She swallows, but finally nods.
“I will hold you, but I want us to go beneath the water’s surface for a single beat. Are you able to do that?”
“I th…think so,” Piper says.
“Take a breath right before and hold it while we are under. I promise it will only be for one beat of our hearts. Ready? Breathe.”
Together we inhale and I lower us until we are completely submerged and in an instant, I straighten and we are above the surface. My mate sputters and swipes her hair back off her face with a single hand while still holding tightly to me with the other. Her eyes open and droplets cling to the tiny hairs that surround them.
Her mouth curls broadly and she shows me her teeth. “I did it.”
“Yes, you did. Well done,keeshla. Again?”
Piper nods.
I lose track of how many times we go under the water, each time staying a little longer. She has grown far more confident in my arms.
“Once more and then we will stop for this turn. Already I can scent the evening meal and your skin is shriveling in an unhealthy way. Is this natural for humans?” I am angry with myself for not noticing it before.
She laughs. “It’s perfectly normal when we stay in water for any long length of time.”
I do not understand humans and the things their bodies do. “I will trust you in this. All right, hold your breath.”
We breathe in at the same time and back under we go. Not two beats of my heart pass when Piper coughs, which forces her to suck in air. Only it is water she brings in. Quickly I rush us up to the surface and out of the river onto the bank. She coughs and chokes while the fear inside me explodes into terror unlike anything I have ever felt. All the prior training I have had for when this happens to any of the kits goes straight out of my head.
Focus, Katem. I pause and make my mind work. At last, what I need to do comes. I clap Piper on the back between the bones that bracket her spine many times, trying to be gentle, but also needing to help her expel the water. She coughs out much liquid. Her skin has turned a shade I have never seen before, and she clings to me as if I am her lifeline.
Piper coughs a few more times, bringing up small amounts of water still with it and spitting it out until she has expelled it all and her breaths are raspy. She shivers in my arms, and I quickly grab her chest covering from the pile next to where we sit andhelp her place it over her head. I continue to hold her, hoping that my body heat will help warm her, all while I speak softly and reassure her that she is well. Perhaps before long my heart will slow its frantic pace.
“That didn’t go as planned,” Piper croaks out.
“No, it did not.” If it is up to me, we will never do this again.
“Maybe we can try again in a few days.”
Because there is nothing I can deny her, I nod. “If that is what you wish.”
She lifts her head. “You’re not going to attempt to talk me out of it?”
“Could I?”
Piper hesitates. “Maybe.”
I push the wet strands of hair off her face. “Why do you wish to know how to swim?”
She blows out a breath. “It’s silly.”
“There are no silly reasons for wanting to increase your knowledge or learn a new skill. I think many of us could benefit from not being afraid to try a thing we have never done before. I am proud of you for having the courage to do these things on your list.”
Piper leans in and kisses me. “Thank you for being you.”
“You are most welcome.” I grin. “Now, tell me why you wish to learn swimming.”
“Because it makes me feel like I’m not part of the bottom tier,” she finally says. “The people who live in the upper tier have stupid amounts of credits. More than they could ever need. With them, they buy the most beautiful—if, ridiculous—items, including these things called infinity pools I once saw a picture of. If I could learn how to swim, then I could imagine I was one of those rich people. And if I was rich, then maybe I could afford fancy doctors and maybe I wouldn’t be dying.”
My heart aches fiercely for Piper. “Whether you are from the upper or bottom tier, it is a skill every person should have. No matter the reason you put it on your list, it will be a task I help you accomplish if that is your wish.”
She nods. “When Maeve and I were here, Graham nearly fell in and the first thing that crossed my mind was that I would have been helpless in the situation. Having cancer makes me feel helpless enough. I don’t need anything else to make it worse.”
