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Energy spilled out. It was messy and clumsy, but she directed it into her feet and pushed. This time, the energy gave her the head start she needed away from the vines as she and Maddox launched through the water like they were riding a torpedo. She shouted in joy, swallowed a large amount of water, and would have drowned again, but more energy came out, removing the water with ease until Ruby was sure of one thing. She had done it.
She had gotten the source of power she needed to be whole again.
Chapter 9
Perhaps getting into the water when Maddox had little to no experience was not the brightest plan in mind, but he had made a promise. By the time the ten-minute mark had passed, fear had been the only thing dictating his actions, along with one thing: that he needed to get Ruby alive no matter what…that he couldn’t imagine a world without her.
Now he couldn’t see anything, couldn’t hear anything. The switch-up was insane as an intense amount of energy swallowed them whole, bringing them further away from the sand and the vines. She held on to him like he was her lifeline, but in reality, she was his. When they broke out of the water, sounds returned, and he yelped when they crashed to the ground with no finesse and their limbs riddled with pain.
“Damn it,” Ruby hissed, gasping for breath. “I should have anticipated that.”
He sat up, bringing her with him as their bodies still clung to each other. He tried to massage her elbows to ease her pain, but the vibrations that swam in between them held him in awe.
“You did it,” he whispered.
A smile broke out, as joyous as when he had first seen her use her magic. It went straight to his heart.
“I did it,” she whispered back.
He grinned, basking in her happiness before a series of coughs attacked him. Water spurted out. She scrambled out of his lap to assess him while she patted his back.
“Mad, your hand’s wounded.”
“From the vines. It was more brittle than I thought. It was…”
Crazy.How he got to the bottom alive was still a miracle, but everything else that followed blared in his senses. One particular image lingered: her mouth hot against his, making him forget about what he had gone there for because all he had wanted to do was kiss her some more. It had been a dumb moment that would have gotten them in even more trouble. Without her magic, they would have been doomed—all because he had let his hormones dictate his reaction.
“Let me fix it. Please.”
She took his hand, opening his palm and tracing it. Her fingers glowed, a familiar sight that he had come to witness repeatedly. The lust that flowed through him, however, was new, building the moment the light traced his wounds until it was an electric charge that consumed his very being. He bit back a groan. He shifted his hips to hide his erection, his cock so hard that it was bordering on pain.
“There. It’s all done.”
“Right. Thanks.”
Her thumb lingered on his palm, now smooth. He inhaled deeply against the tingles zapping him up and down, unsure if it was because of this unwanted attraction or her magic in his system. He wanted to kiss her so badly, the temptation making him forget why he was fighting it in the first place. Why the hell was he fighting it?
She has a history with Brian. She is returning to him and deserves his stability. You are nothing but a distraction, a passing fling. Your friendship won’t survive when this is over.
“Is there anything else I can help you with?” she asked, unaware of the turmoil raging inside him.
My desire. My ego. The goddamn temptation that you are now and my weakness to it.
Footsteps padded closer before he could respond. It might as well have been a gunshot with how his body reacted, blocking her from harm’s way as he spun to face its direction. Moon stumbled forward, body rigid and face pale, the guilt intense in his expression. It made more sense when he spotted Kin and two boys behind Moon—kids, really, probably not older than ten. The former glowered upon noticing their wet forms.
“What did you do?” he asked, directed at Maddox.
“Nothing.” Which was the truth.
“What did you see?” Kin demanded.
Maddox and Ruby glanced at each other before she shook her head.
“Nothing.”
But Kin wasn’t convinced, stepping forward. Maddox finally noticed the long dagger digging at Moon’s side. Maddox hissed, then stopped when the man dug deeper.
“You took something,” Kin said, aggravation in his tone. “You swam in our sacred lake, took something, and desecrated it—”
