Page 64 of Fated to Her

I grab it before stepping off the rock. I plunge under the water, sinking like a rock. He is right, it’s deep. Not once do I touch the bottom, and not being able to see underneath me is creeping me out.

Eli pulls me out into the center next to the waterfall. Sharp pointed rocks are jutting out of it, spraying water in different directions. Peering up, it seems to have no end, and I can’t see where it peaks.

“Where are we?” I ask.

“Near the base of the mountain,” Eli says.

With how tall the trees are, I don’t even notice there is a mountain by the village, not being able to see past them and their darkness.

“How deep is it?” I ask, staring below me. I can’t see from my waist down.

“No idea. Emery and I used to try to hold our breath and swim to the bottom when we were little. We never found it,” he says, and a shiver runs up my spine. “You don’t like water?”

“No, I just like knowing what’s underneath me.”

“An abyss. Maybe the Loch Ness Monster. Nobody truly knows,” Eli says, making my eyes snap to him to see him smiling.

“You really think I’d put you in danger, Addie? I wouldn’t have brought you here if it wasn’t safe.”

“How can you say that if it has no end?”

“Nobody has died out here. Or maybe they have, and they sank to the bottom,” he says teasingly.

I wrap my legs around him.

“Chicken,” he whispers, pulling me closer to him.

“Yep, at least if anything is down there, it will grab your feet first.”

“And if it does?” he asks, smiling.

“I think I’ll become Jesus, walk on water, and leave your ass behind,” I chuckle.

“You would really abandon me?” he taunts.

“Yep. It will eat you first, giving me a chance to run.”

We swim around for a bit. Well, Eli does because I’m not letting him go. After a while, the temperature starts to drop, making my teeth chatter. Just as Eli is lifting me up onto the rock, he lets me go quickly, and I drop back into the water. I grip his waist as I’m dunked under. Pulling myself up, I see Eli has a knife in his hand, his eyes darting around frantically.

“What is it?”

“Shh…” he says before his head whips to the side, and he throws the knife just as I hear someone step out of the trees, hearing the leaves crunch under their feet. I watch the knife in horror when I see Cyrus step out, a shriek leaving my lips when he claps his hands together, the knife stopping inches from his face.

“Poor form, Eli. Gotta be quicker than that,” Cyrus says, and I let out a breath as he twirls the knife between his fingers.

“Bloody idiot. Why didn’t you call out?” Eli tells him.

Cyrus smiles, walking over, and Eli lifts me onto the rock before reaching up and pulling himself out. I stand shaking and realize we have no towels.

“Mmm, just how I like you. Dripping wet,” Cyrus says, wrapping his arms around me.

“You will get wet,” I tell him, pushing him away, but he doesn’t budge.

“When did you get back?” Eli asks him, pulling his shorts on.

“Twenty minutes ago. Your father said he saw you head out this way. Also, you need to scent her again. I could smell her scent pretty strongly,” Cyrus says, looking at me, concerned.

Eli uses his shirt to help me dry myself before I squeeze myself back into my jeans, which is hard because even drying them with his shirt, the denim sticks to my legs.