Page 56 of My Summer Girl

Chapter Twenty-One

Raevar

Daylight – David Kushner

Dulce being pulled under the water wasn’t in my expectations of things to go wrong. I’ve been swimming in this lake my entire life, and not once has a siren pulled me under.

Is Dulce a magnet for danger and oddities? First, she found Vex. Somehow, I found her. Now, we’re in my realm where there are dangers that’ve never sought me out and she’s being attacked.

Something makes me wonder if the siren knows she’s an outsider and planned on taking her for that reason alone.

My chest hammers as I dive after her, and a sickening stretch inside me tells me of our bond. We’re fated, there’s no argument. But I haven’t known her long enough to broach a topic like mating rituals and everything that goes into that. How do I tell the person I kidnapped that I’m endlessly linked to her?

She has to get used to me before she’s going to get any type of idea of me and her forever. But now she’s been dragged deep and no matter how far down I swim, it’s too dark. There’s absolutely no sliver of light, but that doesn’t stop my descent. I have to find her; I’ve only just met her and thinking of a life without her isn’t on my to-do list.

Fear slices through me like a sword on the battlefield, unrepentant and brutal. I roar under the water, losing my breath—or what was left of it—but I’m suddenly lifted.

My eyes open and I’m above the water’s surface.

In front of me is a dragon, but not just any dragon. Dormir. The sleeper. He’s an underwater spirit dragon, one that stays in slumber until the realm struggles in the balance of something.

Which means, Dulce isn’t meant to die.

He moves his wing, his expression stony and still on me. His teeth aren’t bared, and I can only hope that’s a good thing and not a bad one.

“Thank you,” I say with relief, noting Dulce’s nearly naked form sheltered against him. She’s not awake, and that has me rushing forward.

Dormir doesn’t startle when I push through the water at a rapid speed. He simply watches me with intrigue. Either he doesn’t see me as a threat or he knows he’ll kill me if I so much as breathe incorrectly.

When I get to her, I take no time to lift her and swim to shore. Dormir doesn’t stop me, nor does he dive deep under the water where he’s been apparently slumbering.

He’s massive, a seaweed-type green, with scales of several iridescent colors. His wings are both capable of flight and act as fins. They have gills, as well as a wide span with spikes.

Which tells me the stories of him are true. He’s not grounded to the plains of Solera, but also not tied to the sky like many.

By the time I’m on the shore, Dulce’s chest still hasn’t risen. Knowing the human technique of bringing oxygen back into the body by forcing water out, I push into her rib cage.

A gnarly snap rings in my ears and I flinch, knowing it was inevitable to break a bone but no less painful to myself. If we were fully bonded, I’d experience the pain with her, but she’d also be able to draw from me, take my healing properties and make it soothe herself quicker.

After tilting her jaw back and breathing into her mouth, she chokes on the water inside her and I turn her to her side. She continues coughing and spitting up water as I rub gentle circles into her back.

“Raev,” she gasps, her voice strained and raspy. It’s sad sounding, painful, and it takes a lot of my willpower to not magically force a bond on her so healing her will be easier.

But how? I need to consult my family as soon as we’re back home.

“Don’t try to speak, sweetness,” I coax, rubbing her back as she continues her fit of coughs. Eventually she turns to me, her eyes shiny with tears and strain.

“There w-was a—”

“Dragon.” Her eyes widen as she nods, and I direct her gaze to behind us. Sure as shit, he still floats in the water, watching us both intently.

Her body shudders as her expression morphs from surprise to awe. It’s not often you see them in the wild here, but during solstice, they’re far more common. Especially with the dragon races. Most of them communicate with Solera and come our way.

“That’s Dormir,” I say, pointing to the majestic creature. “He’s been in a long slumber for over twenty years.”

“Wow,” she croaks. “He saved me.” Tears well in her eyes and spill out. I reach forward, unable to keep my hands off her for a moment longer. My thumbs drag across her cheeks as I hold her jaw.

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