Read Online A Soul For Chaos (The Soulbearer Trilogy) by Crista McHugh - Free Book Online Page A

righted itself, and Dev jumped to his feet, running toward the side of the boat. Behind him, Kell barked out orders to the men to get a rope to throw toward her, but he feared it would be too late. Arden couldn’t swim, and that spell would drag her under the waves before they would have a chance to rescue her.
    He never broke his stride when he dived over the edge into the water. Ahead, the sun light caught her golden hair. He swam toward her with all the strength he could muster, his mind acutely aware of each passing second she remained submerged.
    Arden’s eyes widened with panic, and his heart wrenched as she reached for him again. The seawater rushed into her open mouth, garbling her cries of help. Her arms and legs flailed, the movements quick and jerky at first, getting her nowhere. Then they slowed, and she began to sink.  Her eyelids were beginning to droop when he wrapped his arm around her chest. A shower of bubbles tickled the side of his face as her lungs emptied of air.
    “There they are,” he heard when he broke the surface. He grabbed the rope they threw toward him and let them pull him back on board.
    Arden remained limp in his arms, her face pale. Fear gripped his gut. Had he been too late?
    Kell snatched her from him as soon as they got on the deck. “She’s not breathing.”
    His heart stopped. No, no, no!
    He yanked Arden from Kell’s arms and whacked her between the shoulder blades. “Breathe, damn it!”
    Her head lolled to the side, but that was the only movement he detected.
    His chest tightened as though he were the one drowning. He slapped his palm against her back again, this time forcing his magic to drive the water from her lungs. Guilt plagued his conscience. Why did I let her come up here alone? Why did I let her out of my sight? He’d watched Soulbearers die before, but none of them stirred the type of anguish he now felt. If she died, he’d never forgive himself.
    A cough rattled through her body, followed by the slosh of water and the blessed sound of her sucking in air.
    “Thank the Lady Moon!” Kell began kissing her face.
    She pushed him away, continuing to cough up seawater. Her tangled hair had fallen free from the braid she’d worn and hid her face while her arms remained ramrod straight on the deck. Finally, she managed to catch her breath. She looked up and locked her gaze with him.
    His mouth went dry, and his eyes stung. He wanted to reach for her, but his body refused to budge, his limbs heavy with fatigue.
    It was Kell that captured her instead. He gathered her in his arms, pressing her head against his chest as he rocked back and forth, speaking the very same words Dev wanted to say to her. “I was so scared I’d lost you.”
    A strong wind filled the sails again, blowing away the last traces of the spell. Goosebumps prickled his skin. Kell stood, still holding her, and carried her back into the cabin.
    One of the sailors threw a blanket over his shoulders, but it did little to drive away the chill forming in his blood.
    Someone wanted Arden dead, and they’d almost succeeded.
    ***
    The world blurred past Arden as Kell carried her off the deck. Her heart thudded, reminding her she was still alive. “ Loku, what was that? ”
    “ The wrath of a god. ” She waited for him to tell her more, but he remained silent.
    Further complicating matters was the strange emotion she’d glimpsed in Dev seconds before Kell distracted her. His normal expression which varied between blank and annoyed had vanished. He seemed scared—genuinely, unequivocally scared. Was it because he’d almost failed in his duty once again? Or was it because he actually cared enough about her to be frightened?
    But thanks to Kell, she’d never know.
    “ I’d be more concerned about some of the other things you might have never known if you’d died ,” Loku interrupted. “ Think about the life you’ve lived so far. Or should I say, the life you’ve been afraid to live. ”
    A pulse,