag herself high enough to get a foot on the bottom rung. She was clearly exhausted. I needed to get her somewhere warm and dry and get her fed. I followed her up the ladder, my own arms so heavy from exhaustion that Jack needed to help me over the side. It was only when Wesley wrapped a blanket around my shoulders that I realised I was shaking with cold. I looked around, seeing the carnage that lay about us on the deck. I searched the faces and looked over at Jack, who stood with his arms around Tory. She was wrapped in a blanket too.
“Where’s Coulton?” I asked.
