throws us another monstrous wave. Even the captain is thrown to the side, stumbling over his feet.
I’m not prepared for it.
I roll off Cara toward the edge of the boat. The railing has a huge gap in it, big enough for me to slip through—and that’s exactly what I do.
With the violent swell of the waves, the wind whipping around, and the water soaking the deck, I don’t stand a chance. I shout, my body sliding through the opening as waves crash below.
I’m dropping straight into the stormy ocean.
I’m going to drown. I already know it.
The last thing I’ll see is the terror on Cara’s face as I slip away from her, my arms flailing as I try in vain to grab onto one of the slippery metal railings.
Cara screams, the sound piercing my heart like an arrow. Her nails dig into my skin as my arms slip away from her, my legs already falling off the edge of the yacht.
“No!” she shouts, the sound ripped from her throat. I can hear the desperation in her scream. Adrenaline spikes my veins as fear pierces my stomach.
It’s too late.
I’m going to die.
I’m going overboard, and the storm will sweep me away. I’m already gone. The Kingdom will mourn me, and I’ll never fulfill my duty and purpose of becoming King.
But Cara’s arm wraps around my shoulder. I hear a pop, and pain shatters through my shoulder and chest. Agony rips through me as a scream tears through my throat. A thousand daggers stab at my shoulder as the muscles and tendons stretch and tear.
Pain is too kind a word for what’s happening in my body. Agony is too gentle. My legs swing as Cara holds onto my injured shoulder, causing another wave of pain to smash into me. Nausea roils in my stomach as my shoulder screams and throbs.
But I’m not in the water.
I’m not drowning.
With my free arm, I’m able to cling onto the railing post. Cara’s whimpering in pain, her arms wrapped around me as her nails dig into my skin. She shouts, wrapping her body around another post as she struggles to pull me up.
Pain rockets through my shoulder. I scream.
My grip on the railing weakens, and I slip a fraction of an inch. Cara cries out again, tightening her hold on my injured shoulder.
“Theo,” she screams, yelling into the wind.
Then, another set of hands. Rough, sea-hardened hands. Captain Withers pulls me onto the deck, dragging me halfway across its rough surface until the three of us collapse on the floor. Cara crawls over to me as I clutch my dislocated shoulder.
“Get the fuck inside,” the captain snaps, dragging himself up to his feet. He looks at my shoulder, registering the injury, but doesn’t change his command. “Go.”
Captain Withers helps Cara up as I struggle to my feet, finally listening to his instruction. As soon as we duck inside, I see the captain head toward the navigation center on top of the ship’s deck to point the vessel into the waves. As the yacht turns into the waves, the rocking lessens and I’m able to make my way below deck.
We’re too far away from shore to make it back, so we’ll have to survive the storm out in the open ocean.
As soon as the warmth of the interior hits me, my legs feel like jelly. I lean against the wall, forgetting that my arm is hanging unnaturally from my shoulder. Agony spears through me. I grimace.
Cara puts her arm around my waist and leads me to the back, where Alfred is cleaning up the remains of our uneaten breakfasts. His eyes widen when he sees us, his gaze dropping to my injured shoulder.
“Your Highness…”
“I think it’s dislocated,” I grunt.
Cara makes a noise, tears filling her eyes. Her lip trembles, but I don’t have time to say anything before the chef sits me down.
“This is going to hurt,” he warns. Grabbing a wooden spoon from a drawer, he hands it to me and motions to my mouth. “Bite down.”
My head is cloudy. I can’t think straight. I don’t understand what he’s telling me, but I do what he says anyway. I put the wooden spoon between my teeth as Cara shields her eyes.
Alfred braces himself against the bench and yanks my arm back into place. It pops back into my shoulder joint with an uncomfortable snap, and for a brief second, I feel like I’m back to normal.