Page 35 of Duty Bound

“Keep going. You’re doing great.”

How’d he keep so goddamn calm all the time? She tried not to freak out as they moved farther into the middle of the fast-moving channel in the center. The current tugged at her legs, and she fought to keep her feet down.

“I think I’m losing my grip.” She panted through the exertion. The undertow strengthened and threatened to pull her downstream by her clothing, her backpack, her legs.

“Go with it.”

Fine for him to say. He was a head taller than her and wasn’t having the same problem.

Lily felt like she was walking on the moon—long, loping hops instead of normal steps, the buoyancy of the water lifting her up.

She yelped as the ground disappeared and her legs were sucked out from under her. The current washed her quickly downstream. It was much faster than she realized, and for a moment, she fought a flicker of sheer panic. Forcing her feet down, she tried to stand. Couldn’t reach the bottom. The undertow caught her, dragged her under. Flailing her arms, kicking her legs, she surfaced, spluttering.

Blade shouted, “Relax. I’ve got you. Don’t fight it.”

The rope went taut. Her pace slowed.

Oh, thank God.

Desperately trying to keep her head above water, she put her faith in Blade. How the hell did he do it? No longer walking, he swam, taking big, powerful strokes toward the opposite bank. It felt like they were getting nowhere because of how quickly they moved downstream. The landscape flashed by in a blur.

Panic hovered, but then she began to calm down. They were, in fact, making progress. The bank looked like it was getting closer. Blade was doing most of the work, even though she was swimming as hard as she could, which wasn’t easy with a rope around her waist and a huge backpack on her back. He was right, though, it did help to keep her afloat. So did her frantic flutter kicks.

Breathe. Stroke left, stroke right. Breathe. Stroke left, stroke right. Breathe…

She talked herself through the motions, trying to build up some sort of rhythm, like in the communal swimming pool back in her hometown. The current, however, had other ideas. It tossed her around, buffeted her, and slapped her in the face. Once, she almost rolled over onto her back.

After what felt like an eternity, they rounded a bend in the river and the current slowed down. They’d reached the point bar of the meander. Blade stood. A second later, the rope tightened, jolting her and halting her downstream momentum.

He pulled her toward him. “You should be able to put your feet down.”

Tentatively, she reached out and managed to touch the bottom.

Yes!

She could stand.

After a few more tugs, she found much firmer footing. It wasn’t long before Lily trudged out of the water behind Blade. Her clothes and pack weighed her down like they’d absorbed half the river. Her legs wobbled from the exertion.

“We made it.” Lily turned and stared back across the river for their point of entry, but it was around the bend. They’d traveled roughly half a mile downstream thanks to the current.

Blade undid the rope from around his waist, then took it off hers. He looped it around his arm then clipped it back onto his belt. “We’re out of sight here. Let’s have a rest while we dry off.”

“Okay.”

His intense gaze unnerved her. It conveyed thousands of messages while keeping countless secrets.

That look mingled with a sense of pride swelling inside her. The combination elicited a strange sensation in her core that made her stomach tighten.

“You did great.”

She grinned. “Thanks.”

For the first time since her capture, she didn’t feel in immediate danger.

“We should get warm.”

Strangely enough, she was so numb from the frigid water that the cold night air felt burning hot against her skin.

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