“Quinn, if you go down there, you’ll drown.”
My nails dug into his arms, his chest, clawing at him to let me go. “I don’t care! I’m not leaving him!” I gasped, catching my breath. “Landon!”
I struggled harder, tears blurring my vision as I fought to get free. They streamed freely down my cheeks, pain pouring out of me in screams and cries, but he refused to let me go.
“Max,please!”
He didn’t flinch as I scratched him. He didn’t care. Max wouldn’t yield, and it was killing him.
“Please. Max, please.” I sobbed. “I know you hate him. I know you don’t want to save him, but please.Please.”
“I’m not doing this because I hate him, Princess,” he growled. “I’m doing it because he loves you. Like you love him. And he would kill me if I let you go in after him.”
“You don’t know that! You don’t know him, Max. He’s in the dark! He pulled me out—” I gasped for breath. “Max, I can’t leave him in the dark.Please!”
“I’m so sorry.”
He squeezed me tighter, whispering words I couldn’t make sense of into my hair. Trying to soothe me as if anything could help. But I wouldn’t stop screaming his name.
Until finally, I couldn’t breathe.
Max carried me down the side of the ledge.
“The water’s almost gone.”
He set me on my feet, and I pitched forward in his arms as reality threatened to drown me, too.
Righting me, he grabbed my shoulders and stared into my eyes, making sure I heard him.
“I’m going in now, okay? You need to stay right here, just in case?—”
“No. No fucking way, Max.”
He squeezed my arms, his eyes pleading. “Baby girl, you can barely pull in a breath.”
Shaking my head, I tried to prove him wrong. I tried to take a deep breath in, but I couldn’t.
I couldn’t breathe.
“Let me do this.” His onyx eyes locked on mine. “I’ll bring him back to you. I promise.”
New fear rose inside me as Max eyed the water.
“But—”
“There’s not a chance in hell I’m not coming back to you, so don’t even say it.” He kissed me hard, and far too quickly, before he pulled back. “I love you, Quinn Everly.”
Then, he turned and jumped into the water.
Because of course, Max Dread would finally tell me he loved me without giving me a chance to say it back.
I covered my face with my hands. Scrubbing my palms over my eyes. Dragging my fingers through my hair as I paced.
Seconds ticked by, and fear pulsed like a drum with every rapid beat of my heart. Forcing myself out of panic, I thought of what I knew for sure. Landon was a swimmer.
He was strong.
But if the water pulled him back to the tunnels, Max would have to go farther to get him. He wouldn’t be able to bring him right back. But if he…
