They would keep coming, relentless and implacable, until they'd consumed everything in their path. Unless I found a way to stop them. Permanently.
As I stood there, Rey's presence a steadying warmth at my side, I felt the tiniest flicker of something that might have been hope kindling in my chest. The person I’d been all these years had given up that power temporarily. Was it such a huge step to give it up forever?
Rey opened his mouth to say something more, but before he could get the words out, the boat lurched violently beneath our feet. The sudden movement sent me stumbling, and I grabbed onto the railing to keep from losing my balance entirely.
A wave chose to wash over the railing at just that moment, soaking me. Perfect.
"What the hell?" I muttered as I tried to make sense of the unexpected turbulence.
The engine gave a grinding sound, the noise harsh and grating. I winced, the hair on the back of my neck standing on end as a sense of unease washed over me.
Rey's expression of unease mirrored my own. "That can't be good."
Just as suddenly as it had started, the engine went silent. The absence of sound was almost more jarring than the noise had been.
We turned as one to look up at the cockpit and Luce rushed out, his movement quick and precise, his jaw clenched with a determined focus that would have been reassuring under any other circumstances.
Without a word, Rey and I fell into step beside him, rounding the stern of the yacht just as Luce crouched down and lifted the bottom stair.
A panel of the floor came up with it, exposing the engine compartment beneath. The acrid scent of burnt oil assaulted my nostrils, and I wrinkled my nose in distaste at the odor as I peered down at the mess of machinery.
"What do you think?" Rey asked, his tone curious as he studied Luce's face for any hint of how bad the problem might be.
Luce just shook his head, his lips pressed into a tight line as he rolled up his sleeves and reached down into the engine compartment. "Won't know until I get in there and take a look. Hand me that wrench, would you?"
He jerked a thumb at the small cache of tools in a little alcove beside the engine.
Rey complied without hesitation, passing over the tool before crouching down to join Luce. The two of them set to work.
I watched them for a few minutes, feeling increasingly bored as Luce tinkered and tightened and adjusted and Rey handed him tools. Working on machinery wasnotin my bag of tricks. As the minutes ticked by with no sign of progress, I sighed and headed back inside the yacht.
Might as well make myself useful by finding us something to eat. The galley had been empty when we first boarded, but Luce had used his magic to stock it with all sorts of provisions.
After rummaging through the cupboards, I decided on a simple meal. Sandwiches and fruit, nothing fancy. It was better than just sitting around doing nothing, at least.
I had no idea what to do with the engine and today was not the time to learn. I could hear Cathy and Jeanette out there too, which meant there was a definite crowd in that area.
I assembled the sandwiches with focused efficiency, piling on turkey, tomato, and crisp lettuce between thick slices of sourdough bread slathered with mayo and mustard. Honestly, they were much bigger sandwiches than I usually made formyself but keeping my hands busy helped distract me from the worries swirling in my mind.
And maybe Jeanette was a big eater. I knew Cathy had an appetite, I’d eaten over at her place a few times.
I set the four on a small tray and settled at the tiny kitchen table to eat mine. I took a big bite, chewing methodically as I stared out the porthole window at the endless blue expanse of the ocean. The sandwich tasted like sawdust, but I forced myself to swallow. Acting normal was important.
The engine roared to life as I finished the last bite. A few seconds later, the galley door swung open, and Luce strode in, looking like he'd just stepped out of some "sexy mechanic" calendar shoot. Dark smudges of grease streaked his forearms and a smear of it arced across one sculpted cheekbone. Even disheveled and dirty, the man was gorgeous. It was unfair, really.
I arched a brow at him. "Don't tell me. The engine is toast and we're dead in the water?"
Luce flashed me a grin, teeth white against his tanned skin. "Nah, just a loose oil line. Almost drained the system dry before we caught it. But it's fixed now. We're good to go."
I blinked at him. "Wait. Where’d you get a whole boat’s worth of oil?"
"Hello. Magic?" He waggled his fingers at me. "How else do you think it works?"
A surprised laugh bubbled out of me, and I shook my head. "Silly me, expecting things to make sense."
He chuckled, grabbing a sandwich from the tray on the counter and taking a large bite. More followed as he wolfed it down.
"So that's it then? Crisis averted, smooth sailing from here?" I kept my tone light, but I could hear the thread of real anxiety woven through the words. I did not want to be stranded in the middle of the ocean.
