Page 50 of Owned By Two

It couldn’tpossiblybe any of those.

They were nocturnal by nature and would not attack innocent people.

After all, James had swam in this pool many times and he had never received so much as a scratch.

There was no reason we should be in danger now.

And yet, my senses were heightened.

Still, I did not want to panic Lizzy.

“Perhaps we should swim to the other side,” I said. “Complete our swim.”

“Okay. I’ll race you there!”

She took off without giving me a proper heads-up.

Ordinarily, I would have found her playfulness infectious… but my senses were still on high alert, peering at the water around us.

From the embankment, the pool was as clear as glass, but for my current angle, something could have been beneath me and I wouldn’t have seen it.

I turned and swam after Lizzy and was glad to see she was a keen swimmer like a father.

I pulled myself forward with strong, slow movements, one stroke at a time.

I had no intention of overtaking Lizzy or winning her self-imposed race.

The only thing that mattered was that she would get out safely.

Andsoon.

I froze.

That’s when I spotted it.

A shadow moved beneath me.

My instincts reacted immediately.

I gasped a huge lungful of air, tipped my body forward, and descended beneath the surface.

Down here, the light penetrated only the top few inches and grew as the pool grew deeper.

There, I saw spotted a fin wave at the water, speeding up as it raced up toward Lizzy.

I launched myself forward, going at full tilt, aiming to reach Lizzy first and block the creature before it could touch her.

I succeeded.

The creature struck me in the chest, its tentacles wrapping around my leg.

It immediately sensed it had seized the wrong victim and moved to let go.

I lashed out with my hand and wrapped it around the thick muscle of its body.

Its head snapped toward me, its frantic red eyes glaring angrily.

It was a Morpik, a creature perfectly evolved for life outside the water, before some distant ancestor decided to reenter the water.

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