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He scowled down at me, then tugged me to the stairs leading up to the bridge. “Hold on to this and don’t let go until I tell you.”
“Seriously?” I was just supposed to stand there? “What are you going to do?”
“End this.” He shot a look at William, who had the polished wooden handles of the ship’s helm in a death grip. “Steady as she goes!”
The other man tipped his head a split second before the ship did a spectacular nosedive, sending a wall of chilly water crashing over the bow. I latched onto the baluster and Hook’s big body surrounded me, pinning me in place.
What the hell was going on with the weather? We’d sailed a lazy circle around the eddy the day before, and it had been calm.
A swell followed that thought, rocking the whole ship back up and wiping that peaceful memory from my mind. My stomach rolled and swooped like I was on a roller coaster, only the sensation was so much worse.
“Hold tight!” he yelled over the howling wind. Then he was gone, working his way toward the violently swinging cage.
The ship listed to one side, and my boots slipped as I scrambled for purchase, hugging the thick wooden support to my blood-stained chest.
I wasn’t stupid. I’d put the pieces together even though Hook had conveniently failed to bring it up. We were caught in a violent storm in a magical realm, headed for a part of the enchanted sea that was devoid of magic.
More than that. If what he said was true, it nullified magic. That was why we’d sailed out of the eddy to capture Petra. He couldn’t flash back to the ship if it was already in the void.
Basic math said if sinking into that magicless darkness was enough to take down a demon like Petra, it was probably enough to take down a demigod.
I glared up at the dark clouds, squinting against the stinging spray of saltwater.
This wasn’t the same as battling a villain. There was no way to fight the waves or the wind or the cold. All I could do was hold on and beg the universe for help.
I squeezed my eyes shut.Please. If anyone out there is listening, please let this work.I was so tired of fighting. Some days, it felt like my whole life had been an uphill battle.
When I opened them, Petra was thrashing. Her furious howl carried over the racket of the storm as a board the cage cracked and broke loose. My heart stuttered because Hook was just three steps away. He had his blade in his hand, but with every foot of progress he made, the sea tipped and tilted the ship, making it impossible for him to cut the rope.
Another board ripped free. Petra’s scaled arm snaked out of the opening, dangerously close to Hook, who was too focused on cutting the line to realize what was happening.
“Watch out!” I screamed as loud as I could, lunging away from the relative safety of the stairs.
I stumbled to the railing just in time for him to twist out of the demon’s grip. Another powerful wave rocked the ship, sending him sliding across the wet deck. How in the world he managed to stay on his feet was beyond me, but when he caught sight of me, he looked terrified.
Not a great way to boost a girl’s confidence.
It’s fine, I lied to myself.
Yes, I was the fucking idiot for not to what I was told, but there was no going back. I clutched the railing, dragging myself forward with my jaw clenched and my eyes slitted. Wind tore at the sails, carrying away huge swaths of canvas like they were made of silk. It battered every inch of my exposed skin and made it damned near impossible to see.
When I was close, I knelt and reached for my blade, only it wasn’t there.
“Muther fucker,” I hissed. I’d left it in the jungle with Anya, and now I had no way of cutting that goddamned rope.
I dared a look at Hook. He was fighting to get back across the deck to me, but each time he tried, the ship listed or dove, sending him in a different direction. Almost like the universe was working against him.
Something hit the railing above me, and I squinted up to see the demon’s claws clinging to the wood.
This cannot be happening. Not when we’re so fucking close.
“Never!”
I twisted just in time to see Hook shoving his cutlass, handle first, across the deck. His aim was true, and I managed to snag it before it slid past me and tumbled overboard. Without waiting or planning or overthinking, I stood and swung.
The rope snapped, and the cage fell, but the demon was still there, clinging to the wooden railing with one deadly set of claws. A swell caught the front of the ship and pitched it sideways, slamming me into that very same railing hard enough that Hook’s blade almost slipped from my grip.
Seasickness and panic rose up inside me, burning the back of my throat, but I swallowed hard. If I managed to live through this, I was pretty sure I was going to puke the minute I wasn’t fighting for my life.
