Page 86 of The Irish Redemption

35

EVELYN

The water rises torturously slowly when it reaches my face, although that’s probably because I’m much more aware of it now. As it crept over my body, I allowed my mind to drift, but now it’s right in my face and there’s no avoiding my impending death.

Noah didn’t return.

Did Cormac kill him? Maybe he forgot about me.

Maybe he’s still looking.

This is all my fault.

My body grows numb from the chill of the water, but not enough that I don’t feel the pain each time I try to breathe deeply. My bruised ribs complain with every full breath I attempt to take as the water creeps up my cheeks. Soon, even tilting my head back to look straight up fails to save me from the water line. It caresses me like the icy, dead hands of a lover and with one final breath, the water closes over my head.

I blink weakly through the hazy liquid, holding my breath as tightly as I dare. There’s a small voice in my head telling me to give in. To just breathe and die quickly so that this will all be over.

I couldn’t even if I wanted to.

Something stops me—survival instinct, I suppose. My chest remains tight, and it begins to burn. My abdomen pulls inward as my body battles with itself, fighting the instinctual need for air with the instinctual response to not breathe underwater. My lungs burn, and my throat grows incredibly tickly, giving me an overwhelming urge to cough.

But I can’t.

Heat stings behind my eyes, and a final, aching pulse of defeat comes with it. I’d cry, but my tears are lost to the water.

I thought Cormac would find me.

As I cling to my last few seconds, the roaring of my struggling pulse fills my ears and my head throbs painfully. My cheeks bulge and my body screams in strain. Then I give in as the last of my air escapes in tiny bubbles past my lips.

I try to.

The moment I part my lips, warm hands clutch at my face and a familiar set of lips presses against mine. They close over my mouth, creating a seal, and suddenly, air is being forced past my lips and into my lungs. I blink furiously through the murky water, trying to get a glimpse of who is here, but it’s so dark that I can’t make out any details.

Maybe this is death and I’m dreaming because the mouth and hands vanish after granting me a few precious seconds of air. I cling to it because my body craves life even if my soul accepts defeat. Then the mouth is back, and I know that mouth. I know that mouth so well.

Another kiss of life, another forceful rush of air, and I gain another few seconds. Then more.

It’s the most painful thing I’ve ever experienced. Clinging to the minute oxygen gifted to me from someone else’s lungs while every muscle in my body is locked rigid on the brink of death. These precious few seconds stretch on for an eternity. My head swells as if it’s about to explode like an overblown balloon, and the pain in my ribs grows sharp and prominent.

I can’t do this.

I close my eyes.

“Evie? Come on, Evie, wake up, baby. Please, open your eyes. Wake up. Wake up!”

I do.

My eyes snap open as water bubbles from my lips. I cough weakly, and my body convulses in the firm, chilled arms of the man I love. It feels like a dream. It must be a dream because how can Cormac be here?

“Evie,” he gasps, water dripping from his hair like a faucet. “Oh, my God, you’re alive. You’re alive!” He pulls me close, tucking me to his chest and pressing his lips to my forehead. “I’m so sorry, I’m so fucking sorry!”

I cough again, flaring hot pain in my raw throat. I feel like I’ve just run a marathon at top speed and everything inside me is raw and inflamed. But Cormac is here, and suddenly, it doesn’t matter.

“Cormac,” I croak, and he relaxes his grip so I can look up at him. “You came for me.”

“I did,” he says hurriedly. “I did. I’m here. You’re safe, baby. You’re safe. The water’s draining. You’re safe. I’m right here.”

The edges of my vision are fuzzy, making Cormac look like he’s on the other side of warped glass, and my heart aches with each beat in my chest. Lifting one cold hand, now free from its bonds, I cup his wet cheek.

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