Someone sat on top of me and crushed my stomach. I clawed frantically at the hand covering my mouth and tried to force my lungs to save what little air was left inside. My room was too dark to make out specific features, but I knew it was a man attacking me now. And with that knowledge, I knew where I needed to put my knee.
I kicked up as hard as I could, but the man jumped to the side, missing the worst of the impact. The hand fell from my mouth and just before I screamed, I heard his voice.
“Eviana, stop! It’s me!”
“Graham?” I tried to sit up. “What are you doing in my room?” Something crashed through a window downstairs.
“We’re being attacked. I need to get you out of here. Now!”
“Attacked?” My sleepy brain couldn’t fully comprehend what the adrenaline in my body was telling me. Something loud and big slammed against my bedroom door and I heard a muffled cry. “Was that a protector?”
“I think so. Come on, we’ll go over the balcony.” Graham yanked me out of the bed so hard my knees would surely be bruised in the morning. If I was alive in the morning. Another window broke somewhere on the second floor and the unmistakable cry of a human in pain sliced through my ears. Yet when Graham opened the sliding glass doors to the balcony in my room, we heard another noise that sent chills through my bones.
“What is that?” I breathed. The sound of the rolling ocean was muted by the soulful cries of hounds. There must have been dozens of them and they were everywhere. A few dark shadows darted through the back yard and from what I could see, these weren’t normal dogs.
He pushed me out into the night. “Come on. We’re going to have to jump.”
“But we’re on the second floor.” There was another thump against my bedroom door followed by the distinctive sound of an animal snarling.
“We have to get to the water. You’ll heal if you break something.” Graham leaned out over the edge of the balcony and then quickly pulled back when he spotted one of the dogs.
“What are they?” I asked again.
“Ratchets.” I had no idea what a ratchet was but now wasn’t the time to ask. Graham pulled me to the ledge and pointed below us. “We need to aim for the bushes.”
We lifted one leg at a time to climb over the railing so that our backs were against the edge and there was nothing in front of us.
“And don’t make any sound,” Graham continued. “They seem to be focused on the front of the house and we don’t want to alert them to our location.”
I nodded and let him grab my hand. He mouthed one-two-three and then we jumped. The fall probably only lasted a few seconds but it felt much longer. There was no graceful or safe way to land in bushes and that was quite evident when I crashed through them. The branches stabbed at my legs and scratched my arms. I took a brief moment to be thankful they weren’t rose bushes with thorns, but I was still injured by my jump.
We sat still for a few seconds to see if any of the ratchets heard us. Their incessant howling and barking surrounded the house and created a prison. I heard Graham shifting in the bush beside me and decided that it must be safe to emerge. It wasn’t pretty, but I finally detangled myself from the woody claws. When I took my first step forward, I immediately fell back to the ground. “Ahh!”
Graham ran quickly to me and draped his arm over my back. “What’s wrong?” he whispered. A piercing howl echoed off the walls behind us and made it sound like at least one ratchet was getting close.
“I think I twisted my ankle.” I tried standing again and felt the same searing pain. Now was not the time to be injured.
“We need to go,” Graham said urgently.
“Okay. I can do this.” I stood up and bit my lip hard. The pain was just like going through a transition, I kept telling myself. And once we reached the water I’d be able to change and everything would feel better.
We ran along the back wall until we reached the corner. Unfortunately, the ocean was across the road in front of the house, so we needed to get past all of the activity without being seen. I leaned around Graham to see for myself what we were getting into. Two protectors fought against one ratchet and what I saw frightened me to my core.
The hound was more akin to a bear than a dog. About five feet tall with thick, dark fur, its head must have been the size of a mastiff’s. The large fangs glistened with drool and its lips were pulled back in a snarl. The creature’s body hunched over and got ready to pounce on the next protector that made a move. And unfortunately, it happened.
The merman leapt forward in an attempt to plunge his knife into the ratchet’s neck. With unnatural speed, the dog creature twisted to the side and chomped down on the man’s arm, eliciting a gut-wrenching shriek from him. The ratchet shook his head from side to side, tossing the protector around like a doll. When the other merman ran forward to his aid, the dog growled and threw the first protector from his jaws and into the side of the house. He hit with a sickening crunch and fell motionless to the ground. By this time, the ratchet and the still standing protector circled each other like gladiators in the ring. After what we just witnessed, I didn’t think the merman had a chance.
“We need to go while it’s distracted,” Graham whispered and pulled me ahead with him. I didn’t want to leave our protectors behind, but we really didn’t have another option right now. Graham and I ran as fast as we could into a cluster of shrubs that bordered the perimeter of the property. Ducking and twisting through the underbrush, we’d almost made it to the front of the house and the open driveway when we suddenly heard a low rumble. I froze mid stride causing Graham to slam into me.
“Did you hear that?” The sound grew louder.
“Don’t move,” he said through gritted teeth. Something crunched off to our side forcing us to turn and face the danger. Four ratchets made their way directly toward our hiding spot. The front one raised his giant head in the air and flared his nostrils. It was evident to me when he caught our scent as he lowered his head and looked directly through the bushes at us. The night suddenly filled with a howl so sharp and frightening I could barely breathe. He was telling the others where we were, and we’d just run out of time.
“Go!” I shouted at Graham and we bolted forward with as much speed as we could muster. Just as we crashed through the bushes and into the open road, I heard several yelps and snarls as the rest of the ratchets finally spotted us and began their hunt. Some slid in the gravel and others snapped at their companions in order to get ahead. When I made the mistake of peeking behind me, I saw the leader of the group only steps behind and he dripped with determination and also with something wet. I hoped it wasn’t blood.
We sprinted across the road, not even checking for cars. The sight of the sand dunes gave me hope knowing the ocean wasn’t too far away. Surely we’d be safe once we reached the water. Yet when my foot hit the incline on the first dune, I crumpled to the ground.
The pain in my ankle worsened as I scrambled through the sand trying to get my footing back. The lead ratchet lunged for me with his giant fangs and expanded jaw but I was able to roll to the side quick enough to avoid the bite. His face slammed into the dune and it took him a few seconds to get upright again. In that time, I managed to roll onto my back and place a devastating kick to the creature’s ribs. Thinking I actually heard bone crunching, I was relieved to see my move knocked him sideways with a yelp.
Graham pulled me up under my arms and yanked me over the rest of the dune. We had two more to climb over before reaching the flattened beach and from the noises behind us, the ratchets were gaining ground. In the distance, I heard more sounds of glass breaking interspersed with gun shots. The protectors had resorted to firearms. The situation must be grim.
We reached the beach just as three ratchets leapt over the final dune and stumbled to the ground. Their footing slipped when they landed on the hardened substrate instead of loose sand. Thankfully, it gave us the few extra seconds we needed to get to the water’s edge.
Without saying a word, Graham and I hurled ourselves into the water and let nature take its course. Ever since becoming a clan leader, my transitions had been smooth and mostly painless, and tonight was no exception. It was a little awkward with clothes on, but they quickly ripped away in the process.
I turned to see that Graham had already changed and watched as he tore off the remaining remnants of clothing. He reached for my hand and began to propel us deeper and further away from the beach. I understood that we needed to keep moving, but it wasn’t like the dogs could come after us. Pulling away from his grasp, I darted to the surface to catch a larger breath of air and to make sure we weren’t being followed. Graham popped up beside me.
“We need to keep moving,” he was breathing hard.
“I needed a better breath. Plus, I wanted to make sure we were safe.”
He turned to look at the beach and shook his head. “We’re not.”
I caught the movement as soon as he said something. The largest ratchet had reached the shoreline and seemed to be calling for others. More enormous dogs came barreling over the dunes and stopped just short of the water’s edge. Then, as one, they all ran forward into the water and disappeared under the surface.
“What...?” I tried to ask, but Graham was already pulling me back under. He pumped his tail and I followed suit as we tried to put some distance between us and our attackers. I’d never heard of ratchets before or creatures that looked like dogs and could swim underwater. Perhaps they were a type of sprite and maybe they could change their shape and size. That thought sent pure fear and dread through my body. If these were water sprites, then we were in serious trouble.
Graham and I swam hard and fast. Risking a glance behind me again, I thought I saw something in the darkness. When we heard a shrill scream under the water, I knew the ratchets weren’t far behind. Graham must have come to the same conclusion because he spun around so fast, I sped right past him. He looked for our attackers and soon he found them.
A dozen dark shapes jetted out of the surrounding abyss and I nearly swallowed the water. The doglike head was still present, but their black bodies had elongated into an eel shape complete with two tiny front legs and dorsal and tail fins. They swiveled from side to side, undulating through the water at a remarkable speed. As they approached, I crept closer to Graham who seemed to only have eyes for them.
I watched as they surrounding us and snapped their fangs in our direction. It took every fiber in my being not to turn and run. Mermaids were fast, but I wasn’t sure I’d be able to out swim all these creatures.
Graham reached behind and pulled my body closer to his. I took the hint and wrapped my arms around his waist, effectively using his body as a shield. The largest ratchet began to glide closer to us while the others formed a circular barrier. My gaze kept moving between each creature that edged a little too close. What kind of a threat was I? What could I possibly do to counterattack?
It was Graham who came up with a solution and it was one I wouldn’t have been able to perform. I felt his muscles strain as he lifted his arms to the side and then flipped them over his head. We spun around in several tight circles and even though I didn’t know what was going on, I stayed glued to his back. When we stopped moving, I peeked over his shoulder only to be amazed at what I saw.
Graham had created a tornado under water. Using his hands to bend the element to his will, he managed to conjure up a giant whirlpool of sorts with us in the center and the ratchets spinning around uncontrollably on the outside. I watched in fascination as he wielded the energy from the water and directed it toward incapacitating our attackers.
Somehow, the lead ratchet escaped the currents and barreled straight forward into both of us. The impact knocked us back and Graham was forced to drop control over the water. He needed to maintain the tornado in order for us to even have some semblance of a chance. So without thinking, I pushed him behind me and grabbed the massive dog-eel around the body to yank him away from Graham.
Keep going! I yelled in my mind, not knowing if Graham would be able to understand. I really didn’t have time to wait and see because a large set of canines chomped down on my arm and I screamed in pain. His grip tightened and I was forced to let go of his back.
Using my free hand, I pushed my thumb into the ratchet’s eye until he let go of my arm. As soon he did, I backed away and spared a glance at Graham. The tornado was moving again and this time I saw him use tendrils of water to grab individual ratchets and slam their bodies together. It seemed to be killing them and I quickly felt reassured. They may be water sprites, but they can still be killed.
I suddenly remembered something. We should be able to control water sprites, at least to a degree. I looked at the ratchet swimming straight for me and thought Stop! in my head as hard as I could. He continued to come at me, so I held up my hands and commanded him to stop again.
It was futile. His jaws were open and focused on my extended arm. With a rush of dread, I realized I couldn’t control him. Then abruptly, he jerked away from me. I looked at Graham in surprise as he commanded a strand of water to grab a hold of the ratchet and pull it closer to him.
The creature shrieked as the water crushed his ribs like a constricting snake. Graham’s eyes focused on the ratchet but I noticed his body trembling with overexertion. Belatedly, I also realized there were no more ratchets spinning around us. I assumed they were dead, but the water was too dark to see if their bodies sunk to the bottom. Graham whipped his arms around and I saw another tendril appear out of nowhere and wrap around the ratchet’s snarling head. The water sprite still struggled to break free but his movements were waning. It was only a few seconds longer before I heard the breaking of bones as his body was flattened to an unnatural shape by the force of the water.
His final yelp echoed through our surroundings and something dark began to seep from his body. I didn’t know if it was blood, but it was definitely a symbol of his demise. With a final toss, Graham used his watery arms to throw the creature down toward the bottom of the ocean.
Once it drifted safely out of sight, I rushed over to him and wrapped my arms tightly around his chest. He had saved us and I would forever be grateful.
Graham nodded toward the surface so I began to move my tail to lift us out of the water. We broke through and gasped for a clean breath of air. Graham breathed heavily and he looked tired. I focused on the beach that was now at least half a mile away and tried to see if there were anymore ratchets waiting for us. In the distance, I noticed an orange glowing light coming from the area of Jeremiah’s house and my heart sank when I realized it was fire. Many people probably died tonight and although I didn’t know most of them, it still saddened me.
“Are you okay?” Graham asked with a raspy voice like he’d just woken up for a nap.
“He got my arm but I’ll heal.” I turned to look back at the house. “We need to go help.”
“Yes, we do.” He dropped his head in shame. “I just knew that this was the only place I could fight them.”
I swam over to him and grabbed his face, giving his cheek a quick kiss. “I’m not accusing you of running away, Graham. You were amazing. But now we need to go back.”
A small grin appeared in the corner of his mouth. “Amazing, huh?”
I sighed in frustration and pushed away from him. Now was not the time to flirt. I dove head first into the dark ocean and stayed under the surface as I propelled myself toward the beach. I didn’t know if Graham would follow me, but I soon sensed his presence by my side.
When we got closer to the shore, I commanded my body to change so before I reached the beach, I was walking on two legs again. Graham changed quickly too and emerged from the surf like a sea god. The man was certainly too good looking for anyone to see and the way he sauntered over toward me let me know he anticipated my reaction.
He grabbed my arm and held it up into the moonlight to examine the wound. Even though this wasn’t the time to flirt, I couldn’t help but feel the electricity shooting through my body. His hand rubbed lightly against the raised gashes that had partially healed with my transition. And when his lips gently pressed along my skin it took every ounce of fiber in my being not to jump into his arms.
“What are you doing,” I whispered. Without removing his lips from my arm he lifted his eyes up to meet my gaze.
“Healing your wounds,” his accented voice cooed.
“I think I’m healed now.” I didn’t want him to stop but it was too dangerous for him to continue. His eyes blazed with desire.
“I’m so glad you’re okay.” His hands slid down and grasped my fingers, pulling me a couple of steps closer. “Isn’t this exciting?”
Not knowing exactly what he was talking about I asked, “What? Almost dying or standing naked on the beach?”
He laughed and pulled me close enough to wrap his arms around my lower back. Pressed up against his warm body, my heart beat so hard in my chest I was sure he could hear it. “Both, luv.”
That snapped me back into my senses. “People are dying Graham, and you’re excited about it?”
“Ah, that’s not exactly what I meant and I think you know that.” He looked down at me with his trademark intense stare and momentarily stunned me into silence. “I’m excited you’re here in my arms when the odds were against us.”
“And you also enjoy the battle.”
“And I enjoy some aspects of the battle,” he smiled.
“You’re an adrenaline junkie,” I stated.
“Perhaps.”
“Well, feed your desires at the house. I’m sure there are a few more ratchets there for you to squeeze to death.” I’d finally found something I didn’t like about him and I was going to use that to keep my hormones in check from now on.
“If I could truly feed my desires, luv, then we wouldn’t be going back to that house.”
I swallowed the lump in my throat and tried to ignore his implications. Why did he have this power over me? He leaned forward and pressed his lips to the top of my head, reminding me of how Brendan used to comfort me.
And that was all it took.
I pushed away from him and began jogging back toward the house. I missed Brendan and Graham simply didn’t compare. “We need to go help Jeremiah,” I yelled behind me, not really caring if he followed or not. In fact, the further away he stayed, the better I’d probably handle the situation awaiting us at the house.
