Page 81 of On Edge

He leans back, folding his arms. Waiting. What is he waiting for? For me to have a heart attack? I shut my eyes, feeling my body shake from head to toe. He’s so damn cruel. I hate him. I’m going to kill him first chance I get.

The promise soothes me somewhat, that and not being able to see the water all around us like a dark entity threatening to swallow me whole.

When my heart is a little bit calmer and the boat less bouncy, I crack open one eye. Troy is still watching me, waiting. His mouth is a grim line, his brow furrowed like he’s totally unimpressed. I’m the one who should be unimpressed. This isn’t funny.

“Alright, this has gone on long enough.”

Thank goodness. He’s taking me back to shore. I open both eyes as I feel my body start to relax, although I’m not letting go any time soon. “Thank you, I?—”

Troy grabs both sides and jolts the boat, making it tilt violently.

The scream leaves my lungs as it tips over and we both plunge into the icy cold black water.

And then everything slows…

The water around me. My flailing limbs. The dark figure in the water, and the moonlight illuminating him just enough for me to see Troy Severin watching me suffer.

19

SAGE

My feet touch the lakebed just as Troy’s strong arms close around me. He hauls me up and I scrabble to hold onto him, my fingers catching in his shirt, almost tearing it off him.

The water is freezing cold and so dark, like it’s swallowing me.

“Calm down.” His voice cuts through my panic. “It’s not that deep.”

And it’s not.

When I stop thrashing, I can touch the ground with my toes. But the black water keeps trying to drag me under, and my limbs feel like lead, my lungs burning.

“You…you pushed me!” I can barely get the words out between gasps, clinging to him, clawing his wet clothes.

“You tried to poison me.” His hands tighten on my waist, holding me steady against the current. “Now, stop dragging me under, I’m trying to get us to the shore.”

I should pull him under. But I can’t. My body won’t cooperate, shaking violently from cold or shock or both. And Troy is so warm, radiating heat. I grab onto him and hold on fordear life, hating myself for it, annoyed that he feels solid and safe when he just tried to drown me.

Or did he?

My mind struggles to make sense of it. He tipped the boat so I would fall in. Then immediately came after me. But now that he’s dragging me toward the bank, his arm around my waist like an iron bar, my brain gives up.

The paddle to shore feels endless. My dress is plastered to my body, the jacket heavy and restrictive. My teeth won’t stop chattering. Troy’s jaw is set, his eyes fixed ahead, and I can feel the anger radiating off him in waves every time I paw at him. When we reach the bank, he lifts me out of the water in one smooth motion, avoiding the rocks and setting me on my feet with minimal effort as though I weigh nothing. But as soon as I’m on solid ground, I stumble. His hand shoots out to steady me…then releases me just as quickly, as though I’ve doused him in acid.

“Can you walk?”

I nod, not trusting my voice.

“Good. Because I’m not bloody carrying you.”

He turns and starts up the path to the house without looking back, leaving me dripping and shaking in the darkness. After a moment, I follow, my wet shoes squelching with every step.

My teeth are chattering so hard, I can barely breathe as I hurry to catch up.

“I-I didn’t…th-the p-poison…I c-can explain…”

“Don’t.” The word is flat, final. “Just don’t.”

The house glows in the distance, and I focus on that, on putting one foot in front of the other, holding myself, and rubbing warmth back into my frozen arms. I don’t want to think about the fact that Troy both tried to kill me and saved me in the space of thirty seconds.