How satisfying that would be for that sick bastard of a vampire.
I reached the very spot I saw Jade fall into and with one final push, I dove into the water, which gave me the momentum to swim after her. It only took moments for the rushing bubbles that inflated my vision to clear and reveal the true darkness of the swirling ocean around us.
It amazed me how on the surface the current twirled with vengeance and normally tore up anything that got sucked into its path, but deep within the very middle it was complete tranquility where the underwater world was completely still.
If it wasn't for our interference, I'm sure it would remain that way, leaving me to wonder why this spot had even been chosen as his place to keep Alaric captive in the other realm.
Seconds passed before I caught onto Jade, and the urgency thrumming through me only grew as I noticed how non-existent her aura was. It was almost as though every ounce of magic had been drained from her body, leaving nothing but a drifting corpse.
I immediately feared the worse as I fought hard to pick up some sort of heartbeat. It was far too difficult to listen for it beneath the water; my heart rate blazed in speed, which only added to the noise of the racing pumps of my blood.
All I could do was urge my body to move faster as I somehow forced a speck of wind within this underwater environment to increase my speed.
I outstretched my hand to prepare myself to grab onto her, desperate to have her in my hands and take her up to safety. Her complexion was so pale that it could easily be compared to chalk white, while her lips were already beginning to change to a dark purplish-blue.
Please, Jade. Our Hive Queen. Don't die! We need you...I need you!
I'd never gotten to show her this side of me. The side I hid from everyone but myself. The R-squad didn't know about the changes I'd endured. No one but the very culprit of my pain knew what I'd been through and the consequences those changes had on who I now was.
As odd as it may sound when spoken out loud, I felt if I'd had that moment to tell Jade, she'd understand. She'd accept me with open arms. Maybe be charmed into actually taking me seriously.
On the surface, I was still the girl who’d gone on a mission and didn't come back. No one knew the broken pieces that were left behind as I escaped with barely my sanity barely intact.
The breath of freedom was the drug that pushed me forward, but discovering my connection with Jade only made me realize I had a place to be and a purpose to fulfill.
And somewhere between the two, she'd be willing to accept whichever side of me I brought to the table.
A spark of hope pierced through me when I noticed her eyes open just slightly, all while they seemed to register my approach.
JADE!!!
All I could hope was my internal scream of her name somehow cut through the fog of approaching unconsciousness that fought to plague her. That my return would give her the boost she needed to survive the journey back up to the surface.
Her arm slowly outstretched toward mine, and I felt as though I could cry as more feelings of aspiration swarmed my heart.
The moment our hands touched, I wrapped my fingers around her hand and tugged her against me. One look into her eyes told me there was no way she'd survive the journey up, which left my mind in a blank void as I panicked about what I could do.
There has to be something. I can't lose her. We've come too close. We're already home.
Something seemed to glow against Jade's chest, and I noticed the corner of a pink card. At my gaze, it seemed to slip from the hold beneath Jade's shirt, the card beginning to float until I reached to grab it.
I was shocked to see it was the courage card, the one that Silver had given Jade prior to leaving. I wondered if Jade had even used it, as the image was completely different from earlier.
Instead of it being a woman on a horse, it was two women in flowing dresses. It seemed as though one represented light while the other was of darkness - the woman of light falling downwards while the woman of darkness seemed to have an arm hooked around her waist to stop her.
What caught my attention was what they were doing; the woman of darkness was kissing the one of light. It was an action full of desperate affection as they both seemed to fall to their doom, and there it finally clicked in my mind what I had to do.
I'm a part of her Hive. Not just two slices of the pie, I carry all eight elements that can ignite hers!
The card began to glow, the pink light wrapping around the two of us, but I already was using my courage to do what had to be done.
Without a second thought, I hooked my arm just like the image and smothered my lips against Jade’s. The mere touch of our lips felt magnetic; the energy that burst from the simple action suddenly brought life through me as I slipped my tongue into her mouth and breathed air into her.
My elements jumped into action, all eight of the surging bodies of energies rushing over and beyond the surface and fighting to find the matching threads of magic within Jade. It was harder than I expected it to be. Those elements that were normally so vibrant and strong were suddenly weak and hidden like a needle in a haystack, but no way would I give up now as I deepened the kiss further.
My arm around her waist pressed her deeper against me. Our breasts pressed together and the feel of her lower half against mine was doing things it shouldn't.
This wasn't the time to be aroused sexually, and yet the combined stimulation of my elements pouring their all to locate Jade’s and the physical press of our bodies electrified my body with pleasure I hadn't experienced in a very long time.
That could have done the exact job of discovering her elemental threads, as one by one, my elements attached to hers and pulsed waves of energy into their coordinated elements.
The action was like doing CPR, each element suddenly coming back to life.
From fire to ice, thunder to earth, wind to water, and finally, darkness and light. Our connection suddenly seemed infinite as her energy seemed to spark to life like a flower blooming in the warmth of the sunlight, and I opened my eyes to watch her eyes begin to open as well.
Just like that, those gorgeous jewels that were devoid of color sparked to life and began to burn a vivid red that reminded me of rubies. They didn't recognize me at first, staring into my pink orbs that were surely dancing with various colors due to my elemental charge.
Slowly, her eyes began to take in every bit of my eyes and then search my face and the water around us. All I could focus on was her, seeing she was alive and not on the verge of death like moments earlier, but when her eyes began to close, I feared the worse. Yet, within our connected kiss, her elements were now thriving against mine like a mixed cocktail of dangerous combustion.
I braced myself for when her eyes finally closed, but waves of alleviation hit me just as fast when her lips kissed me back.
We were kissing in the middle of a vicious whirlpool in the vast ocean.
It sounded absolutely crazy and yet it was so fucking romantic and relieving that I could squeal in joy. For now, all I could do was enjoy this blissful moment, the two of us sharing a kiss that I'd never forget.
I worried that she'd feel my arousal from how tight my combat pants were. My hardness pressed against the tight leather, which was pressed against her lower half. Surely her mind was too in a daze to pick up on it, and that was enough reassurance for me to push it away and rejoice that Jade was alive and awake.
Finally breaking the kiss, I pressed my hands on her cheeks and looked up to gesture that we had to go back up.