Jack was a douchebag in most ways, but he was an amazing hunter and a stickler for the rules that mattered. He wouldn’t let me kill her.
Dammit.
I faltered for a second, easing my grip a little. I had her. If I let her live, then all of the human families of the victims she’d killed would get their justice. She’d rot on the Island with the rest of the delinquents of the supernatural community.
My hesitation gave her the strength she needed to fight against me. One second I was half lying on top of her, the next I was being chucked into the hot pool. I flinched, preparing myself for the scalding hot water, but when my skin slapped against the surface, it was just warm.
Thank fuck, and thank you, Tianna!
I kicked my feet, swimming for the surface, when a bolt of red magic shot through the water and wrapped around my ankles, dragging me to the bottom of the pool and pinning me there. Terror flooded my system as I struggled to free myself from the magical chains that held me. Did anyone see me go into the pool? Jack must have. Where the hell was he? Looking upward, my gaze tracked multiple red streaks of magic zipping above the water.
The witches are putting up one hell of a fight.
Fuck.
Forcing myself to ignore my body’s urgent messages to breathe, I reached down and held my hand over the magical red rope binding my ankles. I tried to shoot my purple magic at it, but it sputtered and fizzled, doing nothing to aid me. If anything, the red rope tightened. I reached for my katana only to realize it must have fallen off me in the struggle with the siren.
‘Cass, I can’t breathe. I’m at the bottom of the pool.’ Panic threatened to overwhelm me, and I was starting to feel dizzy. Definitely not a good sign.
Why is this bitch always trying to drown me?
‘It’s hell up here. One second,’Cass shot back.
I wasn’t sure how many seconds I had left—Jack must have been attacked by one of the witches as well.
A crash in the water above me had me struggling to make out whatever was behind the murky disturbance. It took me a moment to recognize the shock of purple hair swimming toward me.
Molly.
Cass sent a fucking human to save me from the most powerful magical binds I’d ever encountered.
Awesome.
As she swam closer, my eyes darted to her hands for any type of spell breaking device, like one of Gran’s vials, but they were empty. Only when she grabbed both sides of my face and pressed her lips to mine did I realize what her plan was. Precious oxygen flowed into my mouth as I inhaled air from Molly’s lips.
‘I think Jack just wet himself watching you and Molly go at it,’Cass said.
‘Shut up and get Tianna down here before I die!’I snapped.
Molly swam to the surface and then turned right around to deliver another life-saving breath.
The plan was to keep me alive until someone could break this spell? Freaking great. How long would I be down here?
‘Jack’s got the siren pinned to the side of the pool, putting a second set of cuffs on her to be sure. Reo and Haru are cornered by one witch, Tianna is taking on the other, and I’m fighting the third with Kenzie, who’s already got a broken leg. You’re going to have to deal until we get freed up.’
Fuck.
I needed a spell-breaking incantation, stat! Why hadn’t I done more lessons with Tianna?
When Molly came down for her fourth breath, something tugged on my consciousness. For a moment, I feared I was about to black out despite the oxygen.
‘Where are you? What’s wrong?’Brock’s voice flooded my mind.
Just what I needed. My freaked-out baby daddy causing me more anxiety. Then again, his concern sent a flutter of warmth racing through my panicked body. I wanted to see him again. I needed to feel his hot hands across my skin one more time.
He’d freak, I knew it, but I didn’t want to start our life together by lying to each other. I was going to have a raise a kid with this guy for the next eighteen years. Hopefully. Assuming I got out of this damn pool before it was too late.
I chose my words carefully—or as carefully as one could when one was in the midst of fucking drowning.‘Technically, I’m stuck at the bottom of a pool. But it’s all good. Molly is keeping me alive…’
