Page 11 of Treasure of the Abyss

“No.”

For a moment, she stared at him, silent, unsure if she’d heard his response or imaginedit.

“Then you could show me, and I-I can find myway.”

Oh, God. She didn’t want to face the seaalone.

“No,” he repeated. There was no malice in his voice, but his tone wasfirm.

“What do youmean?”

“I will not allow you the chance to lead your people to thisplace.”

Macy dug her fingers into her arms to keep them from trembling. “I won’t. I promise I won’t tell anyone about you, about this cave. Aboutanything. I just want to gohome.”

“I cannot trust the words of a human. I will not kill you, but you will remainhere.”

Her chest constricted; she couldn’tbreathe.

“Can you at least tell me if you saw my friend? He was on the boat with me. Is he…alive?”

“I saw only you,Macy.”

She was relieved that Camrin hadn’t been captured, too, but what were the chances he’d survived thestorm?

“Please.” Tears obscured her vision. “Please, let me go. I can’t stayhere.”

“No,” he said again, softer thistime.

Her face crumpled, and hot tears rolled down her cheeks. He wasn’t going to let hergo.

Jax’s eyes widened, and he approached her. Leaning close, he raised a hand toward herface.

She slapped it away and stepped back. “Leave mealone!”

Jax recoiled, red pulsing across his skin. The shocked expression faded from his facequickly.

Macy didn’t care if she’d offended or angered him; he was keeping her as a prisoner. She moved farther away, sank to the ground beside a barrel, covered her face with her hands and cried. Her shoulders shook with each wail and shuddering breath as shecried.

She didn’t know where she was or what she was going todo.

Would she ever see The Watch again? Would she ever see her parents orAymee?

She didn’t even know if Camrin was alive or dead. Only that it was herfault.

I should have toldhim!

There was a splash on the far side of the cavern. She didn’t have to look up to tell Jax was gone. She wasalone.

That only made her cryharder.

Chapter 3

Senses reeling,Jax plunged into the water. The initial blast of cold did little to clear hismind.

Sorrow had saturated Macy’s expression, her posture, her tone; their physical differences had not masked her emotions. Seeing her in such a state had made his chest ache, even as the water spilling from her eyes had piqued hiscuriosity.

Why had her eyes leaked? Was it something all humans did, or was something wrong withher?

---