Page 44 of Desired for Her Blood

The pirate leaps up too, landing directly in front of me. “Or what?”

Or what indeed… I spoke out of instinct with no plan. I have not fought a physical battle for centuries, and this feral pirate is surely more practiced in fisticuffs.

“I have no desire for a physical confrontation,” I tell him calmly. “However, I am willing to fight if that is the only way to defend my honor—”

“Guys.” Ember arrives beside us, one hand on each of our arms. “No fighting.”

I take a step back from Ryker. “Not only am Inota liar, I find the suggestion that I would abandon Ember—abandon any of you—insulting.”

“I believe Zuben,” Ember says, and Ryker grunts. Then he wraps his arm around her and leads her back to sit again, his arms and one leg draped possessively around her.

Perhaps I should be more understanding of Ryker’s incorrect assumption. I made the same one of him not long ago after I was returned to the dungeon before him.

“Cut to the chase.” Axe pokes at the fire. “How far between places to come up for air?”

I shake my head. “Worse than you described.” There is absolutely no chance a human could make the swim to that well.

“Fuck.” Leaning back, Axe shakes his head. “Guess that’s that, then.”

“Are you okay?” Ember asks looking at Ryker.

He nods, but he doesnotlook okay. He is breathing rapidly and his body is trembling.

“Ryker, look at me,” Ember says and he looks into her eyes. “Deep breaths. You’re okay. I’m here.”

He pulls her into a tight embrace, and his breathing starts to return to normal. When Ryker and Ember’s long embrace finally ends, she turns toward me.

“I’m a decent swimmer,” she says. “And I can practice in the pool, if that’s what you guys are worried about.”

Axe turns toward her. “It’s not about swimming ability. You won’t be able to hold your breath long enough. No human could.”

“Oh.” Her expression reveals her shock. “So I’m stuck in here? Forever?” She looks at Ryker with concern in her eyes, but he keeps his gaze down. “There must be something…”

“Would you like me to run through the scenarios as I see them?” I ask her.

“Yes. Please.”

Ryker leaps up so suddenly that Ember nearly falls back. “I’m going for a swim.” He dives into the water without even removing his dungarees.

Ember rises. Axe does too and puts his heavy hand on her shoulder. “He’s okay. It’s just that he doesn’t love talking about how we’re trapped.”

“I know.” Looking at Axe, she nods, and I see a level of understanding pass between the pair, as if they are sharing some secret knowledge to which I’m not privy. Then they sit again, opposite me.

“Just to be sure I understand,” she says. “You three can swim out of here and then climb up that well, but I can’t.”

“That is correct,” I reply.

“Then that’s what you should do.” Her chin lifts.

“Never,” Axe says, shifting to wrap his arm around her. “I will never leave here without you.”

“I concur.” I wish that I had spoken first. “Any plan for escape must include us all.”

“But if we can’t figure out a way…” Ember plays with the fur at her side, pulling up on the hairs. “Once you’re out, you can figure out a way to come for me.”

“I’ll stay with you,” Axe says.

“If I thought that, once free, I could find a way to release the rest of you, I would have done it.” I straighten my tie. “Octavia meant to seal us in here, so the odds that she would ever release us…” I shake my head. “The one silver lining in Octavia’s actions is that I believe they revealed that she has not yet deduced who Ember is. If she knew, she would not have left her in here.”