Page 121 of Their Demon

My body was being pushed to the brink as I swam up, not used to being put through this sort of torture. I couldn’t imagine how hard this would have been had I not been training with the princes. My legs were burning, and the heavy egg wasn’t helping. I couldn't tell how far away the surface was; it was like staring at a fucking illusion, like I was right there but never breaking through.

I stilled as a strange noise echoed around me. It took me a second to recognize it—the clicking noise from the hippocampus. I looked around but didn’t see anything. It was too fucking dark.

I started swimming up again, but I saw it from the corner of my eye.

Charging right for me.

Chapter 49

Keir

She was nothing more than a silhouette once she got to the middle of the lake, and I felt our bond start to strain when she dove. It was like the water, the evil the lake held, was able to dampen our connection.

I managed to keep myself from calling out to her, not wanting to distract her. I also couldn’t hear her, no matter how hard I listened.

I felt helpless. I hated feeling helpless.

It had been seventeen minutes since she’d dived in; I was counting carefully, more than ready to tear through anyone I had to if anything went wrong. The twins watched with me, their bodies tense with similar anxiety, waiting for our girl to surface.

The nests were deep, but she should have just enough time to get down there and back with that pill. Ida was our own damn angel from Hell, the good kind. She’d really come through for us. I’d forever be in her debt for everything she’d already done for us, for Lillian.

My chest grew tighter by the second as Lillian’s time to breathe underwater ticked away. Not only that, but there were dangerous creatures under there, not just the hippocampi she was stealing from.

The only thing that comforted me was our bond, which was still firmly in place. As long as I felt her, no matter how far away she was, I knew she was okay.

Our father had been sitting on the stupid chair he’d brought, looking out over the multitude of people he’d brought along with him as he gloated about the most recent soul numbers—the highest daily rate for hundreds of thousands of years. He was proud; I was disgusted. Leave it to him to worry about the damned souls coming to Hell waiting for punishment and not his people who needed him.

“She’s been down there too long,” Nicholas muttered. He was flexing his fist and shifting his legs back and forth, making me even more anxious.

“So what’s the plan?” Aiden said even quieter. “Because someone has to get out there to save her, but they’ll ambush us the moment they get a whiff of our intentions.”

My mind was racing, thinking of all our options. Who would swim out to Lillian? Who would take care of the guards? Could we get past them and save her in time?

Suddenly, I felt her again, close, and soon after, someone in the crowd yelled, everyone pointing and shouting.

“There she is!”

“I see her!”

“By Satan, she did it!”

“I can’t believe she’s alive.”

The murmuring continued as we watched her boat get closer and closer to the shore.

“She’s hurt,” I said to my brothers, feeling an ache in my chest like I’d been hit with a sledgehammer, growing stronger as she got closer. “I can feel it.”

Nicholas began walking toward the shore, and one of the guards watching us stepped in front of him. “Let us through.” He shoved the guard’s shoulder, forcing him to the side.

Three more guards took his place, and a few more ran over, trying to form a barrier to keep us from our girl. I needed to get to her, now. She needed me. Her boat was so close to the shore, her arms moving the oars so slowly. She was exhausted, and I tried to push my own energy and drive through our bond, hoping to help her however I could.

“GET OUT OF MY WAY!” I heard my own voice boom so loud, everyone turned to watch us instead of Lillian. I felt my shadows creep out, ready to play, and sent them after a random guard to my left, wrapping around his throat so tightly, he immediately started scratching at his neck. His feet kicked into the air helplessly as he was lifted off the ground. “Get out of our fucking way, or you’ll be next. I won’t say it again.” The guard’s face was turning purple, but I didn’t stop squeezing the life from him, not until he went completely still.

One of many I’d killed in the name of my destined love, and he wouldn’t be the last.

The guards looked to the stage, where our father observed the entire thing with a snarl. He was displeased she was back, displeased to see our loyalty to her run so deep. “Let them pass.” The guards moved out of our way. “If I find out any of you helped her cheat, I’ll kill you alongside her.”

I ignored his comment as we stalked to the lake. Lillian had made it to the shore and was walking away from the boat, the large egg cradled in her arms. She looked up and smiled the most exhausted, pitiful, happy smile I’d ever seen.

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