Page 75 of Third Offense

And where the fuck is Auric?

CHAPTERTWENTY

RAVEN

I stared at the water,my toes in the rocky sand, the waves glistening in warm welcome. However, I knew it was cold. So why did I keep trying to swim?

Is my mind trying to tell me something is in the water?I wondered, glancing around.

The hazy sensation of living in a dream swirled around me again, making me dizzy. I tried to fight it by engaging my healing ability, but that foggy sense of happiness kept overtaking my mind.

Maybe… maybe I should just jump in,I thought.

I almost did, but the fear of icy prickles held me back.

This is ridiculous. I’d faced a lot worse than a chilly wave.

“Wake up.”

Auric’s words reverberated in my head, something about them demanding I see this through.And wake up.

The frigid water trickled over my toes and instead of cringing away, I stepped into it.

“Wake up.”

Auric’s tones shifted a little. Deepening. Reminding me of someone else.

Frowning, I forced myself to take another step. And then another. Until my chest ached from the abrupt temperature shift.

Wrong.

Something’s horribly wrong.

I could sense it. Something was coming… something deadly.

It’s going to swallow me whole.

“Wake up,”the voice repeated.

Not Auric.

But who?

The ocean swirled around me and the sand at my feet seemed to slip away, leaving me at the mercy of the icy water that closed over my head without warning.

I screamed, but water rushed into the opening and choked me.

Why had I stepped into the water? I didn’t even know how to swim!

I tried to stand. But I couldn’t find my footing.

And a strong current ripped me sideways.

“Wake up!”that voice roared.

Sayir?I thought, my arms moving wildly around me as I tried to find the surface.

Instinct told me to fling out my wings and find my way up—to the sky, to safety.