Chapter 26: Chapter 26

“Mort,” I say as we make our way up toward the lower deck, “I need you to shapeshift into a nondescript man in case I need help. This is going to be a full-blown, Rambo-style exit scene.”

I strap my bows and equipment to me and tuck a knife in my boot for good measure. A loud explosion violently shakes the ship, making me slam against the wall. “Shit!”

“How’s this?” Mort asks, now standing six feet tall as a rugged man.

My eyes widen as I take in her cutthroat appearance. “Perfect, Mort. Impressive.” I pause with a grin as I look at her pants, not being able to help my immaturity. “Does…it feel weird?”

“Does ~what~ feel weird?”

“You know…” I nod to her pants with a wide-eyed look.

“No, I don’t.”

“Are you serious? You don’t know what I’m talking about? Because sometimes I’m not sure if you’re joking,” I say with annoyance.

“Joking about what?”

I stare at her. “A penis, Mort. A male penis,” I deadpan.

Mort’s man features contort into surprise then disgust. “I do not have a human penis—gross.”

A burst of laughter escapes me. “What?!” I cover my mouth to gain control of my amusement. “What do you have then?!”

Mort looks pissed, making me laugh harder. “I still have a vagina, human.”

My eyes widen, bulge even. “Mort,” I take a breath, “you have just transformed yourself into the foulest female in history.”

Mort tries to be angry, but it’s not working. Laughter bubbles out of her throat, sounding very man-like.

We both have a moment of pure laughter until another explosion rocks the ship, bringing us back to our urgent situation.

“Okay,” I say, becoming very serious. “Cover me, ugly man-woman.”

“On it.”

As soon as we make it outside, I can see how bad it really is. Eltson’s men are everywhere, the two ships side by side. Eltson’s men are thankfully wearing blue, making them an easy target.

I glance up at the top deck and see Siron fighting with the highlander, outnumbered by far.

Siron is bleeding from one arm and fighting with the other. He will not last long like this, not with his health in rapid decline.

~Hold on, Momma’s coming.~

“Pierce has upgraded your focus, free of charge. He says…make it rain?!” Mort yells behind me with a frown, looking up into the sky. “I don’t think you have the ability to make it rain!”

“Oh yes, I do.” Smiling, I close my eyes and feel electric currents flowing through me like a river of lava. I can hear my heart beating loud in my head as I take a calming breath, adrenaline pumping.

I open my eyes, and everything is moving in a slower time. All color is muted save for the slightest hints and highlights. With a dark grin, I take aim at the man Siron is currently fighting.

My arrow flies like a scream fills the night. Dead on, straight through the heart. I don’t have time to see the shock on Siron’s face.

I fire off one, two, three, four, five, six more arrows within seconds, all hitting their mark. I start to walk, and my eyes focus on an explosion, the mushroom cloud rising slowly into the sky, almost beautifully.

I see men charging at me, but they are moving so slowly it’s laughable. I raise my bow and hit each one of them with lethal accuracy, my heart rate rising.

The pounding becomes louder and harder the longer I stay like this. I am running out of energy fast.

I fire off arrows at the unsuspecting enemy, hitting more and more men, the shock showing on their faces as the arrows impale them.

I take a slow, labored breath. I can only do this a short while apparently before I feel like I want to die. I glance back at Siron and he is watching me with a horrified expression.

Siron is probably wondering what in the hell I am, just like Apollo.

I raise my bow and pierce a few more men before I fall to my knees in dizziness. My head is swimming in a tornado of lights and colors.

Now I know what it feels like to shotgun a bottle of Skol vodka on an empty stomach.

Sounds come crashing back in real time as I moan on my knees. ~Do not throw up, please.~ Another explosion sounds to my left, making my brain ring loud. ~Must keep going.~

I slowly stand up and pull out more arrows, but this time I do not have my slow-motion power. Does not matter, I am still an amazing shot.

I feel Mort grab my arm and jerk me to the left so hard I almost fall back to my knees. My eyes widen—I almost just got stabbed by a swinging sword.

~Huh.~

“Human! Get your wits together,” Mort hisses as we hide behind a metal wall.

“I’m fine,” I say, head pounding.

“Your bow is backward.”

I look down and curse. “Oh, right, shit.”

Mort’s manly features turn into surprise, and she glances around the corner. “Nice shooting though. I think you gave Siron’s men the advantage. The enemy is fleeing!”

“Really?!” I say, excited that this worked. “Can you see Laura on the other ship?”

Mort is typing for a few seconds. “She is on the deck being held captive, it states,” she says, and looks up at me.

“I can sniper.”

Mort pulls me to the right and points. “There, do you see her?”

It takes me a second, but yes, I do. Laura is crying, with a long blade held to her neck as Siron and his men slowly approach. Not good. She’d better be ready to yell for her lifeline if need be.

“He is going to slit her throat.”

“Then you’d better take aim.”

Without much thought, I step out into the open and pull my bow back to full capacity. I let out a slow breath and calm my body as I home in on her captor. She is far away—this is a risky shot.

“Shoot,” Mort hisses.

“I can’t, I don’t have a clean shot. This is not a gun, Mort.” I am sweating. The man’s yelling at Siron’s men in some different language as he jerks Laura around. “Fuck.”

“Can we get behind him?”

I lower the bow and nod. “That way.”

We both sprint down to the lower deck so we are in a better position to get a clean hit, though it does not make it any less risky. There is smoke everywhere and he could move, or I could impale them both like a skewer.

“We need to hurry, human.”

The man is violently screaming, drawing blood at her neck from his recklessness. “Oh, not good,” I hiss, sweat running down my forehead.

Without a second’s thought, I fire an arrow too far to his left, missing my mark completely.

“You missed!” Mort’s mouth is hanging open.

I know. But it made him move from the shock. A decoy. Diversion. Now I have a clear shot of his chest and I take it.

The surprise on his face as the silver arrow penetrates his chest, inches from Laura’s shoulder, is priceless. Though I don’t think he will save any money on his Geico insurance, because he’s dead.

Mort’s man-body hugs me. “You did it!”

I smile. Siron grabs Laura, who is bawling her eyes out hysterically, holding her bloody neck. We did it, though! I drop my bow and run toward them, up the stairs to the top deck.

Siron’s men are taking the remaining crew as captives as we speak. As I come in sight, most of the crew pauses and turns to stare at me in awe.

Or horror. Maybe thinking I am a witch or something—I don’t blame them.

“Laura!”

Through her sobs, she turns her face away from Siron and sees me. “S-sister?” she asks meekly, eyes puffy. When she sees it’s me, she pushes off Siron to embrace me.

“Are you okay?!”

Laura sobs and wipes her nose. “Yes, thank goodness you’re a sound shot. What the hell took you so long?”

I stare at her.

She laughs and gives me another hug. “Kidding, nice work.”

Siron is watching us with a frown.

Laura stiffens. “Double crap,” she whispers. “I forgot about him. Do we need to be worried?”

I look at her and shake my head. “No.”

She frowns at me in question.

I can’t answer as Siron walks up to us with his arms crossed over his chest, his bicep still looking badly injured. I can see Laura eyeing him up and down—with curiosity, most likely.

He signs to his men, who take Laura, the men assuring her they mean no harm. She looks back at me in terror, but I nod that ~it’s okay.~

I am left with Siron staring at me intently.

I fidget with my skirt as my heart pounds. I must break the silence. “I told you I was a good shot.”

He lets out a loud breath and rubs a hand down his neck.

The red-haired highlander walks up to us. “Siron, I have never seen a female shoot like that,” he says, and eyes me. “Are you thinking what I am thinking?” His assessing gaze is not friendly.

Siron signs to him and the highlander does not like what he is being told; he leaves with a loud curse, shooting me a glare. Siron looks back at me with the same knee-buckling expression in his eyes.

I can’t see his face, but I assume it’s less than pleased. He nods for me to walk with a quick jerk of his neck.

“Where?”

He grabs my hand and pulls me along rather violently. For the first time, I get a little scared around him.

He brings me down long hallways and I think we are going to the library again, but he takes a sharp left into a smaller room. He shuts the door and I back up against a desk, not sure what’s happening.

“What are you doing?”

He just stares at me, breathing heavily.

“I will not tell you anything,” I say, knowing what he wants to know. I’m playing with fire here. He could change on me in a split second. I brace myself, willing to use a lifeline. I should keep my mouth shut.

His jaw clenches as his dark gaze sears me. I can feel his energy. He is holding back, the veins in his neck bulging.

“I mean no harm,” I whisper.

He turns his head like he can’t stand the sight of me, his body language showing he is barely holding on to whatever restraint he has left.

Siron glances back to me and whips out his notepad, scribbling words. He hands me the note and I take it with shaking fingers.

~I feel pity for Apollo. Such lies from the lips of an angel.~

“I’m not lying. But I can understand what this looks like.” I swallow, realizing I look like a trained killer.

He writes again, then hands me the paper.

~Be warned. You will be closely watched now. Until the time I release you. Lay low if you know what’s good for you. You’re lucky I do not lock you up for your deception.~

He turns to leave.

“I saved your life!”

I bite my lip.

He turns around so fast that I gasp, hand on my throat as I am now against the wall. His lips are next to my ear, and I hear him whisper, “~Which is why you’re still alive.~”

Siron leaves me there.

I’m still shaking.

I hug myself, feeling empty inside. He used his voice, and the harsh whisper impacted me to the core.

The man hates me, that is clear. When he kissed me earlier, it must have been just out of confusion.

I touch my lips. It’s best this way.