17. Soren

Chapter seventeen

Soren

S he has to be insane. I hold the length of rope in one hand and my arm out and in a locked position so she can't grab at it.

"There is no way I'm letting you go in there," I say. She launches at me, grabbing the rope, but I block her attack. This would be almost comical if her life wasn't at risk.

"Look, the current isn't that bad. I just need to knock a few branches out of the way and let the force from the pent-up water do the rest. You can tie this rope around my waist. If things go wrong, you can pull me out," she says.

"No, absolutely not. We can wait," I protest. "Or I can get in, and you can pull me out."

"Are you insane? As much as it pains me to say it, if you get knocked out or something really goes wrong here, I don't know if I can pull you out. Do you see how quickly the water builds up down there?" She shines the sprite-light toward my brother's house. The water has come up a few inches in the time it took us to get to the blockage. She's right about all of it. She can't pull me out. We don't have time, but is this really our only option? I look around for something, anything else that makes sense. I could knock the debris out myself if I had a shovel or anything long and sharp. But I don't.

The plan tastes like vinegar on my tongue. I set a hard stare on her, wanting to protest further and shake some sense into her. But she's right. We have no time. My other siblings' homes are between half an hour and three hours horseback ride from here. If we wait, we could lose Ingus's home.

I nod at her, accepting the insane solution.

She removes the massive jacket and slings it over the horse.

I lower the rope I've been holding over my head and hand it to her.

She takes it, and her fingers brush over mine. They feel so cold already. I want to snap the rope back to keep her from doing this. But as I go, I glance back at the field filling up with water, creeping closer and closer to the house as the seconds tick on. My hands tighten on the rope, turning my knuckles white. But I let it go.

"Thanks," she says as water beads off her skin, causing her clothes to cling to her muscular form. She is a fucking goddess. If I wasn't so terrified for her, I would drink in every length of flesh her sodden clothes exposed.

She ties the rope around her waist, her already chilled hands making slow work of fixing the knots.

I walk over and throw my hood back, letting the rain run in rivers down my face. I lean toward her, and she sucks in a breath. I move my hands to her waist and tug on the knots, securing her to the rope.

She jolts at the touch. Was she expecting me to do something else? I wonder if she wanted me to do something else. The knots hold tight when I pull. I take the other end of the rope and secure it to the base of an aspen tree, its branches quaking in the wind.

I set the sprite-light down near the bank so we can see clearly.

The water is more tepid behind the wall of branches and refuse.

"Can I help you in?" I say, expecting her to snap at me.

"Yes, actually, it's kind of slick over here." Her boots sink into the sodden earth where the water has eroded the bank.

"Oh, yes, of course." I move to her side and gather my balance on the mossy, waterlogged ground.

I wrap my arms around her, lowering her into the chill water.

Her arms are around my neck when her warm skin meets the frigid current.

She jolts in my grasp. I really, really hate this idea.

"I don't have to let you go; I'll pull you back out right now," I say, clinging to her, fearing for the moment I'll no longer have any control over this situation. She shakes her head.

"No, I'm good; I've got this. It's just a little cold, that's all."

She unlocks her arms from behind my neck, and I let her weight sink into the water.

There is no wasting time with her. She elegantly moves through the river, parting the current like she wields power.

Then, piece by piece, branch by branch, she takes down the obstruction .

The hairs prick at the back of my neck, watching her. Water slowly starts redirecting back to the stream, causing the current she's maneuvering in to become more fierce.

She ducks her head under the rapids, then pops up holding a waterlogged stump. The water flows faster now. I look over the ledge where the floodwaters are spilling into the pasture, and they are slowing. I take a deep breath.

She ducks under again, pulling at something significant. Her black hair crests the water's surface, then sinks back under.

The water rushes harder now, and she struggles to swim to the dam. Once she does, she bobs under again, tugging at something. She surfaces, taking in a large gulp of air before going back under. I can see her body jerk at something large.

Everything happens in slow motion. I see what's coming a mere second before the dam breaks.

"No, no, no, Mariana!" I call out, and the rope pulls taught. It twists around my waist as she gets swept downstream. Logs, branches, dirt, and debris scatter as the river opens wide.

I wrap my arms around the rope and pull against the current, a raging mass of white water.

I knew this would happen. I strain, wrapping the rope around my body, and I take in the line. Her black hair breaks the surface, and I scream her name, but her head doesn't lift.

I pull and pull. Cranking at the rope like a madman. Yelling into the night, to the storm that has caused me more problems than I care to count. And it might just cost me Mari. Fuck that, I'm getting her out!

She is so close to the bank that I can reach out and pull her from the white water.

Her body is coolto the touch. Her skin is lighter, and her lips tinged blue. But she wasn't under long enough to have drowned. I don't know what to do. All I can think of is to try and get her warm again.

I sit her in my lap, covering her with my rain jacket, a sense of helplessness washing over me. I gently run my hand over her skin, inspecting for any signs of damage.

Then, cupping the back of her head, I feel it. I pull my hand out of her hair and see the blood.

Shit, something struck her. I feel the warm blood soaking into my clothes as she lies splayed in my lap.

I pick her up, standing back on my feet. I hurry to the saddlebags as best I can without jostling her too much. She is so limp in my grasp it sends a jolt of panic through my system.

Holding her in one arm, I reach into the bag, looking for our emergency healing powder. Another purchase from those gifted with magic.

I find the intricately etched bag and dip my fingertips into its contents. I hold it to the back ofherhead, loosing a breath of relief when the concoction starts to bubble and pop at the contact.

Leaning close to her, I watch as her chest gently rises and falls and her warm breath grazes my skin. She is alive and healing. At least there's that.

Her jacket is still slung over Raven, so I pull it from the beast and wrap it aroundboth ofus.

We sit there for a long while. Mariana resting in my arms while the sky spits and rages at us. It isn't until an enormous boom of thunder bellows in the sky that her eyes fly open.

She looks around, as if forgetting who and where she is.

A smile breaks on my face despite my terror, relief flooding my system.

Warmth spreads over my body when she blinksupat me and gives me a soft smile.

I don't know what takes over, but I'm drawn to her. Drawn to bring my mouth to hers and just celebrate being alive. Celebrate her.

I brush her cheek with my fingertip before resting my palm on her jaw. The need fills me with a courage I didn't know I had, and I bend down and meet my lips with hers. They're still cold, but her body is soft at the intrusion, allowing me access. It's gentle and grateful. I want to let her know how scared I was and how happy I am that she's back.

I pull my face back and examine her expression. She still looks a little dazed.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to do that—I was just so happy you were okay."

She holds a finger out and presses it to my lips, shushing me. "I'd be celebrating too if I'd thought I'd lost me."

The little warrior bitch. I smile down at her. Laughter is building in my throat. Of course, she would say something like that. I want to kiss her again—more intensely this time. But it's probably best not to passionately kiss someone recovering from a head wound.

"Okay, My Warrior, do you think you can stand?"

She nods, and I slowly set her legs on the ground, holding her in place to find her balance. I release my hand from her waist. She wobbles, immediately losing her footing. I catch her again, holding her body taught to mine.

Our chests rise and fall. She looks up at me with an expression I've not seen before. Can I kiss her again? My lips tingle at the thought. I brush a bit of rain off her cheeks and hold her chin in my thumb and forefinger. Her evergreen eyes dance at the touch, and she tilts her face to meet mine.

"Ho, there!" a voice calls out, lamplight flickering down the path .

Hooves from multiple horses beat on the rocky ground.

I'm still holding her tight to my chest, but her body goes tense. Not the pliable, soft thing that was in my grasp mere seconds ago.

My brother Augustus, the oldest in the family, rounds the bend, followed by his partner Otto.

Of course, Ingus would send Augustus in our direction. Ever since being the first out of the birth canal, he has loomed over us as absolute authority on, well, everything. He's eyeing Mari now. Like whatever was done is undoubtedly my fault.

"Miss, is everything okay?" She is still in my arms. At least there's that. To my surprise, she grips me tighter. Leaning into me.

"I'm fine, just cold. We fixed it. The problem." Her teeth chatter and I can feel the goosebumps break out on her soft skin.

"Well, we still have some trenches to dig. There is a lot of water to deal with." He looks down at her. "But I'll ensure Ingus has a room ready for you and some fresh clothes."

Even Otto looks annoyed at the pomp in his partner's voice. Otto, the half-Orc Fae with a rumored lineage of dragon blood, simply scoffs at August. His golden eyes glow in the dim, making the rumors seem genuine.

We make it back to Ingus's home, water sloshing at the horse's hooves every step we take in the Flatland. It's a genuine gift from the spirits that the floods didn't take his house.

Eight of my other siblings have gathered, digging into the soft ground and making ripples where the water pools .

I leave Mari at the threshold. Augustus, of course, beats us down and informs the household of her arrival.

The triplets peer out the window. When Violet spots us, all three rush outside, wrapping their small bodies around Mari's limbs.

She laughs through her chattering teeth and embraces all three. Their mother, Lilly, follows, leading Mari into the warm house.

I dig at the saturated earth with my sisters and brothers well into the night. We only let up once we are all satisfied that the house will go untouched.

Most head home after that—wanting to wash the filth from their skin in the privacy of their own baths. But not me. My Warrior is inside, and there is no place I'd rather be.

Lilly is standing in the kitchen, jaw dropping when she sees me in a slight state of undress—having slung my boots and pants off at the door, not wanting to track mud through the house.

"Thank you for sparing my newly polished floors and for the peep show." Lilly has always had a robust sense of humor.

I gesture down to my underclothes. "I still have linens on."

"Yeah, wet linens." She smiles at me but also looks unimpressed. "The kids insisted your house guest sleep in their room. I hope thatwon't cause a problem. I have you set up in the guest room."

"Why would that cause a problem?" I shouldn't play dumb with her.

Few can correctly read any situation, and she is one of them.

As suspected, she narrows her eyes at me."You mean to tell me nothing is happening between you and that stunning human?" She crosses both arms over her chest. Her gaze is nothing but scrutiny.

"If I'm going to be completely honest with you, I would love nothing more than for something to be going on between us." She straightens now and is very invested in what I have to say. "She's human and not even from this world. I don't want to scare her." She scoffs, this time seething with indignation.

"Like anything could scare that woman. She jumped into a swollen river, cleared a log jam, and survived."

"Well, I might have had something to do with that," I murmur, but she continues.

"She has successfully made my children love her and seems to genuinely enjoy their company. All of this after falling into a new reality, a new world. She's spectacular, and I would want nothing less for you."

Her words hang in the air, filling me with something akin to hope.

"If you want her, there is no harm in trying. The worst that can happen is that she says no."

She's right; it is just that easy. How can some of the most straightforward solutions seem so complex until someone presents them to you?

"Thank you," I say, holding back more words. More testimonials that will give my feelings away more than I already have.

"Ingus laid out some of his clothes for you," she calls after me. "Try and keep these ones on!" she teases. And I disappear up the stairs.