Page 38 of Fated

He doubled over, one hand flying to his chest as he tipped his head back in laughter.

As hard as I tried, I couldn’t help the smile tugging at my lips.

His laughter, genuine and infectious, was the same beautiful sound I’d heard in the vision and for the first time, Ash seemed almost … well, almost human.

I crossed my arms. “It’s not funny,” I muttered, but there was a small laugh in my voice, one I couldn’t hide.

“Actually, I think it wasprettyfunny,” he said with a smirk before pointing to the wetsuit in my hand. “Your turn.”

I swallowed nervously, my gaze trailing over him.

The wetsuit clung to him, highlighting every defined muscle,every hard line of his body. Then my eyes drifted further down than I intended, and I quickly looked away, cheeks flaming. He was still smiling, standing there like some kind of swimsuit model.

I chewed on my lip, glancing at the wetsuit in my hand.

“Would it make you feel better if I turned around?” That damn grin.

My head nodded, watching carefully as he turned fully away from me. Yet, even with his back to me, it seemed impossible to move.

“Areya, I’m not going to look,” he called over his shoulder.

“Promise?” I squeaked.

“Pinky promise.”

Quickly and clumsily, lacking all of Ash’s skill and grace, I stripped off my clothes and wiggled my way into the wetsuit. The tight material clung awkwardly to my skin as I zipped up the front, feeling far more ridiculous than anticipated. I folded my clothes and stuffed them inside the waterproof bag, trying my best not to think about how absurd the situation was.

“Ok,” I said, signaling I was dressed.

Ash turned to face me, scanning my body with the same assessing gaze I’d given him earlier, making me suddenly very self-conscious. A hint of a smile still played on his lips as he folded his clothes and packed them in the large plastic bag, along with his small duffel bag.

Then he began to put on and attach his scuba gear, leaving me cluelessly staring down at my own. Without hesitation—after finishing his, he walked over to me and picked up my vest, motioning for me to put my arms through. I slid my arms through the weighted vest, and when I turned around, he zipped me up. Again, I felt ridiculous. After securing my clothes bag to ahook on my vest, he proceeded to attach the other pieces of gear, showing me how to use the mouthpiece before twisting some knobs and handing me my goggles.

Now, I felt like a penguin, and Ash—Ash looked like a damn model out of a scuba divers’ catalog. Once we were both ready, he reached his hand out for mine.

“No gloves?” I motioned to my bare hands.

He smirked, an almost playful glint in his eyes.

“What else could you possibly do to me?” he asked.

I rolled my eyes, hesitating for just a moment before slipping my hand into his. As Ash’s fingers wrapped around mine, an unexpected wave of shyness swept over me, but I quickly pushed it aside.

Were we really about to do this? Never, in my wildest dreams, would I have imagined myself here, geared up and about to go scuba diving with a vampire in a magical lake full of monsters.

I snorted to myself, drawing a curious glance from Ash.

But I only shook my head.

The moment my eyes fell back on the lake, I suddenly felt as though I might be sick. Ash, of course, seemed completely unfazed. Doing my best to mirror his confidence, I somehow swallowed down the knot of fear building in my throat.

But as hard as I tried, my pulse raced, my body betraying the panic clawing at the edges of my mind. I focused on the one thing anchoring me—Ash’s hand in mine, clinging to it like a lifeline. Together, we stepped into the lake. Mud squished between my toes, cold and slimy and with each step, the icy water crept higher, sending chills racing through my body.

My teeth began to chatter uncontrollably as we waded deeper, the water so murky, nothing was visible beneath the surface, a fact which terrified me more than anything.

A few more steps in, I froze. My heartbeat thundered in my ears, and my chest tightened with panic. Ash turned to me and squeezed my hand.

“I won’t let anything hurt you.”

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