Page 164 of Emperor of Wrath

But right now, it’s all I have.

I kick back over to Kenzo and climb out. I refuse to acknowledge how bad and close to death he looks. Instead, I tie one leg of my pants to each of his wrists and back up to where he’s sitting on the step right above the water, looping the pants around my neck.

I turn to cup his face, looking into his hooded, shallow eyes.

“I need you to take a deep breath,” I whisper quietly. “And I need you to hold it for a long time. Yeah?”

“Yeah,” he murmurs. “Yeah, princess, I?—”

I kiss him hard, searing my lips to his as I hold his face in my hands.

Time to go.

I turn, adjust the makeshift harness around my neck, and plunge forward into the water. A splash follows as Kenzo’s weight tips in after me. The pants bite into my neck, and my muscles scream as I kick down, dragging us deeper into the abyss below us. Fear rips and claws into me as we near the dark hole in the floor.

But I can’t stop now.

We dive into it, and I swim lower, going the same direction as the fish, praying to whatever God or gods are listening that the fish knew what the fuck it was doing.

We’re in a smooth tunnel, and as I swim forward, I realize it’s some kind of sewer main or water conduit.

I have no idea what’s at the other end.

But there’s no turning back now.

So I swim. I swim until my legs burn and my lungs scream. I swim until my vision blurs and my body is milliseconds away from giving out, giving up, and swallowing a mouthful of death.

That’s when I see the light.

There’s fucking light ahead.

There’s nothing left in my tank, but I floor it anyway. I kick and paddle, my body screaming for oxygen until, suddenly, we’re falling?—

And for one brief second, I can fucking breathe.

Then I choke on water and spray as I go plunging back into water. Kenzo’s weight pulls me down, but I fight and kick, dragging us both back to the surface. When I break through, I gasp for air, sucking sweet, sweet oxygen into my lungs with a wrenching sob.

We’re outside. There’s moonlight glinting down on us, and air across our faces.

My eyes lock onto the shore of the runoff pond. I kick away from the gush of water surging out of the pipe behind us, swimming with everything I have left until I get to land.

Kenzo is limp as I drag him out of the water.

His chest isn’t moving anymore.

“KENZO!” I scream. I turn to the side, spasming as I vomit up grimy water, wheezing before I turn back to him. “KENZO!!!” I scream in his face, slamming my fists on his chest.

Hot tears sting my eyes and roll down my cheeks.

“FUCK YOU!!” I scream, pounding his chest again.

Something else is wrong. My vision is getting darker. My breathing is slowing.

I’m getting weaker.

I raise my fist and slam it as hard as I can against his chest, screaming his name as loud as I can.

His abs clench. His throat bobs and he sputters. Sobbing, I grab his face and turn it to the side as he chokes up water, wheezing and gasping as I fall across his chest.

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