Page 100 of Endo

It’s Lena.

She’s right in the middle of it all, her eyes bright and her grin sharp, tossing jabs and laughing like she was born for moments like this. There’s something magnetic about her, the way she comes alive when she’s surrounded by this chaos. I can’t stop watching her, like gravity’s pulling me in whether I like it or not.

“You’re all talk,celona mou,” I say, stepping up behind her, my voice low enough for just her to hear.

She turns to me, her brows lifting, her mouth twitching like she’s already planning her comeback. “Excuse me?”

“Let’s see if you can actually back it up,” I say, smirking.

“You’re on.” Her grin sharpens, her eyes narrowing with that competitive spark that drives me insane—in the best way.

The rest of the group doesn’t hesitate to jump in, grabbing jet skis and making their way to the water. Revel and Cece are already bickering over who’s going to win, while Wolfe and Sayshen trail behind, throwing out sarcastic commentary.

“We’ll meet you two at the cove!” Cece calls, already climbing onto her jet ski. “Try not to embarrass yourself, Reign!”

“Not a chance,” I reply, slipping off my shirt and tossing it onto the dock before following Lena to the last two jet skis.

She doesn’t say anything as she climbs on, but the way she throws me a look over her shoulder says enough.

We push off from the dock, the engines roaring as the group takes off toward the open water. Lena and I hang back, her jet ski cutting through the waves with practiced ease.

“Try to keep up!” she shouts, glancing over her shoulder with a smirk that makes my chest tighten.

“Keep up?” I call back, gunning my engine to close the gap. “I’m letting you think you’re winning!”

She sticks her tongue out, weaving through the waves with a confidence that leaves no doubt she knows exactly what she’s doing. The spray of water glints in the sunlight, catching on her hair and her skin, and I can’t take my eyes off her.

When she veers to the left, I follow, pushing harder until we’re side by side. She glances at me, her smirk widening as she cuts sharply in front of me, kicking up a wall of water that soaks me completely.

“You’re such an ass!” she yells, her laughter ringing out over the waves.

“You love it!” I shout back, grinning as I chase her down.

We dart away from the group, the noise of their engines fading behind us as we weave through the water. Eventually, Lena slows, cutting her engine as we glide into a small, shallow cove. The water here is calm, the sunlight filtering through the trees above and reflecting off the vibrant coral below.

She slides off her jet ski, landing lightly in the water.

“What are you doing?” I ask, watching as she slides into the water without hesitation, her golden hair clinging to her back as she wades closer to the coral.

She glances over her shoulder, her eyes glinting with something playful, something warm. “Come here,” she says, waving me forward, her tone softer now. “I want to show you something.”

I kill my engine, slipping into the water after her. It’s cooler than I expected, the kind of refreshing that pulls a low sigh from my chest after baking under the sun. I follow her toward the coral, and when I get close enough, she points toward a cluster of it, her voice tinged with excitement.

“See that one?” she asks, motioning to a rounded formation that glows a pale green under the light. “That’s brain coral. And over there, the one that looks like a fan? That’s sea whip coral. They’re alive—part of an entire ecosystem.”

Her voice is soft but vibrant, every word filled with the kind of passion she rarely lets anyone see. Her eyes light up as she talks, and I can’t stop staring. This is Lena when she’s unguarded, raw and real, and it hits me like a punch to the chest.

Before I can reply, a shadow glides past us. A sea turtle, its massive shell glinting in the sunlight, moves gracefully through the water, oblivious to our presence. Then, in the distance, a pod of dolphins cuts through the waves, their sleek bodies moving in perfect harmony.

“It’s like magic,” Lena whispers, her voice barely audible over the soft lapping of the waves.

“Yeah,” I murmur, though my eyes aren’t on the dolphins.

They’re on her.

She steps forward, her focus still on the water, but the moment she plants her foot on a slick rock, her balance wavers. Her arms flail instinctively, and without thinking, I reach out. My hands grip her waist, steadying her before she can fall.

“You alright?” My voice is lower than I intended, rough with the tension that coils tight in my chest.

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