Queen of Summer's Ice (Book 2)

Chapter 8

     The oceans water was warm as we drowned in it. It was impossible to hold onto Nazim as the tsunamis strength was pulling us apart, this way and that. My grip around him slipped just slightly, but it was enough to pull us apart. I reached for him and he reached for me, and for a slip second we had each other again. Until the oceans next twirl of waves spun us around in its own under water storm picking us up and tossing us wherever it felt like sending us in its never ending vastness.

     I dug my nails into him and gritted my teeth, but I just couldn't hold him. It felt like it was in slow motion. The oceans sand was burning my eyes and blurring my vision, but I saw Nazim's face scrunch in pain as a rock the size of Nuri's palm hit his left rib. Precious air bubbles escaped his throat. 

     And then the current was taking me somewhere else, away from him. The more I struggled to find the surface to stop the burning in my lungs, the more the tsunami took advantage of me. So I let it spin me around like a limp fish. I closed my eyes to stop them from burning, but nothing could stop the burning in my lungs that was slowly traveling to a throbbing headache. With each pound of my slowing heart I heard every beat clearing in my ears. And though my eyes were closed, I saw a bright light under my lids with each heart beat.

     It was a struggle to keep from breathing in. I know there was no air, not while I was still a slave to the tsunami, but I've been underwater now for I don't know how long - I couldn't breath. I needed air. Fresh sweet air to stop this pain. I opened my mouth, to give in but I gripped my hair tight. The braid had become undone and it was gently covering my face, I could feel it swiftly brush against my cheek. 

     The light behind my eyes grew brighter and brighter as the pounding in my ears grew louder. I didn't want to think that this was it, that in all my years of living that I would die by drowning. There was already a way I planned to die, and this was not it. Not when no one would know where my body was - Not when there would be no one left to wield winter.

      I would leave my husband a widower, something he never thought to worry about. I would leave my young children motherless. Images of them flashed through my mind, with each heartbeat a new memory.

     The day I went into labor - Ray holding my shaking hand - The room filling with ice and fire from the pain of the two of them almost tearing me in half - The look on Rays face when we found out I was carrying twins - Him holding them both in each of his arms - Ray sleeping in bed with both of them a month later - The twins crying as they began teething - Their first words - Their first crawl - Their first fall...

     It was utterly useless but I couldn't control my bodies instinct anymore, I opened my mouth to take in a deep breath of air, and drank in the salty ocean.

     I don't know how long I blacked out for, but one moment I'm awake and losing a battle against the ocean and the next I felt the summers sun and fresh air on my face. At the feeling of the warm winds I jerked my body up and gasped in more air as if it would be my last chance. I ended up coughing the water out of my stomach and lungs, feeling it burn threw my nostrils and throat.

     "Breath in Evie. Breath!" a familiar mans voice said next to me, and then I felt his hand slap my back, sending me into another coughing fit. But before he could hit me again I calmed down enough to have my breathing back to normal.

     I realized that I was laying on a piece of broken wood from what looked like to be a part of the Summer Breeze. And keeping himself above water on his own was Nazim, looking as if he hadn't just been fighting with the ocean. Without thinking I cut the short distance between us and wrapped my arms around him and held him tight.