Page 21 of Daemonium

Lana nodded and dove under the water seconds after Hayven, one by one we followed suit.

When it was my turn, Ky reached out and placed a hand on my shoulder. "I’ll be right behind you.”

Taking a deep breath, I submerged myself in the cold water. I swam forward and reached out with my hand, feeling along the wall until I successfully found the hole I needed to swim through. The water was even colder here; each stroke felt like a struggle. I kept my focus on the faint light ahead and propelled myself forward with strong kicks, aware of Ky swimming just a few feet behind me.

Just as my lungs started to burn, I was able to swim up and break the surface again. I coughed a few times, grateful for Ky as he moved my hair out of my face so that I could look around. We were in a dimly lit cave of sorts. I glided in the water until I reached where the ground sloped upwards, allowing me to stand again. The water now only reached my waist.

I was completely soaked--my clothes clung uncomfortably to my skin; and my hair was plastered to my head. I scanned Ky's appearance, and he did the same to me, his beautiful eyes taking in every inch of my face.

In a moment of instinct, I reached up and fixed his mask over his head, using my fingers to settle a few strands of his hair. He reciprocated by placing his hand on my hip and rubbing just beneath my pants with his thumb. He still looked as amazing as ever, the most gorgeous man I’d ever laid my eyes on. I probably looked like a troll doll that went through a spin-cycle—a hot mess.

"I don't mind you being messy, Sunshine," he responded to the thought that had accidentally escaped my lips.

Of course, he wouldn’t. Feeling my face flush from both embarrassment and where he was pressing, I surveyed the cave around us.

There were small ledges fixed onto the walls, resembling rock climbing holds. They had to serve some purpose. There was no other way to climb out of this passageway that extended into complete darkness.

Lana stood a few feet away, sizing up Hayven with narrowed eyes. "Where do I know you from?"

Hayven blinked and wrung out her hair. "You don’t re--we went to school together."

"Right. And you got to go to college?" Lana asked, sounding confused now.

My heart ached at the reminder that we were meant to attend university too, even if it was just for our families' satisfaction. We should have been doing so many other things, but they decided to abandon us here instead. I wished I knew why. I wished for so many things at that moment, but most of all I wished we didn’t have to do any of this and for her and Mel to be safe.

Mel emerged with Brody and Charon following behind her, with Dion trailing behind them.

“This fucking place is wreaking havoc on my hair,” she complained, adjusting and wringing out the hoodie she had on, which was now like a small wet blanket.

"Where's...?"

Ciaran suddenly popped up next to Maverick. He slicked back his hair and flashed a charming grin at Lana like some kind of supermodel.

"Never mind," she rolled her eyes and turned away, but I caught the barely hidden smile on her face.

The rest of the group successfully made it through the obstacle. I checked on Carol to make sure she was alright; she nodded back at me, understanding my unspoken question. The older man was struggling to catch his breath but appeared to be fine otherwise.

The knot on his head was turning a brilliant shade of purple, though.

"You keep looking at him like that, I'll start getting jealous," Ky warned, still massaging my hip.

My lips slightly curled. “He’s like, sixty.”

“Your eyes still see him.”

I gazed up at him and responded, "You have no reason to ever feel jealous."

"Then stop staring at other people," he retorted, applying more pressure to my hip.

It was distracting. I didn't think he realized just how amazing it felt, or perhaps he did and that's why he hadn't stopped yet.

"We need to go up now, right?" I asked.

He suddenly turned me around while still holding onto my hip and wrapped an arm tightly around my chest, pulling me close. Maverick turned his head and raised an eyebrow, amusement on his face. He was always watching. I wondered if that was his thing but didn’t dare ask.

"Isn't going up the too obvious choice?" one of the new girls chimed in, her shirt almost see-through.

"The song said to go down," the other girl added.

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