I lifted a leg up and over the boat, reaching for the dock, when a pale hand emerged from the water and wrapped itself around my ankle. My head snapped up to look at Sage, a scream shooting out of me, my eyes wide with panic, as he shouted my name and I was yanked out of the boat and into the depths.
Oh god, it was like the dream I’d had days ago, the first time I’d seen my mother, but so much worse. Everything was dark. I opened my eyes wider and shuddered at the cold pinpricks of ice that coated my skin as my eyes stung. The hand continued to drag me down, its shocking whiteness around my leg the only thing I could make out as I tried to kick out and up, my arms clawing and reaching uselessly, generating nothing about bubbles and force that buffeted me even further.
I looked down, trying to see the bottom as shivers began to rock my body, making me shake violently and my muscles stiffen. Grey eyes stared back at me, practically luminous in the darkness. My hair floated around my head, so dark it blended with the water, and when the hand finally let go a wave of relief swamped me even as I whipped my head around in confusion. Why would Jared let me live?
My lungs were burning, like fire in my throat, begging me for a breath and I tried to swim up towards the surface but my legs had stiffened.
He hadn’t let me go, I realised. Jared knew I was already dead, deprived of oxygen and too far below the surface to swim to safety. My eyes slid closed as my body adopted a sort of weightlessness that was surprisingly peaceful, my arms went slack and my fingers splayed, feeling the current buffeting me.
Then a new sensation, something harsher, harder. A slap on my back, a frantic voice in my ear, lips on mine.
My eyelids fluttered and I looked into wide, hazel eyes and a pale face.
“Breathe.”
I obeyed, my body bucking as I was forced onto my side and Sage pounded the water out of my lungs. He had come in after me, risking himself to save my life—again.
The cold air stung my throat as I coughed violently, more lake water splattering onto the dock under my nose before I rolled back over and heaved in great big gulps of air.
“I thought you said he couldn’t manifest when the sun was up,” I rasped out and the relief on Sage’s face was like ice melting, sunlight pouring through grey clouds, as he reached for me, slamming his lips into mine.
I met his need with my own, kissing him even as everything felt numb. I couldn’t feel my fingers, but the texture of his hair was soft beneath my palms, I couldn’t feel my heartbeat but I knew it was racing in my chest.
“Thank you for saving me. Again.” I smiled as I opened my eyes but my teasing tone turned into a cry of horror as Sage seemed to blur in front of my eyes. I blinked frantically, thinking there was still water obscuring my vision but he remained the same, his eyes closing as he swayed and fell to the ground. “No!” He must have burned himself out, swimming down to me, pulling me from the depths and resuscitating me, it had been too much on top of the energy loss he’d already been facing.
“It’s okay,” he said, his voice was so quiet it might as well have been a sigh and suddenly it felt like I couldn’t breathe again, like I was still floating in the lake, suffocating slowly.
“It’s not okay, it’s not,” I cried, fresh tears falling down my face as I crawled to where he lay. “I need you, you can’t leave me. Not yet. Please, not yet.” Sage didn’t reply and I felt my teeth start to chatter. “No,” I said firmly. “No.”
I didn’t know how it worked, whatever Jared did to steal the energy of the other ghosts, but energy was energy and if he could do it, Sage could too.
I thrust my hand out, resting it on the place Sage’s heart would be if he were corporeal and I breathed deeply, ignoring the way his form wavered, turning a pale white.
“Take it,” I murmured in his ear. “Let me help you. Take it.”
For a second nothing happened and I wanted to scream, thinking it hadn’t worked, when a white light came blazing out of my palm. And god, they’d never told me how awful it was before, to be drained. They had been willingly sacrificing themselves for me despite the fact that it felt like this—like burning fire sweeping my veins, making my head spin as it rushed out of me and into Sage.
His body became opaque and his eyes flashed open, taking me in with alarm. And then I felt something impossible—his heartbeat against my hand. Sage choked, looking down at where my palm rested over his chest as he shoved it away.
“What did you do?”
I couldn’t answer. I slumped over, impossibly tired as Sage’s panicked cries grew louder until he scooped me into his arms. Had I given too much of myself? What happened when a living person gave up their soul energy?
“Angie!” he yelled and I felt an odd swaying sensation. “Angie! Please!”
I didn’t hear her approach but I wanted to laugh when I heard Ms Weathers swear. It just seemed so out of character and my amusement faded as I realised that probably meant nothing good for me.
“What happened?” Ms Weathers voice was urgent and Sage sounded unusually worried. Scared. For me.
“Jared attacked her—”
“While the sun was still up?” She sounded shocked and I agreed, who had he stolen that energy from?
“He pulled her under the water, I saved her but…”
“She gave you her energy.” It wasn’t a question but Sage answered anyway, voice incredulous. He hadn’t known it was possible either, but I’d been desperate enough to try.
“She made my heartbeat. Just once. But it was…” I felt him shudder and realised I had to be clasped against his chest. “What do I do?”