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“That’s the thing, sweetheart,” one of the demons holding me said, “we’re actually part of his legion, his pack. He won’t touch us. You, however…”
The bag was ripped from my head. I blinked a few times, letting my eyes adjust to the new surroundings.
We weren’t even that far from shore, but nobody was paying any attention to us. I could see the fire now, still blazing wildly in the crowd.
I could yell, but nobody would hear me.
“What do you want?” I asked. I tried to keep my voice steady, but it was no use. They wanted to see me weak. They wanted me to be afraid.
Kylar knelt in front of me. “We want you gone. We want you out of the legion.”
“Why?” I asked. The water rocked the boat harder. “What have I ever done to you?”
Kylar’s eyes darkened. “You’re an obstacle, Lyra. Truly, it’s nothing personal. But we need certain things from Alek, and you’re in our way.”
“What could I possibly be in the way of? I don’t even know half of what goes on at Night Raven. Alek keeps his business to himself!”
Kylar put a finger on his chin, pretending to consider my question. “Alek’s father wants him to be with you. The reasoning behind that is beyond me, but it’s true. Alek holds his father’s favor when he’s with you. And you see,”—he motioned to the others on the boat—“that’s not good for us.”
The chill of the night rushed over my body. “Killing me isn’t going to help you,” I explained. “His father will hate you.”
“No, no, no,” Kylar teased. “We aren’t going to kill you. It will be tragic, though, when you get a little too drunk at the bonfire and find yourself going for a swim in the middle of the night. It’s much too cold, don’t you think, boys?” The others nodded in agreement.
I didn’t have time to argue. I didn’t have time to talk sense into him. Before I could protest, the men holding my arms lifted me up.
And threw me into the frigid water.
The shock of the water forced the air from my lungs. I could have sworn my heart even stopped beating, just for a second. Every inch of my body was hit with the sharp pain of the freezing temperatures.
But I had to fight. I had to try.
I began kicking, propelling myself to the surface as best as I could. The air hitting my face was the best thing I had ever felt.
I sucked in a deep breath of air against my screaming lungs and tried to view my surroundings. The boat already approaching the shoreline was the only thing I saw.
And then I was under again.
Despite my fighting and thrashing, I couldn’t stay above water. I tried to kick as hard as I could, but the water was so cold.
And my legs quickly grew numb.
My lungs wanted air. They needed oxygen, they needed anything.
I tried one more time, propelling myself as hard as I could to the surface.
But instead of moving upward, I sank deeper into the lake.
I held on as long as I could.
And then my world went black.
ChapterEighteen
“Get up,” a man’s voice barked at me.
I blinked my eyes open. I was back in Theia’s basement, but this was no flashback. I looked down at the shackles that typically chained my wrists. They had been snapped in half, the metal ripped apart.
Was I dreaming?
