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But he’d begun rowing away already. “We’re done here. ”
Vampires forgotten for the moment, I plucked at the neck of my wetsuit. “I don’t have to swim?” I practically shivered with relief.
“Oh, you’ll swim,” he said with a wicked glint that told me he’d make me pay for this little errand.
Damn. He couldn’t mean I was going to swim…from here. Right?
A small swell smacked the rear of the boat, tossing us forward. I gripped the hard bench to hold on, and…ow. I felt the tiniest tear in my tenuously healing wound. If Ronan were bent on punishing me, he was doing a fine job.
“Don’t get mad at me,” I told him. “If you didn’t want to row me out here, you didn’t have to. ”
He raised his brows. “Is that so?”
“Yeah. It’s so. ”
He was grimly quiet as he rowed on, giving me ample time to consider his reaction. I’d threatened to take the boat out myself, and he believed he had no other choice but to help me. The bigness and trueness of that impulse sank in. Blew me away.
I’d need to be more careful—I didn’t have enough friends left to be risking them so.
Back in sight of Crispin’s Cove, Ronan once again dragged the oars along the water’s surface, pulling us to a stop. The boat bobbed, and he waited, but I didn’t budge. Our eyes met in a moment’s standoff. He really was going to make me do deep-water exercises.
I huffed. “Fine. ”
I reached for a mask, but he stayed my hand. “No,” he said.
“No?” I curled my fingers more tightly around the plastic.
“You were studying the sea gate. ”
“The what?” I asked in my best innocent voice.
He only shook his head and snatched the mask from my hand. “No mask. ” He met my eyes again, only this time he was the one with the feigned innocence. “You’re the one who wants difficult conditions, Annelise. I’m simply preparing you for ‘difficult conditions. ’”
I had to laugh despite myself. “Touché. ”
But my agreement didn’t mean acquiescence. In a moment of defiance, I heaved my weight as I stood, making the boat lurch, and bit back a grin to see Ronan startle and grab the side against the sudden rocking. But I was enjoying it a bit too much and, stupidly disregarding the wound in my belly, I flung myself over the side in a way that’d create maximum splash. As I hit the water, I knew instantly I’d done wrong. The fragile seam in my skin tore open further, and salt water slashed like a blade, searing into my tender flesh like I was being stabbed all over again.
I could barely get my head above the surface before I hissed and curled into the pain. Salt in my wound was like a hot brand, and I had to grit my teeth and pant away the pain. “Whoa,” I said as I finally caught my breath. I shook my head, releasing a weird adrenaline-charged sound that was half sob, half laugh. “Holy crap. ” I opened my eyes, but Ronan wavered in my vision, so I wiped away tears and then laughed for real, seeing the expression on his face. “What are you looking at?”
“Get out,” he said.
“What?” Mindlessly, I massaged my side, feeling my smile fade.
“Get out of the water. ” He reached a demanding hand down to me.
“I just got in. ” I shoved away. I’d have loved to get back in the boat, but I needed to buy time—I didn’t think I’d be able to exert myself again without bringing on a fresh wave of agony. My wound was pounding. I was certain I was bleeding into my suit. Were there sharks here? Could they sense blood through my thick neoprene armor?
Normally, I would’ve healed by now. But normally, I’d have been taking Carden’s blood. I’d been sneaking extra shots of the drink when I could, but if I were to survive at this pace, it was clear I’d need to up my dosage even more.
Ronan stretched his hand farther. “Annelise,” he said sternly.
“What if I don’t want to?”
“Then that’s your prerogative. ” He scanned the horizon with a nonchalant shrug. “How many sharks do you reckon are in the North Sea this time of year? As I understand it, they prefer the colder waters. ”
Two quick scissors
kicks, and I whooshed back to the side of the boat, my extended hand begging for a pull up. “You win. ”
