Page 127 of Drawn in Blood
“I always am,” Rowan replied with a half-smile. “I’ll see you soon.” And then she sped off back into the tunnels.
“Take the rest of the potion,” Killian said, as they walked back to the edge of the water. “We should just barely make it, but someone will come looking for her eventually.”
Ember stuck the knife in the holster and fished the vial out of her pocket, feeling her heart shatter as she pulled it out.
“It’s broken,” she whispered. “It must’ve shattered when I hit the floor.”
Killian bit the side of his lip as he slid off his jacket and kicked off his shoes, leaving only his slacks and white button up. “Then, I suppose we’ll have to swim fast,” he replied, very matter of fact. “Make sure there’s nothing in that bag that you can’t leave. We don’t need the extra weight while we’re in the water.”
“Killian, I can’t go in there,” Ember replied, as she shook her head. “It’s too far. I won’t make it.”
“Do you trust me?” he asked simply.
“It’s not about trust it’s about?—"
“Do you trust me?” he asked again, grabbing her wrist tightly, fire burning behind the smoke in his eyes.
Ember nodded, swallowing dryly. “Of course I do.”
“Then, empty your bag.”
Ember complied, kicking off her shoes and making sure her holster was secure on her thigh. She dug through her bag, tossing out books and clothes that she didn’t need. She stopped when her fingers grazed the tiara, and she plucked it from the bag, running her fingers along the runes carved into the antlers.
She dropped it into the pool and watched as it sank.
The stone was cold under Ember’s feet, even with socks on. They had to be far enough underground that they were under the mountain, and Ember didn’t even want to think about how cold the water would be when they dove in.
“Do you trust me?” Killian whispered again, gripping her hand.
Ember took a steadying breath as her eyes met his. “With my life.”
And then they jumped.
The icy water enveloped her, stinging her skin as she struggled not to gasp. They swam deeper into the depths, kicking harder than she ever imagined possible. Soon, it leveled out into a long tunnel, and they pushed further and further, as fast as they could go. Ember felt her arms grow heavy, and her chest began to burn. She looked at Killian, eyes wide as she grabbed at her chest.
“Air,”she signed.
He didn’t wait or ask permission, just grabbed the back of her neck and pressed his mouth to hers. He let out a breath, pushing air into her lungs as he held her tightly, lingering only until she was okay to continue swimming. She wished so desperately that they could stay like that just a little while longer.
They pushed ahead, Killian giving her breaths of air when she felt like she was running out, and soon, she could see a pin prick of light in the distance. Her heart beat wildly in her chest as she pushed hard, every muscle in her body aching as she moved the water with her arms. They neared closer, and Ember realized she wouldn’t make it—she needed another breath. She looked over at Killian and signed again.
Killian’s eyes darkened as he shook his head.
“It’s gone,”he signed.
Ember’s pulse raced as they pushed harder, faster, tacking toward the light, at what she prayed was the surface. Her lungs burned, legs aching as she pushed them through the water. They felt more like weights and less like propellers now. Spots started forming in front of her eyes, and her panic worsened. She was going to pass out. She was going to drown. Killian pulled her, yanking her with him, but she knew she was weighing him down. She yanked her arm away from him and pushed forward, but he began slowing down in front of her, eyes widening as he turned back to her.
He clutched his chest, legs slowing as he tried to push himself forward, and his eyes locked on Ember’s, then they fluttered closed. The invisible chord at her chest rattled, vibrating wildly as she swam for him, grabbing him by the arms and kicking as fast as her body would carry her toward the streams of light breaking through the water far above them.
Ember felt like her chest was on fire, the saltwater burning her eyes as she kicked harder. The light was getting closer, and Killian had gone limp in her arms, making it even harder to haul the both of them through the icy water. Just when she thought she might not make it, another arm grabbed her wrist, then a second took Killian’s, and she was speeding for the surface faster than she ever imagined possible.
Her head broke through the surface of the water, and she sucked in breath as quickly as she could, gasping for air as she coughed up the water that had trickled into her lungs. Killian’s head broke through the surface a second later, body still limp, and Gaelen carried him to the edge of the lake, hoisting him up on the edge of the rock.
Killian’s lips were blue, and he laid on the ground unmoving. Ember’s bottom lip trembled as she hovered over him, checking for a pulse she knew she wasn’t going to feel. She started pressing on his chest, over and over in the rhythm she had learned in a first aid class at school in Galway.
“What the bloody hell happened?” Fen cried, as he raced toward her, eyes widening as he hit the ground by his best friend’s head.
Odette was beside him a moment later, eyes wide as she gripped Fen’s hand. Ember felt the back of her head throb where it had hit the stone wall, and she could feel the warmth of blood trickle down her nape. Fen’s face turned pale as he looked between the two of them.
