Page 11

I contemplate for a moment before my feet are coasting over the stones beneath me as I make my way over. I’d never seen a waterfall before, much less stood underneath one, so I decide to allow myself this .

Once I’m next to Archie I extend my fingers, letting them skim over the cool flowing water before moving my head under the stream.

I smile as the crisp water cascades over my head, down my face and shoulders. I have never felt anything so refreshing, so wondrous.

“What do you think?” Archie asks as I open my eyes, stepping away from the flow.

“It’s magical,” I answer with a small, hesitant smile. I look over at Cam, seeing him under the waterfall one second and then disappear the next.

At first, I think he has a similar ability to Maddox, but then movement catches my eye on shore, and Cam appears shaking his shaggy hair out.

“He can transmit?” I ask incredulously.

“Short distances; he’s still mastering it.”

I turn back to Archie curious. “Can you show me your power again?”

He turns to shore, raises his hands, and sends an array of flowers floating in the air towards us. He wears a satisfied smile as the flowers breeze magically around me. I reach out, running my fingers through the air above and below the flowers before I delicately grab one.

“Brilliant.” I’ll never not be stunned seeing other people’s powers come to life.

“Well, I can’t mend bones and save people’s lives, but it comes in handy.” He shrugs .

“It fits you,” I say as the flowers drop, filling the water around me.

Mia takes that moment to come up and splash Archie, darting back under the water to swim away. “Real mature,” he calls before he dives in after her.

I’m still marveling at the beautiful flowers when Ledger approaches the waterfall a few feet down from me.

The water stops just below his belly button. My mouth goes dry as he steps under the surging water. I watch as it flows over his broad shoulders, down his impressive chest.

The briefs he wears sit low on his hips revealing deep Vs that draw my attention and a dusting of hair that disappears beneath his waistband. I’d seen plenty of shirtless men, I’d worked on hundreds, but I can’t ever remember one looking quite like that.

He catches me staring, his face hardening and jaw feathering. My cheeks heat, and I go to look away when his gaze shifts and becomes alarmed.

“Layla. Do. Not. Move.” His voice is dangerously low and serious when he steps out of the flow of water.

I freeze at his command and the hair on the back of my neck stands on end. My breath halts as I sense another presence in the water.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see a creature stalk towards me.

It sails eloquently through the water. Its green, scaly skin shimmers in mesmerizing blues and purples as it moves.

Its face is ethereal, almost human, except for round, alluring eyes that appear too large for its face.

Two slits appear where its nose is and a row of razor-sharp teeth gleam from behind full lips.

Its head moves from side to side as it studies me, its unearthly eyes boring into mine. My breath lodges in my lungs as the creature circles me, holding its head at an unnatural angle as its eyes vibrate over me. I’m frozen in place, unable to move as it gets closer.

It dives under the water only to pop up right in front of me. I swallow a scream as it fingers a strand of my hair and then drops its forehead to mine.

It inhales deeply and every muscle in my body locks. I want to squeeze my eyes shut but find myself equal parts terrified and captivated, rooted where I stand.

The whisper of a sword being drawn from shore shifts the creature’s attention, and it reacts immediately. It pulls away, eyes growing angry, and releases a hissing sound that makes my knees quake.

“Everyone stand down; Maladra are unpredictable. We are one sudden movement away from it drowning her.” Ledger’s voice is a low warning.

I assume the sword is put away when the creature’s eyes fall back on me.

“What do you mean drown ? What do you mean, Ledger?” I’m whispering hysterically as a webbed hand shoots out of the water. It skims my cheek, leaving behind a sticky sheen. I don’t dare move, but I’m trembling so hard the water ripples around me.

“Stay calm, it’s just curious. Maladras tend to be drawn to women.”

I bite back a scream as the creature dips its head, nose grazing my neck.

It inhales deeply again. This time, its tongue appears, licking me from collarbone to ear.

The scent of algae and fish floods my senses, and a strangled, terrified noise escapes my lips.

“Ledger!” I beg for him to do something, anything, as he comes into view behind the creature’s shoulder.

“Eyes on me,” he commands, and my eyes snap to his deep emerald ones. He takes a slow step forward, making the Maladra careen around so fast water slaps me in the face. An ear-splitting screech fills the air. Ledger’s hands go up as if to calm it.

In the next second, I see Archie, out of the corner of my eye, lift his hand. He closes his palm and a large boulder sails through the air.

The creature’s eyes narrow, and that is the only warning I get before the Maladra grabs me in its clammy grip and pulls me under the surface. I silently scream as it drags me down, bubbles leaving my mouth in a flurry.

The creature swims with incredible speed, so fast I can’t tell what direction we are moving in. My ears pop and my lungs burn. I thrash around, considering this may be how I die .

My mouth instinctively opens for air and cold water floods my lungs. Blood pounds behind my eyes. The more I struggle the more disoriented I become.

My vision grows spotty as I catch a glimmer of sunlight rippling on the waters above.

Air screams back into my lungs, searing my throat and nose, and we surface. The air chills my skin as I gasp in choppy breaths, coughing up copious amounts of water.

My mouth tastes of bile and seaweed. I cling to the murky mud of the shore as if that could stop the creature from pulling me under again.

When I look up, I see Ledger in the middle of the spring with a look of horror on his face.

The Maladra and I are on the opposite side now, too far for anyone to attempt to use their powers.

Gathering my courage, my gaze snaps back to the Maladra. I realize I am now surrounded by three of them and shrink back. They are equally beautiful and horrifying as they tower over me.

One of them grabs onto my wrist and pulls me further into the water until I am waist deep.

“Oh fuck, oh fuck,” I whisper hysterically to myself, unable to form a single helpful thought.

It moves its grip to my arm and motions to one of the smaller Maladra with the other webbed hand.

In a frantic attempt, I crane my arm back to pull away, but it grips me tighter, motioning to the smaller Maladra again, more aggressively .

“You need to calm down and take a deep breath, they want something from you. Focus on what they are trying to tell you,” Ledger’s voice calls as he treads closer.

“Do not fucking tell me to calm down right now!” I hiss at him through my clenched teeth, knowing he is right.

I shake my head, attempting to clear it and take a steadying breath. It is then I realize the smaller Maladra looks sickly; its eyes are sunken in, and its skin is dull, illustrious, and dry. The other Maladra nods at me as if to confirm my thoughts.

“I- I understand, they are sick, you- you need my help?” My voice quivers.

It nods its head once, the side of its mouth tipping up encouragingly, revealing more serrated teeth. I swallow thickly, my tongue sticking to the roof of my mouth.

The Maladra releases my arm, and I move closer to the smaller one. I look at it and try to form a smile. I cautiously raise my trembling hands.

“Is this okay?” I ask, and when it nods back, I realize it must understand. I hover my hands calling my power and letting it ripple over its upper body. My power trickles out, cascading over its scaled skin before delving inside.

The Maladra’s eyes close after a few moments and it heaves a breath.

My own eyes fall shut to focus. I picture how the first Maladra looked. I think of the deep green, purple, and blue scales that shimmered off the sunlight. I push my healing light through every pore in its body.

A gasp comes from shore, and I open my eyes to see the water around the Maladra glowing.

I call back my power revealing the smaller Maladra. Its scales now beam radiantly, the colors shimmering. Its skin is now glistening with a dewy glow.

The two bigger Maladras assess it, sniffing and nudging. They all rest their foreheads together in an intimate display before turning to me and bowing deeply. They then dive into the water, disappearing. I stare blankly at rippling waves until I feel Ledger beside me.

“We should get out of the water.” He puts his hand on my lower back and leads me to the water’s edge. I step onto dry land just as the Maladras reemerge.

Ledger’s arm moves from my lower back to around my waist firmly as they approach. I lean back into his grasp, gripping his forearm hard enough to leave fingerprints.

The two larger Maladras lower four large, flopping fish at my feet with a bow. The smaller one then kneels, holding up a small, beautiful shell.

“The legends say if a Maladra presents you with a shell, it is a symbol they are eternally indebted to you,” Mia says, coming to stand beside me. “Take the shell.”

Ledger’s arm flexes around my middle as I hesitantly reach out. I take the shell. The Maladra stays on its knees with its head bowed. “I think it’s waiting for your permission,” Archie says from behind me.

“Uh, thank you. You may go?” As soon as the words are spoken the Maladra dives into the clear water and disappears.

I sag against Ledger, my palm closed tightly over the shell, eyes transfixed on the now smooth water.

“That was totally awesome,” Cam proclaims.

“Not to be insensitive, but they do have great timing because I, for one, am starving.” Archie steps up to the fish. “Do you mind?”

“Archie,” Ledger growls.

“I’ll make you guys a plate.” He grabs the fish by their tails and walks away.

I’m still staring unblinkingly at the water as Ledger pulls me away from the edge to set me down against a tree. He studies me for a long moment before his hand moves to graze a strand of soaked hair off my cheek. “You okay?” The question is soft and genuine as if he truly cares to know the answer.

I blink and then smack his hand away. “No, I am not okay. I was almost drowned and eaten alive by the most terrifying creature I have ever seen in my godsdamn life. A creature I didn’t even know existed!” My throat is raw and painful as I speak.

“Shake it off. I wouldn’t have let them harm you. Your power is too valuable. Maladras—while unpredictable, are curious creatures, peaceful even, usually only harming those with corrupted souls.”

“Shake. It. Off? You’ve got to be kidding me.

” I push myself up off the ground, and when he stands, I shove him roughly in the chest. “There is no way in hell I am getting back on that horse and riding further into the woods to whatever other nightmarish creatures await us. Take. Me. Back,” I demand, my finger prodding his chest with each word.

He glares at me, his gaze snagging lower before he looks away and clenches his jaw.

“You know I can’t do that. Maybe if you hadn’t been so busy staring at me like I was the first man you had ever seen shirtless, you could have avoided the interaction.

” He mashes his teeth together. “I am your captor, and it would do you good to remember that.”

My mouth drops open, and I let out an exasperated breath. “You’re really making this about you? I was not looking at you, I was looking at the…waterfall,” I trip over my words and will the redness from my cheeks.

“Of course you were,” He glances down again. “Go put your clothes back on and get rid of that god’s forsaken dress.” He leans down, grabbing his black tunic off the ground and tossing it at my face.

I don’t have time to be offended as I look down realizing I am in a very see-through, very wet, white dress. I gasp, covering my breasts with Ledger’s tunic, and when I look up, the rest of my clothes are floating in front of me .

“Thought you might want these.” Archie is grilling up the fish by the fire he must have started. “However, you will hear no complaints from me if you stay in the dress.” He looks up from the fire, his eyes doing a quick sweep of me. “Zero complaints.”

My face heats further as I snatch my clothes from the air and dart behind a tree. I’ve never dressed so fast in my life.

As I slide Ledger’s shirt on, I’m hit with the woodsy, manly scent of him. I curiously pick up the collar and inhale. It smells like cedar and leather, and I immediately want to take it off. It would make me feel immensely better if this man could have the decency to smell bad.

I place the small shell in my pocket and wad my wet shirt up, stepping out from behind the tree. Everyone is gathered around the fire eating the fish I almost perished for.

With no eyes on me, I decide to take my chances as I crouch down, making my way as quietly as I can over to the horses.

I creep over to Ledger’s horse, untying the reins from the tree.

He begins nickering, and I shush him. “Listen, while I may not know how to ride you, I can assure you I am much more pleasant than that belligerent man that’s been riding you.

” I pull the reins, attempting to turn him around back the way we came, but he won’t budge.

“Come on, if you move, I will feed you as many apples, leaves, grass—whatever the hell horses eat—as you want. Work with me here.” I continue to whisper to the animal, pulling his reins as he resists me.

“Belligerent, am I? I’m offended.” Ledger’s voice startles me as he saunters up behind me. I close my eyes and sigh.

“Having trouble? Apollo and I have been bonded for many years. He won’t listen to anyone but me, but it was a nice try.” He grips the reins and yanks them out of my hand.

My eyes narrow, and my arms fold stubbornly over my chest. “I do not wish to go any further.” I bite out, knowing I have no choice in the matter.

“I do not need to tell you this, but I do not care what you wish or what you want. You will get on this horse and make it to our destination, where you will complete the task needed from you.” He’s now in my face, and my fists are itching to punch him right in his stupid, full mouth.

“In case I haven’t mentioned it, you are unbelievably unlikeable, and I hope to make this trip as unpleasant as possible for you.”

“Mission already accomplished, blondie, and it hasn’t even been twenty-four hours.”