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It dodged me so easily, that if it could have laughed, it probably would have sniggered at me. It reared, shooting toward me, but I’d kept the arrow carefully hidden, and the moment it crossed within distance of my left arm, that yawning mouth open and ready to pluck my limbs from my body…

I shoved the arrow deep into the giant red hole of its open mouth.

It let out a noise so loud, I could even hear the muffled sound of it underwater. Another creature approached, darting toward me, and Brinlor met it with his sword, his frantic gaze telling me without words toswim.

My lungs were screaming at me now.

Air. Gods, I needed air. I could see the surface aboveme, the dim light so close and yet somehow thousands of footspans away.

Strong fingers caught my wrist, pulling me up.

I surfaced with a sob-like gasp, and Demos’s eyes met mine.

A series of emotions flickered across his face, almost too quickly to see. Relief, terror, fury, a strange, desperate need. Almost immediately, though, he turned his head and began yanking me toward the shore.

A single glance behind me told me the others were close. Together, we swam desperately. My teeth chattered with a mixture of cold and fear.

Shouts sounded. Demos and I both turned, and he pushed me behind him, shielding me with his body.

“Swim,” he ordered.

But I couldn’t. Because one of the creatures had surfaced like a dolphin, flying through the air toward Horrison. He bared his teeth, readying his sword. But a scaled monster was approaching from his left.

Demos swam back toward them, his knife in his hand. Brinlor approached on their right, flailing through the water desperately in an attempt to shield Horrison.

But it was Nyrik who used his one good arm to punch Horrison straight in the jaw. Screams sounded from the fae and hybrids behind us.

Horrison fell back, and Nyrik took his place, his expression grim as he met his fate.

The creature clamped its teeth around his throat, the force of its leap taking Nyrik down into the depths of the lake below.

Demos struck out at the creature on the left, hissword slicing deep into its head. His blade was so sharp it slid through scales and flesh, and I let out a tiny sound as the force of his blow pushed him beneath the water.

I made it perhaps two footspans closer to him before he surfaced, whipping his head toward the space where Nyrik was no longer swimming.

“Everyone out of the water!” he ordered.

I doubted it was just water that rolled down Horrison’s face as he swam toward me. Brinlor followed him, while Demos waited, covering their backs. He sliced a furious look at me, and I turned, heading toward shore.

The stubborn bastard wouldn’t get out of the water until I did.

By the time we hauled ourselves out and lay gasping for air, I could have kissed the hard rock beneath us. But Demos was already pulling me to my feet and backing me away from the others, behind one of the rocky crevices.

I waited for him to snarl at me.

Instead, his mouth slammed down on mine.

Demos’s kiss was a punishment. He bit my lip, soothed it with his tongue, and then swept that tongue deeper, demanding entrance to my mouth. He slid his large hand into the wet tangle of my hair and held me in place as his lips ravished mine. My entire body heated, turning relaxed, languid, until all I could do was open for him and follow where he led.

And then his mouth gentled, his tongue stroking mine teasingly. His other hand came up to cup my cheek, before sliding down to encircle my throat.

He didn’t tighten his hand, but the threat was there.

He leaned back, and I swayed into him, wantingmore. When I opened my eyes, he was glowering down at me, his eyes still holding a feral gleam.

I shivered, and his frown softened. “You need to change out of those wet clothes.” His voice felt as intimate as a warm hand sweeping across my bare skin.

I placed one hand against his chest, feeling the steady beat of his heart. “You’re angry with me.” I told myself I didn’t care. At least he was alive.