Charade (Heven and Hell #2)(23)
Author: Cambria Hebert

Sam clapped and hollered at my accomplishment.

The fish brushed my leg again. A creepy feeling raised the hair on the back of my neck. I kicked out, trying to propel myself closer to Sam. Why did I swim so far away? When something closed around my ankle the creepy feeling I had turned to panic, and I knew that whatever was down there was not a fish. “Sam!” I screamed, but only half of his name came out because I was pulled violently beneath the water. I struggled wildly, trying to get away from whatever was dragging me down, but it was no use.

Dark, cloudy water swirled around me, and no matter where I turned, it all looked the same. Water filled my mouth and I sputtered, trying to spit it out. With one last attempt to get free, I turned toward whatever was holding me. I peered through the muddy water and I couldn’t see anything.

Except the red eyes.

Those were hard to miss. They glowed with an intensity that shook me to my core. They were inherently evil. I tried to look past the red orbs that stared at me to see who or what they belonged to, but there wasn’t anything there. The eyes seemed to belong to a cloud, a cloud that was only slightly lighter than the water surrounding us. It was terrifying. I looked back at the eyes and I wasn’t sure if they seemed out of focus – fuzzy – because they were or because I had been beneath the water for too long.

Where is it? a voice inside my head hissed.

I whimpered. This voice didn’t belong to Sam.

Tell me…

What do you want? I asked.

The scroll, tell me where it is.

You can’t have it.

Blinding light burst behind my eyes and pain seared my head. I couldn’t do anything but endure as wave after wave of pain washed over me.

Tell me.

No. No matter how much he hurt me I couldn’t tell. I prayed that I would soon pass out.

You’re stronger than I gave you credit for little one.

Who are you?

Your future. He laughed, the sound churned my stomach. I felt pressure in the back of my skull, like my head was being squeezed.

I screamed. Water rushed down my throat. The demon gave one final great tug and pulled me further into the depths of the lake, further away from Sam.

Further away from life.

Sam

The demon had no shape. It was practically without form at all. I kicked through the water toward Heven and the way her body just drifted with the current scared the hell out of me. I watched her die once before.

I would not do it again.

Airis gave us a second chance and I doubted there would be a third.

My lungs burned and felt heavy, and for a brief second, I began to believe that I couldn’t breathe. My heart started hammering in my chest. I had to breathe!

But I didn’t. And I knew that.

Hellhounds could not drown. We didn’t have to breathe to survive. I was feeling Heven’s emotion—her pain at drowning. Focus.

I wrapped my arms around her torso and kicked with great force toward the surface. How long had we been down here—a minute? More? How long could her brain go without oxygen?

Even with the strength of my kick, we didn’t burst through the surface of the water. No. We were jerked violently back toward the lake bottom. I twisted and saw a set of red eyes below, the demon, whose shape I couldn’t really see—was holding her at the bottom.

I released her body and attacked it. I wasn’t sure where it began and ended, but I threw the hardest, heaviest punch I could. My fist cut through the dark water like butter. I connected with something solid and it shrank back. Then I looked at Heven’s ankle where a thick green vine was wrapped. I yanked it from the lake floor and towed Heven to the surface of the water. When my head broke free, I heaved in a huge gulp of air and rushed for the shore.

Heven was pale.

Her lips were blue.

Do. Not. Die.

I pushed back the panic rising in me and began to administer CPR.

If you cannot breathe, I will breathe for you.

If your heart will not beat, mine will beat harder.

If you do not live, neither will I.

After what seemed like endless hours of CPR, she began to cough. I turned her onto her side and water poured out of her mouth onto the ground.

I wanted to collapse in relief. I ran my hands through my hair and took a deep breath as she coughed and coughed.

My throat burned like I had swallowed acid and my entire body was on fire. I allowed her emotions and her pain to pour over me because I was so thankful she had any to feel. Yes, they were horrible and she felt like hell, but at least she felt.

“Oh, God, Heven. Thank God.”

When the coughing stopped, I was still afraid to put her on her back. Instead, I climbed over her and lay on the ground, mirroring her position and facing her. I reached out my hand and cupped her head where it was lying on the ground, cradling it, trying to give her some comfort.

Her eyes fluttered open and she stared at me. She was confused and disoriented.

“Shhh. It’s all right, just rest.”

Her eyes closed briefly before opening back up and settling on me.

“Hey. That was scary, huh? It’s all right now, though. It’s over. You’re okay.”

“What happened?” Her voice was raspy and low.

I was stupid. I failed to protect you. I failed to realize that we were being stalked from beneath the water. I was so angry at myself that I wanted to punch something. I shouldn’t have let down my guard.

“A demon pulled you under the water,” I said, trying to keep my voice gentle.

“I almost drowned.”

“I’m so sorry.” I scooted closer and pushed the wet hair off her face.

“Thanks for pulling me out of the water.”

“How do you feel?” I asked, not wanting to accept her thanks because I felt responsible that it happened at all.

“Okay.” She tried to sit up but she didn’t quite make it that far.

I couldn’t help myself. I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her into my chest.

She relaxed against me and we stayed like that for a long time until the shaking in her muscles stopped and breathing seemed easier for her.

I kept my eyes on the water—how deceiving it could be. It appeared peaceful; it appeared beautiful.

It was good at lying.

I had always liked the water, but damned if I wasn’t beginning to change my mind.

With every ripple in the current, every jump of a fish, I was certain that the demon was going to rise from its watery camouflage and attack.

I would find pleasure in taking away its life.

The longer we sat there, the more paranoid I became. It wasn’t safe. Yes, I could protect us, but I didn’t want to have to. She’d been through enough.