Chapter 81

He wouldn't have killed the man - he didn't think. But Delmonico pulled a gun from one of his voluminous sleeves. When the other man pulled the trigger, Remy instinctively moved to knock his hand aside. Unfortunately for Delmonico, his wrist turned inward just as the weapon fired. A look of utter shock flashed across the skeletal features just before he crumpled in a heap.
Remy didn't waste his time checking for a pulse. He really didn't give a damn whether Delmonico survived or not. Mari was far more important. Sheer terror gripped his chest as he scooped up the cup and flew down to the shore.
There.
He spotted a small dark spot on the sand and flew downward. It was Mari's hair. She'd made it to the beach, and she was in human form lying on her stomach, her arms out to the side. He landed beside her and smoothed a hank of wet dark hair off her face.
Her skin was cool, but there was a pulse at her throat, thank God. She was so still and her pulse was so faint, that he didn't want to risk moving her. He prayed that the cup held the power to heal her. But how? He had no idea of how the magic worked. He laid it against the skin of her cheek.
Nothing.
It was a cup. With the power of water. Surely that meant that one had to drink from it to be healed. But what was he supposed to put in the cup? All that was available was seawater, which was toxic to humans.
But Mari was a seal, wasn't she? At least partly. And seals, he thought, could drink saltwater. It was the best chance he had. Surely a sip or two couldn't make things any worse, right?
He scurried down to the water's edge and tipped the chalice to catch the crest of a wave. The water made a sweet musical sound as it splashed into the cup, and when he had the cup about a third full, he hurried back up the few yards to Mari's inert form.
"Come back to me, cherie." He rolled her to her back as gently as he could, taking her chest and shoulders into his lap. "Come on, little seal. I've only just found you. I'm not going to give you up."
He propped her head up against his chest, with one arm wrapped around her waist to hold her in a seated position in his lap. Then with his other hand shaking only a little, he raised the cup to her lips. "Drink for me, Mari, my love. Just a sip." He tipped the cup, pressing on her lower lip to make sure her mouth was open a crack. As he'd hoped, a few drops trickled in, and she swallowed reflexively.
"Thank God!" He tipped the cup again. "A little more, sweetness. Just a little more."
He managed to get a few more drops into her mouth, then he held his breath when she began to cough. The spasm passed quickly and to his immense joy and relief, her eyes fluttered open.
"Remy?"
"I've got you, Mari. Everything's going to be all right."
"If you...say so." Her voice was weak, but her breathing seemed to be stabilizing. She lay limp in his arms for just a minute or so, then she snuggled even closer, as if she were trying to burrow into his chest. "C-cold."
He folded her in his arms, holding her as tightly as he could without crushing her. Then he wrapped his wings around her as well, enfolding her shivering form.
"Thanks." Her shivering quieted, but they just sat there on the sand clinging to one another. Finally she asked. "Is that the cup?" Her toe touched it where it lay abandoned beside them on the sand.
"Yes."
"It worked, huh?"
He nodded against the top of her head. "It saved you."
"Cool." She snuggled against him for another moment, then asked, "Delmonico?"
He shrugged. "Dead, I think. He pulled a gun, but in the struggle, it turned on him."
"You didn't..."
"No." He kissed the top of her head. "But I wished to hell I had, before he shot you with that lightning bolt. I love you, Mari. I'm not ready to face the rest of my life without you."
Mari's stomach clenched. He loved her? Or was he just saying that because he felt guilty that she'd almost died? Oh yeah, she'd known when she crawled up onto the beach that she was a goner. Her last thought before she'd passed out had been to regret that she hadn't told Remy she loved him.
Remy picked up the cup, along with Mari's phone which she'd managed to bring with her to the shore somehow. He held them in one hand and held Mari tight to his chest with the other. "Put your arms around my neck, cherie. I'm going to fly us back to the car."
She still felt like a limp noodle, so she nodded and obeyed. The sensation of being airborne beneath the strong flap of Remy's wings was so astonishing that she had to open her eyes - and hold on tightly. They flew low, hugging the tree line as they wound along the road to where they'd left his car and their clothes.
By mutual consent they went back to the inn. Mari wasn't ready to face her trashed apartment. Besides, Delmonico's henchmen wouldn't know he was dead yet, and any orders to shoot first and ask questions later might still be in place. As Remy drove, she kept one hand on his thigh, unwilling to lose contact completely. He seemed to feel the same. Whenever his left hand wasn't on the gearshift, it rested atop hers.
When they reached the inn, they snuck in quietly, and smuggled the chalice up to their room along with some fresh jeans and T-shirts from a 24-hour discount store and a big bag of food from a hamburger drive-through.