“Where did you put your things?” he asked.
My heart bolted as he brought his hand to the top button of his shirt.
Oh my gods, he is going to join me. He is going to take his shirt off and swim with me. Half-naked.
I jerked my head to the opposite end of the pond, where my bundle of clothes sat near the shadowed trail. He followed my gaze, his eyes glinting against the darkness gathering in the sky. They landed on my things, and his hand popped a button. Nerves quivered in my stomach as he strode slowly along the stony shore.
I floated to my side and moved into a resting stroke as I swam parallel to him to the opposite end of the small pond.
“You aren’t too tired, are you?” he asked as he reached my pack.
My brows furrowed, and I shook my head, despite my muscles beginning to slow. He popped a few more buttons, and I paused. My eyes slid down the rippled muscles lining his abdomen.
I liked his muscles.
He shrugged out of his shirt and dragged his gaze from where I swam to the pile of clothes I’d left. He held out his shirt and dropped it among my things. His eyes held mine, and something dark flickered in their depths as he stared at me before a flash of silver ignited in his irises.
I froze.
A primal sense of survival rushed through my veins, the type only the hunted understood. I stopped moving my arms and legs, and my entire body floated before he knelt and roughly rifled through my belongings. My heart raced too quickly, my muscles tiring as I forced myself to tread water again.
Vander’s broad shoulders tightened, and he threw my pants to the side before tipping each of my boots upside down. He chucked them to the ground, and they skidded across the small stones. My breathing became labored as I recognized the wrath building in his form, something I’d seen often enough training with the Rising soldiers.
I swam backward, not sure why, but knowing with absolute certainty I needed to put space between us. He slowly stood, his hands clenching as he turned to face me. Silver waves danced in his eyes as his face contorted in a quiet rage. A distant, desperate question formed in the back of my mind as panic began to take root.
Who is he?
The answer came fast and urgent, like a slap in the face.
Not Vander.
“Where is it, Evony?” he hissed, his voice like the sharp slap of a dagger against a whetting stone.
I kept my eyes on him, not daring to look at the opposite end of the pond where the second trailhead opened up… my only escape.
“Where is what?” I choked out. Raindrops splashed from above and below as they hit the water around me.
The man’s brows drew together.
“You never stray far from it,” he continued, inching closer to the water line.
I slowly put more distance between myself and the shore, desperately needing to draw him in. If he stayed on land, he’d simply run to the opposite shore, certainly faster than I could swim.
“What are you talking about?” I asked, forcing the exhaustion from my voice.
His lips tilted up, and he cocked his head to the side. “You seem tired, Evony,” he said calmly, taking a slow step into the water. His eyes darted to the snug wrap around my chest once more.
Fuck.
His eyes lingered on the space between my breasts, where my lucky arrowhead sat inside my money pouch. I had no idea why he wanted this, but I had the sense he meant to take it from me whether I wished it or not… And for some reason, I knew I couldn’t let him take this. The feel of the arrowhead always granted me a sense of reassurance, of safety. Something I was desperate for in this moment.
“You’re slowing down,” he called, as I reached the center of the pond. “It looks like you need help, Evony. Don’t worry. I’m coming.”
My stomach dropped as fear sank its claws into me. The water reached his waist as he cautiously approached, holding his hands in front of him as if soothing a spooked animal.
The arrowhead between my breast pulsed as he approached, and I blinked. An overwhelming sensation surged into me, and the arrowheadcommandedme to flee. The man with the silver eyes paused as the sensation hit, and his teeth curled over his lips before he dove.
My pulse banged against my neck, and a panicked desperation forced my limbs to move. I surged into a forward stroke, my arms pulling frantically against the water as I kicked to the opposite end of the pond.
