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For a while after the fight with Luciana, a bunch of baddies had come out of their hiding holes. Vampires. A few goblins. Some lower-level demons here and there, but nothing as bad as what we’d seen when Luciana opened her hell portal. A handful of pissed-off fey who’d stuck around when the courts disappeared. The worst of which Meredith dealt with in Ireland. A will-o’-the-wisp had even popped up at the Grand Canyon and started guiding unsuspecting people off a cliff. It’d been a little more than the Cazadores were used to, but definitely manageable. At least that was what everyone told us. Which was why we’d felt okay disconnecting.
I threw my phone down on the towel and walked to the edge of the water. Everything had been fine, but two weeks ago, clearly something had changed. Chris was right. There had to be a reason for the sudden spike in demon attacks in Texas.
What had changed? And why after Meredith’s wedding? Was that just a coincidence?
There were no other messages about demons attacking the rest of the world. Why were the demons only in Texas? And maybe scariest of all—why were they only in our specific area of Texas?
My imagination came up with a number of scenarios, but maybe Chris wasn’t so crazy. Maybe what Luciana had done wasn’t over. Maybe we were in for another fight.
That thought sent a zing through my body, urging me to run and hide.
But I wasn’t about to hide.
Maybe some of the outbreaks could be well-timed flukes, but this was too much. I didn’t believe in coincidences. Everything happened for a reason. I didn’t know what was going on yet, but I’d find out.
Left a message for Michael and I’m going to start working on travel now. Want to come back to the house and eat?
I’m not hungry anymore. The swirling pit of anxiety in my stomach made it impossible to think of eating right now.
Then why don’t you go for a swim? Clear your head. When you get back, I’ll have our travel figured out.
Are you sure? Shouldn’t I be helping?
We only have one reliable phone line, and I need the WiFi to book the airfare once I have the boat and ferry lined up. Go for a swim. If nothing else, it’ll kick your appetite back into gear.
I took a breath. The water did look nice. I took a few steps back to the beach towel to grab my fins, mask, and snorkel. Tell me if you need my help. I’ll come back.
Of course. Go. You’ll feel better after a swim.
I walked into the clear water, watching tiny electric blue and green fish swimming around my ankles. The water was waist-deep but clear as crystal. My toes disappeared under the sand as I tried to balance while pulling on my fins. Part of me still felt guilty. Like I should’ve been helping Dastien and Chris and everyone else right now, but there was nothing I could do yet except worry. That wasn’t going to help anyone.
The mask tugged on my hair, but I got the straps in place and dove in.
The warm water was like a balm on my soul. Until we got to the island, I hadn’t been swimming since becoming a werewolf. The change had made me a stronger swimmer, but too much muscle wasn’t a good thing when it came to floating. I couldn’t lay in the water without sinking at least a little bit anymore.
I used my legs, flicking the fins just enough to keep my head above the surface as I watched the colorful fish dart around the coral.
After a few minutes of tuning out, I felt better. Anxiety wasn’t making it quite so hard to breathe anymore and I started to swim farther out. A mile or so away was a tiny island that we hadn’t explored yet. We’d talked about kayaking over, but if we were leaving tomorrow, then this was probably my last chance.
We can come back, Dastien said.
That’s a given. Now that I knew this place existed, I was addicted.
I froze as a nurse shark swam under my feet. They were harmless, but they still made me nervous. I pulled my legs up, and it ignored me. As I floated there, waiting for the shark to pass, I wondered if I should go ahead and call Claudia. I didn’t want to bother her before I had to, especially since she was in Peru on her own version of a honeymoon, but I was pretty sure that my messed-up visions had something to do with the demons in Texas. Even if she didn’t have any answers for me, I was sure she’d appreciate knowing that there was some stuff brewing. As soon as I was done with my swim, I was going to try texting her.
The water grew rougher the farther from shore I swam. I’d passed the drop off and couldn’t tell how far down the bottom was anymore, even with my enhanced werewolf sight. Maybe if I’d brought a light with me, but I was only snorkeling. I couldn’t swim down that far unless I had SCUBA gear, even as a werewolf.
I looked around to make sure the current hadn’t knocked me off course. The island looked a little too far to the right. I spotted the strip of white sand beach that I’d come from behind me. The tree line nearly gobbled up the beach, forming a horseshoe. I?
??d made it all the way out of the inlet but had definitely drifted too far to the right.
I corrected my direction and started kicking my feet. I’d gone another fifty feet when pain sliced through my knuckles, one by one in rapid succession.
I screamed out bubbles as I sank under the water. Kicking hard, my head broke the surface. Air filled my lungs in one big gasp.
For a split second, I thought the shark had come back, but my hands looked fine even though I couldn’t feel my fingers.
What’s happening? Dastien asked. His worry beat against my mind. Are you okay?
