Page 29 of Nemesis

When the sun finally peeks above the waterline, Kade stands. He seems to be waiting for something, and finally holds out his hand. “Come. We should begin.”

“Begin?” I look up at him. “You’ve barely told me anything. Just offered me tea and sat here in silence.”

He pinches the bridge of his nose. “I’ll tell you in the car.”

“Because I am yourfavor.” I rise without his help and undo the buckles of my jacket. Then the zipper. I drop it to the grass and unbutton my pants next. I take more care with the gun, still strapped in its holster, then kick off my boots and peel away my socks. Pants next, shaking them out and making an effort to fold them on top of my boots.

He watches me, his dark eyes seeming to get even blacker. “That’s not what I meant, Artemis.”

I roll my eyes, but I don’t stop. My blouse is next, until I’m standing in just my underwear. The wind whips at my hair, tugging strands loose from my braid and threatening to push me off that cliff. Not that I would mind—it’s been my impulse since the very beginning, after all.

And somehow, I need to get the feel of Saint off me.

It’s been two days, and I stillfeel him. His fingers left bruises on my hips where he gripped me, but it’s worse than just that. There’s guilt associated with his touch that I can’t rid myself of, no matter how many showers I take.

Does it remind me of my past, or am I just losing my mind?

Is this a betrayal to my best friend?

I don’t have an answer—and I’ve taken a shit ton of showers in the last two days.

Atlas, aka Kade, is giving me nothing.

I suddenly want to give him nothing in return. The trick with this particular cliffside is to push off at the jump. There’s a cropping of rocks at the bottom that will absolutely snap bones if you hit it wrong. It’s why throwing people over is so tempting. No launch from the start means they fall straight down.

I listen for theshushof water rushing back out to sea. When there’s a slight pause in the oncoming waves, I jump.

I take two big steps, ignoring how the rocks stab into the soles of my feet. I swear Kade reaches for me. His fingers graze my arm. But he’s not fast enough, and the wind carries his alarmed shout away.

I leap into the open air, holding my arms out for a brief moment. Then I cross them and straighten my body, hold my breath, and hit the water like an arrow.

The chill of it wakes me up, and I shoot down, down, down. My bare toes brush the mossy rock underneath, and the water feels more like a gentle squeeze down here than a washing machine’s spin cycle. I look up and watch the roll of a wave overhead. It’s white-capped and angry, but it can’t touch me.

I release a slow stream of bubbles.

In a minute, I’ll swim away from the rock face. There’s a ladder I’ll eventually need to get to. But not yet.

This is the first time I’ve felt like myself, and I don’t want to let it go.

A second later, another body enters the water.

Kade hits feet-first, but he turns underwater and dives down. He seems to think I’m stuck or incompetent, maybe, because he grabs at me.

I shove him away.

Eye contact is really not easy underwater. And neither are pointed looks… or glares. It’s like saying,if looks could kill, but the receiver took off their glasses.

He catches my hand, intending to drag me up, but I hold fast. My lungs have begun that delicious ache, the burn for oxygen. I can last another minute, maybe. Thirty seconds comfortably. But that’s all we need.

Another wave moves over us, the last of a swell, and I relent. I push off and kick for the surface.

We breach at the same time, a good fifteen yards from the cliff. I suck in a lungful of air, the burn in my chest immediately easing.

“What thefuck?”

I slick the water out of my face. “You joined me.”

To say I’m surprised is an understatement.

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