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She took off her shoes and outer clothes, then raised her brows until they turned away. She stripped to her panties and plain black tank top, then cleared her throat until they turned back around. Moon remained unfazed and distanced himself to continue his tree watch, but Maddox’s gaze lingered as if memorizing her lines. Blue-black orbs darkened, then returned to normal.
“Nine minutes,” he reminded, all business-like.
She nodded, ignoring the throb between her legs. She spun to face the lake, wading in until she adjusted to the temperature. Then she held her breath and dove in, immediately going for the deep end and kicking herself a path downward.
The lower she got, the darker it became, which relaxed her because again, that was normal. There was enough visibility for her to still see, anyway, and she noted the muddy sand, the small fish that also swam here…the dark shadow in a corner, unmoving.
Ruby’s first assumption was a dangerous creature like the one that had lurked in the trees, but further inspection had her almost forgetting to hold her breath. She hurried over to the shadow, then ogled it when it cleared and the sunken ship came into view: large, old, and halfway stuck in the sand. She swam around it, checking out the logo of a skull down the front and the torn pieces of what could have been pirate flags stuck in the sand, too.
Yes,her mind cheered, fighting her wariness.You found it. Keep looking.
It could be any sunken ship and not the mythical ghost ship, rumored to contain powers that everyone sought. It was too regular to be a ghost ship, which had been described as glorious. Her hope sank when she sensed nothing, but again, her mind warred with that.
Don’t you dare give up. You are so close. Maddox trusts you.
Silver needs you.
Determination sparked back to life as she kicked her way faster to the other end of the ship, peeking at the broken windows before she entered one. Inside, colorful reefs had grown and made their home in the wood, where more small fish swam. She shimmied inside a bigger room, sweeping over even more colorful reef formations before her gaze landed on an open chest in the center.
Unlike the living lake creatures, it didn’t shine and wasn’t colorful at all…but it pulsed in a way that reached straight into her heart and told her a certainty she couldn’t ignore. Ruby swam toward it, staring at the empty box. No treasure, no glow, but…
She pressed her palms on the sand surrounding it, then touched the sides of the chest. The pulse grew larger than life. When she reached inside, time stopped as a reel formed, and she watched the ship when it was still at sea, garnering everything it could hold, from physical treasures to energy contained in chests—stolen energy from different creatures, combining into one. She felt years worth of it in this chest, hibernating until it found its host. She dug in, hard and desperate.
Time jumpstarted back into life as a glow resonated, and the energy eagerly reached back for her. She braced herself as it entered her body, a rush that slithered into every corner and made her drunk. But it was a good kind of drunk, as the painless process went on and on until the glow dimmed and eventually died down. Shaking, she finally removed her hands from the chest and watched it close, the click echoing even underwater.
That’s it,her mind cajoled.You kept it short. Leave while you still can.
She swam out of the room, ignoring the reefs and fish as victory roiled in her blood and the energy remained in her body. The relief was intense when she got out of the ship in one piece. She kicked her way up, excitement flourishing to reach the two waiting for her and tell them the good news—to return to Broom’s Isle, where she could finally help her sisters out in their quest for the truth.
Hurry. You are close.
Her movement stopped. She looked down and found vines curled around her legs, not tightening but not letting go, either. She crouched, hands touching the one she could reach as she willed the energy dancing inside her to come out and cut the vines. When nothing happened, she switched to physically pulling at it, but they were too thick, and she wasn’t strong enough.
Ahead of her, she saw some fish avoiding the vines, their movements sleek and ready, as if they were used to dodging them. She wondered how she hadn’t noticed earlier and tried again, picking up a rock and pounding against the bindings. But that didn’t work, either.
Ruby didn’t give up, reaching for other objects to use: a broken stem that had sunk here, a sharper rock, and a piece of a coral reef she broke off herself. The excitement faded when she realized her frantic movements had called more vines’ attention as they climbed their way up and wrapped around her arms, too. She didn’t know how much time had passed, but she knew she had gone beyond the ten-minute mark. The air left her lungs. The energy remained contained inside her, refusing to help, and her vision grew blurry as fear made her numb.
Please. Please.
She tugged, or maybe it was the vines tugging at her. She felt them loosen, but the fire in her lungs and lack of oxygen prevented her from doing anything. Coldness wrapped around her from head to toe and glissaded its way inside her. Then warmth returned, fighting it off…and she realized it wasn’t just the vines tugging at her.
Ruby opened her eyes, taking in the mouth against her giving her oxygen. She noted Maddox’s moving form in the water as his sharp nails hacked at the vines, sharper than anything she had grabbed and nicking bit by bit. It was slow, but it was working. When she tried to help, he shook his head, signaling her to behave so no other vines would grab at them.
She stilled, willing her body to relax. She greedily sucked in the oxygen he provided, tiny bits that slowly doused the fire in her lungs until she was no longer numb. A sound escaped her when a vine finally let go, but his other hand cupped the back of her head and tilted it to keep their mouths connected.
Wanting to be helpful, she returned the gesture, providing him with oxygen, too. Their mouths grazed each other and consumed each other until it felt like they were imitating the act of kissing. Longing wrapped in her bones, the intimacy getting to her. Ruby abandoned all caution and kissed him for real, wanting the taste as much as she wanted her next breath.
He froze and would have backed off, but her freed hands grabbed his neck and refused to let him go. She kissed his lips open and brushed her tongue inside, rejoicing when she found his. She kissed him until she felt him respond, slowly at first, before he began to lead the kiss and devour her mouth.
It was glorious, even when muted underwater. It sent a different kind of fire rushing down her core as she felt his hunger and desperation. Greedy for more, she egged him on, sucking on his tongue until he was no longer pushing her away. For a second, his hand stopped hacking and wrapped around her waist, taking the kiss deeper until she wanted nothing but to climb him like a tree.
Then he jerked back, breaking the kiss, and pulled the rest of the vines in one heaving force until they ripped into shreds. Ruby stared, so turned on. Then fear made its way back when it dawned that he was sinking further.
Snap out of it. He is a half-vampire and can’t swim.
Instinct kicked in, and she wrapped her hands around his waist. The fear intensified at the sight of the new vines, ready to take them down. And if it took Maddox…
He will die.
