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After what see in air, he heaved the sack over the edge of the deck, then hoisted himself up after it

The sack thudded softly, then lay motionless

Kneeling, Slayde was only , far too worried about Aurora to concern hiripped the loosely tied cord atop the sack, cursing as the wet fibers resisted, ripped at his flesh

He whipped out his blade, slashing the ive him access to the woman within

She lay face down, her breeches and shirt clinging to her body, old hair draped about her

He rested his palm on her back

She wasn’t breathing

Shifting until he was crouched at her head, Slayde cut the bonds at her wrists, folded her arms, and pillowed them beneath her cheek Then he pressed down between her shoulder blades—hard—finishing theher elbows in a desperate attes

He repeated the action five ti

“Shhh, it’s all right” Relieved as hell, Slayde shifted again, trying to soothe the wracking shudders that acco her body expel all the water she’d sed and replace it with air

At last, she lay still, unconscious but breathing, battered but alive

Gently, he eased her onto her back, now taking the ti her from the confines of iriiven the force hich she struck the boat A concussion was a distinct probability as well Not to , Slayde tucked aside her hair and pulled the obscuring cloth from her eyes

Blinding realization was followed by a savage curse

The young woman was not Aurora

Chapter 2