Page 65 of Drenched

I lifted my head, blood dripping from my mouth, my vision narrowing to just her face and the cold glint of the rifle. My body felt like it was shutting down, but my mind was clear. Sharp. I met her gaze, unblinking, my jaw clenched against the pain.

“No!” Amanda’s voice rang out, desperate and shrill. She shoved through the crowd, her eyes wide with horror. “Mom, stop!”

Amanda grabbed the rifle barrel, her hands trembling. They struggled, the weapon jerking wildly between them. The cold night air crackled with tension, each second stretching out, unbearably long.

A shot cracked the silence.

Amanda’s body went rigid. Her eyes widened in shock, her mouth opening in a silent gasp. Blood bloomed across her chest like a dark, spreading flower. Her knees gave way, and she collapsed, her lifeless form crumpling to the ground.

Time froze. The world seemed to hold its breath.

Tanya’s scream ripped through the night, a sound so full of anguish it made my bones ache. She dropped to her knees beside Amanda, her hands shaking as they hovered over her daughter’s still form.

“No, no, no,” Tanya sobbed, her voice breaking apart. “Amanda! Please!”

Her grief poured out in wrenching wails, her body rocking as if the force of her sorrow might shatter her. The villagers stood frozen, their faces pale, eyes wide with terror and disbelief.

I barely felt the hands gripping me now. Everything blurred at the edges. The cold, the pain, the blood, all of it faded into the background. My gaze fixed on Tanya, her sobs mixing with the distant crash of waves.

She turned to me, her face twisted, eyes blazing with a madness born of grief. She grabbed a fistful of my hair, yanking my head back until my neck screamed with pain. Her breath came in ragged gasps, her face inches from mine.

“I’ll finish you myself,” she snarled. “I don’t know how you survived the Abyss, but if he didn’t kill you, I will.”

I spat in her face, the blood mixing with my defiance. “Do it.”

Her eyes narrowed, the rifle shaking in her hands. The barrel pressed against my forehead, the cold metal biting into my skin.

“Goodbye, Pearl,” she said, her voice trembling.

The gunshot cracked the night open.

Pain burst through me. A hot, searing flash that quickly dulled into cold. My body crumpled, the ground rising up to meet me. Darkness wrapped around the edges of my vision, pulling meunder. My breaths came in shallow, wet gasps, the taste of blood heavy in my mouth. My fingers twitched, numb and useless.

“Rynar…” The word slipped out, barely a whisper. My voice was gone, my strength fading fast.

The ground trembled beneath me. A low, rumbling growl rolled through the earth, rising into a roar. The scent of salt and decay filled my lungs. The waves grew louder, their crash swelling, echoing with fury.

Tanya’s face twisted into a cruel smile. “The Abyss is here for you, to end you.”

I laughed, a thin, broken sound that hurt. Blood bubbled in my throat. “Oh, he’s here for me,” I rasped. “But you’ll see, Tanya. You’ll see how he avenges me.”

Chapter Twenty Four

The world blurred, smudged with smoke and salt. My eyelids fluttered, too heavy to keep open, but I forced myself to focus. The sharp scent of the ocean filled my nose, mixed with the acrid stink of fire and blood.

Then I saw him.

Rynar.

His silver glow sliced through the dark, a beacon of something ancient and deadly. His tail shimmered in the moonlight, the scales catching and reflecting every glimmer. The sight of him should have terrified me, but instead, something inside me uncoiled.

He was here. And he was furious.

The water lapped at his waist, but with each step, his tail shifted. The sleek, sinuous form shimmered, dissolving into powerful legs. The transition was seamless, otherworldly. When hestepped onto the sand, he stood tall and unyielding, the ocean dripping from his skin like it had no claim on him anymore.

The villagers shrank back, their faces pale with fear. Their eyes darted around like trapped animals, searching for an escape that didn’t exist. The fire behind them crackled and roared, casting shadows that danced.

I tried to push myself up, but my body refused. Pain held me captive, anchored to the cold sand., Each breath sharp and shallow. My vision swam, slipping in and out of focus. I could barely keep my eyes open, but I didn’t need to see clearly to know what was happening.

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