Page 41 of Kiss of the Vampire

It’s closed, Levka wanted to tell her. You can’t go in. He couldn’t help her if she panicked. He couldn’t swim. None of his friends could.

“I think she’s going to try to swim,” Levka told his friends.

“Pool’s closed at this hour,” Arman said, always a stickler for the rules.

“Are you sure that she’s going swimming, Levka?” Stasio asked. “She doesn’t seem like the type to break the rules.”

“I think she’s trying to prove to herself she can do it without a lot of people around.”

“I’m coming,” Ruric said.

“Me, too,” Arman and Stasio said at the same time.

For nearly an hour, Caitlin stood at the edge of the pool, staring down into the rolling waves. Levka wanted to hold her tight, to help her fight the terror she must experience every time she looked into the water. His friends stood with him, silently watching from the shadows.

“Maybe she won’t go in,” Arman said.

Caitlin shook her head, turned, and jerked her shirt back on. Walking away from the pool, she headed to a water fountain.

Levka sighed with relief. At least during the day if she tried this foolishness, someone could rescue her if she got scared. Again, the feeling of utter uselessness washed over him.

“Come on,” Stasio said. “I had a winning hand. Let’s go back to the game. Levka, are you coming?”

“In a little while.”

“After he tucks her into bed.” Ruric winked.

Caitlin headed for the door to the elevators and stairs. Lynne wearing a pink bikini suddenly walked out. Now Levka could see her disobeying the rules. She neared the pool, then dove in.

Caitlin watched her. Did she wish she could swim like that again?

Suddenly, Lynne turned her attention on Caitlin. “What are you doing here? Go away. I’m meeting someone. And he won’t like it if you’re here, too.” She squeezed her manicured brows together. “You want him to threaten you, too?”

Caitlin didn’t say anything, just sat down on a chaise lounge to watch. Lekva couldn’t tell how she felt, but he could have wrung Lynne’s neck for saying what she did to Caitlin. He couldn’t help being proud of Caitlin for standing her ground. If some other jerk threatened her, there’d be less one passenger come morning.

Lynne glowered at her, then she turned around and kicked water in Caitlin’s direction. The water fell at Caitlin’s feet. She smiled.

For several minutes, Lynne did her best to chase Caitlin away. But suddenly, Lynne shrieked. And went under.

Caitlin jumped up from her chair and stared into the pool. “Lynne! Lynne!”

Lynne broke the surface of the water, gasped for air, then went under again.

Caitlin ran for a round life preserver and tossed it to her. “Grab on!”

The life preserver landed in the water by Lynne, but she didn’t grab it.

Caitlin yanked a pole off its hook and stretched it out to Lynne. “Grab the pole, and I’ll pull you in.”

Lynne grabbed it, but released it and went under again.

“Lynne!” Throwing down the pole, Caitlin jumped into the pool.

“She’s in the pool,” Levka said, panicked. “She’s trying to save Lynne.”

Ruric swore. “Of all the people worth saving, she’s not the one.”

Stasio grabbed Levka’s arm just as he was about to jump in. “We can’t swim, Levka.”