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The beast is heading straight for Allison.
"Get out of the water!" I shout.
She freezes with both hands in her hair and stares at me.
"Out of the water!" I roar.
I swim for the submerged object that's still racing toward us, placing myself in the path of the beast.
Allison swims toward the shore.
I dive under the water just as the mystery object collides with me. Teeth nip at my flesh, but I grasp what feels like the head of the beast and yank it hard, feeling cervical bones crack. I've snapped the creature's neck. Its limp body floats to the surface.
"What the hell is that?" Allison calls out to me. She's standing at the edge of the water, clutching her clothes.
The beast I've just killed has a humanoid body, but its skin consists of flesh-colored scales, and I see gills on its torso. It's brown eyes look disturbingly human, though now they are vacant.
I stalk back to the shore, halting beside Allison. "Get dressed."
"What was that thing?"
"A creature from the Echo." I'm breathing hard from my struggle with the beast, and water dribbles down my body. "It wanted you."
"Me? Why?"
"You tell me."
She scowls and starts reassembling her clothes. "How many times do I have to say the same thing? I have no idea what's going on."
I seize her arm. "I'm beginning to wonder if the creatures that confronted us in the shopping mall were there for you, just like this beast."
"What? That's crazy."
"Really." I drag her closer. "Sefton left you a note. He planned to come for you, but he reached the library before you could find your way back to it. Whether you want to admit it or not, you are the key to everything that's happening. You are the catalyst."
"And you're the anchor. That's what you said." She wrenches free of my grasp, though only because I let her. "That means you're in this up to your eyeballs too."
"So you admit you are an integral part of what's going on."
"No. I admit you're an asshole and a murderer, and I should never have agreed to go anywhere with you."
My gaze flicks to the dead creature floating down the river, headed for the drop-off and the swirling current below it. "You continue to refuse to cooperate, even though I killed that beast to protect you."
"I came with you. That's cooperation." She combs her fingers through her wet hair to push it away from her face. "Gee, I would've thought you'd want that thing to get me, since you hate me so much."
Why had I intervened? If the creature had wanted her, as I believe, then I doubt it would have harmed her. "You aren't telling me everything. Don't deny it."
She crouches to tie her shoelaces. "I know nothing about the apocalypse, and I am not a catalyst for anything."
"If that's true, then you are of no further use to me." I don't believe for one second that she's not the catalyst, or that she knows nothing. Maybe the truth is buried inside her memory. Either way, I will get what I need from her.
Allison straightens. Her attention flicks down to my cock. She clears her throat and focuses on my face.
But her cheeks have turned faintly pink, and I don't think it's embarrassment. I'd seen the way she admired my body earlier. We dislike each other, but we both suffer from the same overpowering lust. Perhaps I can use that to my advantage and get more out of her than answers. I need something else, something that has no bearing on the apocalypse. I need it badly.
I sling an arm around her waist and haul her into my body, lifting her feet off the ground just enough that we now gaze into each other's eyes head-on. "If you want my protection, you need to do more than simply come with me while we search for Sefton."
"Listen good this time. I know nothing—"
