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The other voice was fainter and not as melodic. The hint of panic clashed with the calmer one, the latter echoing with a pulsing quality.
Closer. Keep going. Come.
Damn it, Captain! Wake the hell up, you bastard!
Then—
Isaiah, listen to me. If you don’t wake up this instant, I am going to murder you before I drown, and I am taking that smug little creature down with me.
He woke up. He felt sluggish and saw nothing at first, but his brain kickstarted his vision until he finally caught a glimpse of where they were: him and Moon floating above the ship and stretching the sheen while Nicola held on to their shirts and the railing. Instinct snapped, his body rolling to face the ship and his arm outstretched. When he gripped the railing, he encased both Moon and Nicola in his free arm and gritted his way through a difficult swim down.
Somehow, their combined strength managed to fight the melodic voice’s allure, but it was her urgent voice that anchored him the most.
“Keep pulling. Don’t you dare listen to her. We got this. We are so close.”
And they were. One more pull and his feet touched the railing, allowing him to lock it on the bottom and wrestle them to the floor. The feel of wood on his hands felt like the sweetest success, and he put the sleeping Moon gently on the side. Nicola’s fall was harder, so he used his body to cushion her and rolled them around.
The melody died away, leaving them in silence. He scanned her face, searching for any sign of pain, but there was none. Green eyes surveyed him back, the perusal slow and intimate.
“You threatened me,” he declared, unable to keep the awe from his voice.
“I saved you,” she shot back.
That she did, but in such a violent way—and such a Nicola way—that he couldn’t help smiling. He recalled her words until his smile turned into a chuckle.
“Bastard?”
Her chin went up, emphasizing her defiance even in her lying position. “You can be.”
“Well, this bastard is very grateful to you.”
“You should be.”
“You are amazing, darling.”
Her body turned soft against him and almost made him groan. It yielded when he rubbed his thumb at the back of her head, her mouth parting slightly. Then she stiffened.
“I know I’m amazing. Get off me.”
But there was no conviction in her words, only reluctance. He rolled them once more until she was on top of him, and he smirked when she clung on.
“Okay.”
Her gaze flicked to his smirk. Her hands tightened. Then startlement crossed her features when she was lifted off of him with force, and Maddox came into view, hands on her shoulders.
“Nic, why are you guys on the floor? What’s going on?”
Whatever heady feeling there was burst like a bubble, souring Isaiah’s mood. Not wanting to look at them, he knelt beside the sleeping figure and shook it repeatedly while she explained everything in low tones. Moon’s eyes fluttered open just as a few of the woken crew members crowded over them. It took the boy a long time to clear his head, but relief surged when Moon finally remembered.
“Oh, my. We almost got eaten alive.”
Murmurs rose, but Isaiah shook his head.
“And we are safe now thanks to Nic here.”
She shrugged. “It was teamwork.”
He nodded, understanding her cover. “And that.”
