The Island Curse

She Comes

My captor pushed me forward, but I dug in my heels. We almost toppled over, and he hissed in my ear, his hold tightening as he jerked me upright.

"You can walk, or I can carry you. The choice is yers."

Tilting my head back, I tried to make out the person's face, but all I saw was the underside of a sallow chin. I jerked my elbow back, striking a solid six pack. However, it didn't matter how fit a person was, a pointy elbow to the stomach caused discomfort, and when the man gasped, he loosened his hold enough for me to escape.

But where was I going? I couldn't leave Kieran and Tara to this mob, but something deep within my gut, something heavy and sour, warned me I had no business being here. Not to mention, the man who'd grabbed me wanted me to go to the beach.

"Al, don't!"

Tara's mournful shout resonated through the night, and it spurred me into action. I stopped running parallel to the shore, and darted down through the brush and stone, each footfall jostling aching bones and muscles. Behind me, I could hear the man's labored breathing, and tingles ran along my skin as my mind imagined every caress of the breeze to be his fingers wrapping around his prize.   

"Al, come on mate," Kieran was begging now, and I could make out his tall silhouette in the moonlight, his arms encircling a sobbing Tara. They had walked far out into the water. "You don't need to do this."

Just a few more seconds, and I would be next to him. Protected. Safe. I shivered and lifted my arm. The hard ground gave way to sand, and the tip of a wave splashed onto my foot just as I was snatched back so hard my neck felt as though it might snap.

With a frustrated shriek, I whirled around with my fists swinging wildly. My knuckles smarted as they crashed into something hard, then another hit sank them into something softer. Regardless of my solid strikes, I was subdued within seconds.

"Isla. Isla, stop it's me."

I blinked through the tears and squinted at the person holding me. "Ewan?"

"Are you okay? You look terrible," he said, pushing a strand of hair out of my face and running his hand along my cheek.

"I've been in a few scrapes today," I admitted, my body relaxing in his arms.

"Sorry boss. The girl is a hellcat. She got away." The man from the hilltop jogged out of the darkness, his blonde curls a tangled mess and his cheeks lined with sweat.

"Boss," I snarled, all the calm Ewan's presence had brought fleeing at once. "Let me go. Let me go!"

"I've got it from here," Ewan told the man, dragging me to the water.

"This is unnecessary, I was going in this direction to begin with."

"To cause trouble."

"Depends on your point of view, I guess."

"Definitely trouble then."

I clawed at the hand clenched around my bicep. Ewan only narrowed his eyes at me. "Kieran was right about you. I should've listened to him."

"Maybe you should've, or maybe, when all this is over, you'll see I was the one looking out for you."

We were in the ocean now, each advancement impeded by the crashing weight of water against our legs. It was cold, so cold, and all I could think about was how my lungs had felt earlier today- water filled and scorching. With every inch the water rose, my panic followed.

But it wasn't just the water that frightened me- it was the things swimming in it. I caught glimmers of them below the moon washed waves- flickers of fins and scales in colors no human had ever been able to recreate. Tendrils of hair that tangled like seaweed, and flashes of flesh- peaches and tans, umber and ebony. And eyes that glowed softly. Eyes too similar to the sea witch.