Page 20 of Demons and Darlings


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“What do you think is out there?” I whispered.

Alek hummed as he thought. I could feel the vibrations of his rumbling voice. “Peace,” was all he said.

I didn’t ask him another question. He didn’t say anything, either. We stayed that way, staring off into the darkness for what felt like hours.

I could have stayed there my whole life.

But after a while, Alek sat up. “What are you doing?” I asked.

He began pulling his hoodie up and over his head. “The second half of the evening. Considering we don’t have years to bestow experiences upon you, we have to double up.” He threw his hoodie onto the blanket and began fumbling with the belt on his jeans.

“What the hell are you doing?” I sat up but I didn’t look away. My eyes lingered on his sculpted abs until he actually began pulling his jeans off.

“Going for a swim,” he answered. “Come on.”

“What?” I shielded my eyes with one hand as I heard his jeans hit the quilt. “It’s freezing out!”

“All the more reason to hurry!” he yelled, but he was already running toward the lake. I looked up just in time to see him splash into the dark water.

“Are you crazy?” I hissed, although I wasn’t sure why I was trying to keep my voice down. We were likely the only people for miles.

“Yes,” he answered, splashing around in the water. “But that’s irrelevant. Get in!” He sent a wave of water in my direction with his hand.

“I can’t swim, you idiot!” I tried to dodge the water as it flew in my direction but failed miserably.

“Look,” Alek said, standing up in the lake. Half of his chest rose up from the surface. “It’s not deep at all. Come in, or I’m coming to get you.”

Part of me wanted to get back in the car and drive away immediately. But the other part of me—the dark part of me that longed for adventure—screamed for me to jump in.

I chose to listen to that voice.

I looked around us, making sure we were actually alone before pulling my sweater over my head. I threw it on top of the lantern, making sure Alek couldn’t see me as I stripped down to my bra and underwear.

The night air was absolutely freezing. I avoided thinking about how cold that water would be as I ran forward.

And jumped in.

As soon as my body hit the water, I wanted to scream. The cold temperature froze me immediately, shocking my system. I forgot how to move, how to breathe, how to think.

Until Alek’s hands found me in the water and pulled me up.

“Hey,” he said as I broke the surface. He held onto both of my shoulders. “Are you okay?”

I nodded, too stunned to speak for a few seconds until I caught my breath. His hands were shockingly warm, even in the frigid water. “It’s cold in here,” I said.

Alek laughed. “Yeah, it is. So swim around a little and we can check this off the list before you get hypothermia.”

“How are you not freezing?” I asked. As soon as he removed his hands from my body, I missed their warmth.

“I’m not human, remember?” he said, clearly amused at my question.

I stuck my hands out, feeling the frigid water around me. I had to admit… something about floating in the dark water in the middle of nowhere felt liberating. The cold water numbed my senses and halted my thoughts. For once, I wasn’t concerned about getting caught. I wasn’t thinking about that basement. I wasn’t picturing those chains.

I was just… swimming. Half-naked in ice cold water with a near stranger.

And it felt damn good.

Alek swum up next to me and grabbed me around the waist before hauling me through the air. I screamed and landed in the water a few feet away.

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