Page 12 of Their Trials

His eyes started to glaze over as if in deep thought. “You okay there, Nox?” I asked him, coming to stand closer to him, but he didn't respond. I pushed him to get his attention, doing nothing more than moving him slightly, but he continued to ignore me.

Starting to get a little worried, I turned to get the attention of the others only to find them also in a daze. What the fuck is going on here?

“Arryn?” I called out without a response. A movement from the corner of my eye drew my attention back to the water.

A beautiful woman walked out of the water, like Ariel in The Little Mermaid. The guys all took a step toward her as she reached the shore as if she was drawing them in.

Granted, I knew the bitch was gorgeous, more so than I could ever hope to be, but their reaction sparked heat in my gut, anger and jealousy mixing and unsettling all the water I just drank.

Lennox took another step closer to the woman, her skin glowing, pale blonde hair shining brightly in the sun, and curves accentuated by the fact that she was completely naked. The only thing covering her naughty bits was her hair.

He continued to approach her slowly, the dazed look on his face changing until he had a sappy grin on his face, as if he was deeply in love with her and hadn't seen her in years.

My immediate reaction was to get angry, but that look cemented for me the fact that something really wrong was happening right now. Hell if I knew what it was, but I didn't like the fact that this bitch thought she could mess with what was mine.

I started to stomp in her direction to punch the bitch in the face, but her eyes flicked to me, vacant and haunting in their appearance, and I hesitated at that look. I got the impression that she was starving, and that she was more dangerous than just a human woman.

Like how an animal knew when it was facing a predator and was now considered its prey, I instinctively knew that this was not a woman. She was something else entirely, and she now had her hooks into each of the guys.

Still standing next to Lennox, I grabbed the dagger from the sheath at his waist, his chosen weapon at the start of this whole nightmare. Thanking Callum for his lessons, I strode toward the woman, planning to stand between her and Lennox to keep her away from him.

One second, I was five feet away, and the next, she was passing me, clamping a hand onto Lennox's wrist as he smiled down at her. I spun and slashed the dagger at her, opening a small line on her arm.

Her eyes flashed to mine and despite my best intentions, I froze, my heart stopping in my chest at the hiss she gave me. As I stood there, not sure what to do now that I had her full attention and ire, her image started to morph.

Her smooth skin turned to scales as she grew much larger, her shape changing into that of a small dragon without wings. My knees wanted to buckle at the sight as I now stood before a predator beyond my wildest dreams, even considering we fought a Cú Síth earlier. Holy shit! What have I done?!

It roared in my face, my hair fluttering around me at the dragon's exhalation, before it spun to face Lennox, who climbed onto the back of the creature with the same lovesick look on his face.

Not thinking, I ran to Lennox to stop him, but the dragon rushed through the water and dove beneath the surface with Lennox still on its back.

“Nox!” I yelled, chasing into the water after him.

“Fuck!” Callum cursed behind me, causing me to spin and find him closing the distance between us.

“What the fuck was that? What has Lennox?” I demanded from him. Arryn and Baer also rushed toward me as my heart pounded in fear, up to my shins in the water, watching one of my consorts being taken away from me.

“A Loathly Worm,” Baer said.

Chapter Five: Rhowyn

“There's no way that was a worm. That was a fucking dragon!” I exclaimed as Baer stared at the water, his magic surrounding me as he tried to manipulate the water.

“They're beings that transform into beautiful women, luring men to their deaths beneath the waters,” Arryn explained, watching helplessly as Baer did his best to get Lennox back.

“I'm trying to slow them down in the water, but it's not doing much,” Baer said, his entire focus was on his magic.

A warmth at my hip caught my attention, reminding me of the rope that sat there waiting for me. It was the same sensation that had prompted me to choose the rope to begin with. Deciding to trust my instincts, I unhooked the rope and began tying it around my waist.

Once I had circled it around me twice, I thrust the end at Callum, the strongest of my men. “Hold this.”

Not waiting for his response, I started running after Lennox as soon as Callum’s hands closed around the end of the rope. I'd be damned if I let that bitch take Lennox from me. He'd already saved me once, now it was my turn to return the favor.

I dove under the water as soon as I'd made it far enough, swimming as fast as I could. I had never been the strongest swimmer, but after growing up in the Texas heat, I was proficient.

Under the water, I opened my eyes, easily able to see the dragon with Lennox still on its back. He was slumped over, glazed expression on his face, not fighting against his captivity at all.

My lungs were already starting to burn, and I knew that he'd already been under for too long. He needed air, too, or nothing I did would make a difference. My bond with Baer flared in my mind, coming to the surface at my desperation. I couldn't see it, but I knew that somehow, I had formed an air bubble around Lennox, buying me some more time.

---