Page 63 of The Vipers' Vow

23

ZANE

We’ll need to use the tender to get back to shore. There are more of us leaving than we arrived with, but the inflatable is big enough to take us all. I’ll be happy to get my feet on dry land.

We’ll leave Jarl on his boat. I’m not one hundred percent sure we’re making the right decision by letting him live, but Saint seems confident, and I trust him. He clearly kept himself busy while I was at the MC compound with Vani.

The two guys from the MC swing themselves down the ladder first and climb into the tender. They’re both still damp, but the late fall sunshine is drying them out quickly enough.

They reach back up to help Lex, who, with only one working hand, finds it harder with the ladder.

Vani waits by the handrail for her turn. She throws me a smile, and I smile back. This worked out, and none of our guys got hurt. It’s a huge win, and I’m looking forward to us going back to the university and all being together again.

From out of nowhere, the roar of something monstrous comes from behind me. A huge, bloodied creature rises from the deck, like something from a horror movie. We’re all caught unaware, believing this whole thing is over, so none of us even has the time to react.

“Apo,” Jarl shouts. “No!”

But he’s not listening. He runs at a stagger, directly at Vani. She barely has time to scream before he collides with her.

They topple over the handrail and vanish.

A massive splash sounds as they hit the water below.

“No!” Saint yells.

I don’t even hesitate or pause to kick off my shoes. I run to the edge and climb over the handrail Vani just fell over and dive into the water.

The cold shock of the lake hits me like a punch to the chest, and the rush of water around my ears deafens me. I open my eyes and blink a couple of times, trying to see. Where the fuck is she? The murky depth of the lake has low visibility. How deep is this thing? I know it must be deep for it to take a boat the size of Jarl’s without risking it banking anywhere. I hold my breath tight in my lungs and swim down with powerful strokes, looking from side to side. I picture the weight of Apo’s body pushing Vani into the depths. We can’t lose her now, not like this.

I catch a glimpse of something. It’s not directly below me, but off to my right.

The pale flash of a hand.

Nearby, a stream of red curls move like smoke through the water, and I realize it’s Apo’s blood from where Lex shot him. I guess I should be thankful there are no sharks or crocs in these waters.

I see Vani, struggling with the weight of Apo, while she tries to swim. How the fuck is he still alive?

I change direction and swim through the water toward them. Vani sees me coming and her struggles increase. She’s frantic and terrified.

I lunge at them, hooking myself around Vani and trying to tear Apo’s hands from her. He’s like the crocodile I’d feared, wrapping himself around her to drag her down so he can roll her in the dirt and silt at the bottom of the lake. His eyes are open too, and he looks wild and furious. Even through the murky water, he gives me the grin of a madman.

He knows exactly what he’s doing. He knows he’s not going to live, so he’s trying to take the one thing that matters to us with him when he goes.

Well, there’s no way in hell I’m going to let that happen.

I wrestle him, trying to pry Vani out of his grip. But he’s holding on to her, like a literal man drowning. Our movements are slow down here, hampered by the weight of the water. She’s still conscious, her brown eyes wide and terrified as she struggles against the monster holding her under.

My lungs burn, but I swear to God, I’ll drown down here myself before I let her go.

I manage to plant a foot between Apo’s legs. The impact is nowhere near as strong as it would have been if we’d been surrounded by air, but it’s enough for his eyes to widen. I jam harder, putting everything I have into it, and finally his mouth opens, and he sucks in air, except there is none. His mouth fills with water like something out of a horror movie, widening into a scream.

His body jerks and convulses as more water pours into his lungs. He can’t even try to swim for the surface while he’s locked in this battle with us. My lungs are screaming for air, but his must be agony as the water rushes in. There’s fear in his eyes as he stares up at the shimmering light penetrating the first few feet of water and starts to sink. His hands unfurl from Vani, and he slowly moves away from us into the murky depths, his eyes a mix of terror and resignation that I’ll never forget.

Vani looks like she’s about to lose consciousness any second, and I’m feeling the same way.

I grab her waist and push toward the surface, kicking hard. We break the surface, and I suck in huge amounts of air, my vision blurring as I almost pass out. Vani is limp in my arms, but then she jerks and breathes in with an agonized moan and a volley of coughing.

Arms are reaching for us, and I blink to try to clear my vision. It’s Phoenix reaching for Vani, and I move her gently toward his outstretched hands so he can pull her into the tender. I follow her, hauling myself over the side, with the help of Zoo, grabbing my soaking shirt and yanking me up and over.

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