Page 104 of Dance with Death

Chapter 25

Anya

One. Two. Three.Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight

One. Two. Three. Four—

My eyes snap open. I blink against the clear water. My dark hair forms a floating halo around my head and the reflection in the mirror above is distorted by the soft rippling effect of the water I’ve sunk beneath. I jolt, startled again as another thump reverberates against the side of the tub, echoing through the water as a dull roar.

Another thump, then another.

The splintered crack in the mirror turns and light peaks in just above me.

The mirror has moved.

I watch, almost peacefully in my breathless delirium, as it shifts, as it jolts with force from one side to the other. Then suddenly, it jerks back and I can see light above me. Though it’s not just light there.

It’s life.

Pulsing, vivid green life.

I knew the last vision I would see was of Ezra’s green eyes before drifting into unconsciousness. Ihopedfor it. But I’m surprised by the overwhelming vibrancy of this oxygen-deprived hallucination.

I’m pulled from my reverie with a whoosh, waves rippling into whirring droplets as my body rushes backward with a jerk. Sound returns full force as my head breaks through the surface and suddenly, I’m alive again. I feel hands grip beneath my arms as I’m dragged toward the back of the tub. Up and over the edge I go before my body falls to the floor.

My mouth drops open wide on instinct, gasping, sucking in as much air as I can gather now that I’m free from my watery prison.

“I’ve got you,” the voice behind me huffs, pulling me backward, nestling me between strong legs.

Is this real?

Am I alive?

I pant for air as I blink rapidly, taking in the sight of the white tiled floors beneath me. I see my silk blue gown clinging to my legs, the silver sparkle of the stilettos strapped to my feet and a man’s legs on either side of me. His hands grab the hair that’s stuck to my cheeks and pulls it aside as my eyes follow the line of his leg, back and back. I turn my head and lean to the side so I can see my savior, but of course, I already know who it is.

“Ezra,” I say. “Ezra?”

I feel the air leave his lungs as his chest sinks, my body slumping back against his. “It’s me. It’s me, baby. I’m here. I’ve got you.”

We breathe together.

My eyes meet his in utter disbelief.

I watch him as I wait for the dream to end, for the illusion to shatter. But this is real.

It’s real and he’s saved me.

A whole new sense of urgency washes over me because I can feel it pounding from his chest. He’s come to save me and there’s no time for the reverie.

“I’m gonna get you out of here, okay?” he tells me.

My brow furrows as I look at him. “Are you really here?”

He grabs my shoulders and turns me, drags me backward, lifts my fragile body and sets me on his lap. My love cradles me in his warm arms and suddenly, everything in the world feels right again.

“You’re really here,” I admit to myself. “Oh, God, you’re really here.”

I shiver in his arms but I am, in fact, in his arms and that’s all that matters.

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