Page 26 of Forging Darkness

A flutter of my pulse is all it takes for me to panic. I’m further out in the water than I realized, and although the pool’s edge is only a few lengths away, it feels like miles. I turn, and the water pulls at me like sludge.

My weakened knees bend and I submerge, inhaling water. I come up coughing. My body reflexively bends at the waist with each hack, and I end up dunking myself again.

Tentacles slip around my middle and behind my knees, and I’m tilted backward. I push against whatever is holding me, flailing and sputtering in the water.

It’s hard to see anything clearly because the water sparkles like liquid crystals, blinding me.

The manacles wrap tighter, restricting my movements.

It isn’t until his mouth is next to my ear calling my name and I’m sucking in a lungful of Steel-scented air that I realize it’s him that has me, not some mystery monster from the deep.

I stop fighting, my ragged breathing filling the space around us. It’s loud enough to disturb even the spectrum air, which shivers with each exhale. Steel keeps me pressed to his chest.

My arms warp around his neck in a near chokehold, and I’ve drawn my knees up so I’m almost in a ball. With my face buried into the side of his neck, the ends of his hair tickle my forehead.

Panic slowly dissolves, but I can’t seem to force my arms to loosen.

Goose bumps are a thing of the past as my skin is now on fire.

“You ready for me to let go of you yet?”

I squeak a non-answer and plaster myself to him, eliminating whatever minuscule bit of space might have been between us the moment before.

Steel’s chest vibrates with his near-silent laugh. “I guess we’ll just chill like this for a bit longer.”

This is so embarrassing. I’m only glad no one else is here to bear witness.

Correction, I’m glad Sterling isn’t here. I’d legit never hear the end of it.

A few minutes pass and the tension leaks from my limbs. I hold them so rigidly, they shake with weakness. Clearing my throat, I loosen my hold on Steel. My cheek brushes his as I lean away, un-suctioning my chest from his.

His arms are anchored around my lower back and under my legs.

“Would you mind . . . um . . . letting me down.”

I stare at the glittery water rather than his face as his arms melt away. Panic spikes again and I slam my body back against his and try to climb him like a flippin’ tree. “No, no. Don’t let go. Maybe just don’t hold me like a baby anymore?”

“All right. I’ve got you.”

I force my limbs to relax. I can only take a few inches of space between us—any more, and fear starts to churn in my gut.

My logical brain finally wakes up, but it only makes me feel worse about myself. I wish I wasn’t like this—that a few incidents hadn’t defined this part of myself. I’m probably the only Nephilim on the planet with a water phobia. I’m a freak by Nephilim and human standards.

“Read any more of those shirtless shifter books?”

“What?” My mind wipes clean of previous thoughts as I blink at Steel, trying to make sense of his question.

“I’m just wondering about those books you said you read. The ones with the guys who end up naked when they shift.”

“I never said I read anything like that.” I wrack my brain to think if I’ve even read a novel since coming to Seraph.

Steel’s head cants to the side. A chunk of wet hair flops across his forehead, his smile nothing short of wolfish.

“Sure you did. When we were in the cave that first day, hiding from the Forsaken. You wanted to know what happened to my clothes when I shifted because of all the shifter romances you’d read.”

I remembered that day and that conversation. That’s not exactly how it went down.

“You’re muddling the details a bit.”

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