The sound of chatter, roaring engines, and the bouncy beat of nearby music aren’t any better the closer we get to the portion of the beach encased in darkness.
“I got this for you.”
Huh?
I zero in on the black purse in his hands. AChanelbag. What the hell? How did he—I quickly shove it back in the waterproof pack. “Where did you get this?” I hiss, looking around to make sure no one saw.
Ordus frowns. “While we were walking to dinner, I saw it left on a seat.” He says it so innocently, I almost feel bad for my tone. “You didn’t say I am not allowed to take items from the mainland.”
If his plan was to distract me from our impending doom, it’s working. The water is in sight. The safety of the cave is only a few long hours away. We can talk about…next steps.
“This is stealing.” It’s my fault, really. If I have to explain he shouldn’t murder someone, obviously I should’ve mentioned theft is also off the table.
We step straight into the water, since I can’t be bothered stripping. My dress is already ruined.
“No, it isn’t. No one claimed it.” Ordus looks so genuinely confused. “I saw other females wearing a bag, but you do not have one?—”
He suddenly goes still. Muscles locked. Unblinking. Frozen like time has stopped. Alarm bells scream in my head. Something’s wrong.
“Ordus?”
Nothing.
I gingerly touch his forearm. “Ordus, please.”
The hair on the back of my neck stands on end. What’s wrong with him? I grab him by the arms and shake him. He tips over,body stiff as stone. Half his head is beneath the waves. I don’t have the strength to lift him back up or drag him to the shore.
It’s the Curse. It has to be.
Goosebumps cascade over my flesh. “Or?—”
His name catches in my throat, a warm, fuzzy ball of cotton that dissolves down my chest and acts as armor around my racing heart. Time slows, and my muscles turn to steel.
Then, everything goes black.
30
Ordus
Pain lances the bottom half of my body—a sharp, skin-deep, biting pain.
The shrill ringing in my ear makes it hard to make out the muted words vibrating through the current.
My head is filled with the thick clouds not even the sun can penetrate. I groan, waving my limp arm to address the source of the hurt. What could be seconds, or minutes, or hours drag on.
The clouds thicken and disperse, ebbing and flowing like the faint tickle of bubbles skating around my legs.
Legs?
My brows knit together. Why do I have two legs?
I summon every ounce of energy I can to peel my eyelids open. My vision refuses to adjust to the darkness. The only thing I can make out is the outline of a shark with brightly tipped ears.
Vasz? What’s he doing here?
I crane my neck behind me. Where’s Cindi?
She was beside me on the beach. We were talking about the bag with the shiny gold emblem on it that she can store hertreasures in. I had to breathe through my mouth because the smells were getting too overwhelming, and Cindi’s bitter scent of fear was making my instincts narrow to tunnel vision. Then, suddenly, it went cold. I was thrust into a void with no end in sight.
