Page 35 of Liberating Water

Ubel gave me a smile that was more teeth than anything as he took another step back and slammed his heel into the ice, shattering a hole. “The Dark Lord wants to remind you that all that is to come is your doing. Their blood will be on your hands as much as mine, Synergy. The only way to make it stop is to kill me or surrender before the body count becomes too high.”

Before I could even react, Ubel dropped the boy into the icy water with a shriek and disappeared in a puff of tell-tale demonic green smoke. Bolting forward, I slipped, slamming my knees against the ice, but I didn’t care as I scrambled as fast as I could to the hole. The surface had already started to freeze again, so I punched it with my fist, pulling the shards of ice out of my way. Cami and Maggs were beside me doing the same, but we all paused as the ice groaned under our combined weight.

“You need to back up. The ice can’t handle the three of us,” I snapped as I thrust my arms into the water, trying to see if I could grab the boy. “How deep is this pond?”

“This is the deepest part. More than six feet, close to ten,” Maggs answered as she scooted back slightly, Cami less willing to listen.

There’s no other option if I’m going to save this boy. I have to go after him; the water is too dark to see anything.

Peering over my shoulder, I saw Cami’s wide eyes lock on the opening before she could stop me. I dove headfirst into the water. Calling my power to the surface, I threw it out around me, lighting up the murky water with its golden glow. It gave me enough light that I could see the little boy below me. Using all my strength, I swam as fast as I could, even as my skin burned against the frigid water.

Reaching out, I grabbed his little hand and pulled him close to me. I was able to use the bottom of the pond to push off, giving me momentum as I struggled to swim back to the surface. I prayed that I would be able to find the opening as I felt my lungs burning with the need for oxygen. As my limbs grew heavy and it was even more of a struggle to keep moving forward, a hand appeared. Reaching up, I brushed the fingertips of the person, causing them to dart towards me and grasp my wrist. Knowing we were saved, I gave everything I had to kick up the last few inches so other hands could grab hold of us and drag us out of the water. Gasping for air and coughing, I rolled onto my side as the boy was pulled from my arms. People were frantically shouting and moving around me, but I was so cold it was all I could focus on.

Cami’s face loomed over me, her face tight with fear and anger. “What the fuck were you thinking, Lailah?! You could have died pulling a stunt like that! Hell, you still could if we don’t get you warmed up.”

They both grabbed me and hauled me up, moving to the closest bank instead of crossing the pond like we did before. Once we were on solid ground, they moved as quickly as they could, dragging me towards the SUV.

“The boy,” I croaked, fighting against them. “Did he make it?”

Maggs glanced down at me as she threw open the car door and set me in the passenger seat. Ignoring me, she ran around to start the truck, turning the heat up as high as it could go. Cami started pulling off all my clothes, chucking them into the back of the SUV, muttering to herself still.

“Cami,” I pressed as she yanked my sodden shirt over my head. “I need to know—did the boy live? Is he alright?”

Frowning, she glanced over in the direction of the pond but still wouldn’t talk to me. I tried to turn so I could see what was going on since Cami wouldn’t tell me anything, but she stopped me, cupping my face between her hands.

“Please trust me, Lala. Just look at me. We need to get you warm. You are literally turning blue right before my eyes,” she begged, wrapping a blanket around me that Maggs pulled from the back seat. “I can’t answer your questions because I don’t know. They started giving him CPR right away, but other than that, I don’t know. As your guardian, you are my first priority.”

My body started to shake, and not just from the cold, as I processed her words. “What if I didn’t save him in time? It would be my fault he’s dead. I… I could have stopped this from happening, but I refused.”

Cami grasped my shoulders and gave me a rough shake. “You listen to me, Lailah—none of this is your fault. There was a crazy man who admitted he was as evil and twisted. You are not responsible for someone else’s actions. He came here knowing he was going to hurt someone to mess with your head. This is exactly what the Dark Lord wants to have happen, and we can’t let him win—do you hear me?”

Numb, I nodded my head, but I didn’t really believe what she was saying to me. I chose to taunt the Dark Lord in our last conversation, and he was making good on his threat in a more twisted way than I could have imagined. Was this just the beginning?

“I need to get you back home so we can warm you up. The last thing we need is for you to be out of commission when you are the key to dealing with all of this crazy shit,” Cami muttered as she tucked me into the seat and buckled me.

Maggs hopped into the driver’s seat as Cami pulled out her cell that had been going off like crazy. “Hudson, we have a situation. Lailah is hypothermic after taking a swim in the ice-skating pond. I have her out of most of her wet clothes and wrapped in a blanket with the heat on. What else should we do while I’m heading back to you?”

I could hear Hudson talking quickly and shouting at someone, but I couldn’t make out his words.

“Fuck, I’m such an idiot… I have hot chocolate I can give her… small amount at a time… got it.” Cami nodded as she hopped back out of the car and ran to the bench we had been sitting on when this all started.

She was still talking on the phone, but from the anger clouding her face, I didn’t think it was Hudson she was talking to anymore. Shouting into the phone, she hung up and swore before getting back in.

“Alright, Lala. I need you to hold onto this thermos and take small sips of the hot chocolate. Don’t guzzle it down—that could make you throw up,” Cami instructed.

As we pulled out, I turned to get a clear view of the pond and saw the mother of the small boy cradling her son, whose arms were tightly wrapped around her neck. I’d managed to save him in time; now I had to pray they could get him to the hospital in time to keep him that way. He had been in the water much longer than I had, and my whole body burned as it started to warm up.

Clasping the thermos as tightly as I could, trying to keep my hands from shaking so badly, I took a sip but spilled half of it down my chin. After the third try, I gave up and clutched the warm container to my chest, leeching any warmth I could from it. My head pounded, and all I wanted to do was close my eyes and go to sleep, but something told me that wasn’t a smart idea at the moment. Staying awake until I was back at the Manor with the rest of my guys was a safer option. Between the five of them, they would know what to do once I was allowed to rest.

Maggs pulled up right in front of the house, and seconds later the guys came pouring out, Micah the first to my door. Yanking open the door, Brayden stepped in, unbuckled me, and pulled me into his arms.

He was so warm I couldn’t help but nuzzle my face against his neck, making him hiss at the contact. “Jesus fucking Christ! You’re colder than an ice cube, Angel.”

“Quick! We need to get her up to the bathroom and put her in the tub. One of us will have to be in there with her. I’m surprised she hasn’t passed out already with the shock her body has been through,” Hudson instructed as we headed up the stairs.

“Where the hell do you think you’re going, Camilla?” Micah snapped.

“Don’t pull this shit on me right now. I need to make sure my best friend is going to be okay,” Cami challenged.