Charade (Heven & Hell) Read online

“I complain you are distracting me and so you take off your clothes…”

  I laughed, liking that I might have the same effect on him that he did on me. I bent and picked up the dress. “I can put this back on,” I suggested, waving it around.

  He laughed, snatching it out of my hands and smacking me on the butt with it. “Don’t even think about it.”

  We both laughed as he lunged for me yet again and began to tickle me. I laughed until I couldn’t take it anymore and stumbled away. Sam was laughing so hard his eyes were tearing. It was so good to see him laugh and be carefree this way. After we both caught our breath, Sam looked out toward the water.

  “Come on,” he said, taking my hand and leading me to the water’s edge. Hesitation and fear slammed through me and I slowed my steps.

  Sam swung around to face me, his chest and shoulders blocking my view of the lake. “I’ll be here with you.”

  I nodded. Did I really need to learn to swim?

  Sam swept me up like a child and cradled me against his chest. I could feel the steady rhythm of his heart against my side and the feel of his skin against mine made everything else fall away. He began walking toward the water as I rested my cheek against his chest. I heard the water rippling as he stepped in and I tensed. His lips grazed my temple and his arms held me tighter and I forgot to be afraid.

  “Look at me,” he said soft.

  I did, quickly getting lost in his whiskey-colored eyes.

  I love you. He told me.

  I love you. I answered.

  Look down.

  I snapped back into reality the minute I did as he asked. I was standing knee deep in the lake. I screeched. “You distracted me!” I demanded.

  “Are you afraid?”

  I waited for the fear to slam into me, but it never came. It just reinforced what I already knew. I would go anywhere, do anything with Sam and nothing else mattered. I shook my head and he smiled, satisfied with himself.

  It took a while for him to coax me farther into the water, but soon I was standing with water grazing my shoulders while I kept a death grip on Sam. I couldn’t help the shaking of my knees and the pounding of my heart. He was patient and gentle with me as he showed me how to move my arms and legs. I didn’t mind the repeated practice because his hands were always firmly at my back and waist. Turned out, swimming was pretty fun. The water was like cool silk against my skin and it was surprisingly easy to keep myself afloat. Splashing Sam was quite fun too.

  “I think you’re ready to swim on your own,” Sam declared.

  “I don’t know,” I murmured, then frowned.

  “The last couple times it was all you swimming. I wasn’t helping you at all.”

  I couldn’t let Sam be my life raft forever. I was strong. I could do this.

  I nodded briskly. “Will you swim nearby?” Just because I was being strong didn’t mean I had to drown.

  I was rewarded with a brilliant smile just like the one he gave me this morning. It made me want to find other ways to make him like this. I fumbled a little bit at first, but with a few gentle reminders from Sam I was soon swimming, hardly gracefully, at his side.

  “I’m doing it!” I exclaimed and was rewarded with a mouthful of water. A coughing fit followed. Sam scooped me up, laughing, and patted me on the back.

  “The water isn’t for drinking,” Sam said, laughing again.

  I reached down and splashed him in the face. He sputtered and spit out a mouthful of water that I managed to land in his mouth while he laughed. “That water’s not for drinking,” I mimicked.

  Sam’s eyes narrowed and a naughty grin curved his lips. He held me out away from him, suspending me over the water.

  “You wouldn’t dare,” I gasped.

  “Oops,” he said and then he let go, and with a light splash, I was in the water.

  I pushed off the bottom and broke the surface, wiping the water from my eyes to glare at him. “Are you crazy?” I demanded.

  “That was good! You pushed off the bottom and found the surface. I thought you would flounder around like a fish.” He grinned, his eyes sparkling with laughter.

  I growled and splashed him again.

  After a while of our water antics, I was feeling much more comfortable in the water and we were having the best time. But I wanted to practice my swimming skills a little more.

  “I’m going to swim out there and back,” I said, pointing to an unidentified spot in the water. I would go as far as I felt comfortable then turn around.

  Sam nodded and I pushed off the bottom and began swimming away. I wasn’t a strong swimmer, but I managed to keep my head above water and, for me, that was a victory.

  “You’re doing great!” Sam said from a short distance away.

  With every paddle my strokes became surer and stronger. As I swam, something brushed against my leg and I shivered at the thought of a slimy fish getting that close. I made a wide circle and turned back, smiling.

  Sam clapped and hollered at my accomplishment.

  The fish brushed my leg again. A creepy feeling raised the hair on the back of my neck. I kicked out, trying to propel myself closer to Sam. Why did I swim so far away? When something closed around my ankle the creepy feeling I had turned to panic, and I knew that whatever was down there was not a fish. “Sam!” I screamed, but only half of his name came out because I was pulled violently beneath the water. I struggled wildly, trying to get away from whatever was dragging me down, but it was no use.

  Dark, cloudy water swirled around me, and no matter where I turned, it all looked the same. Water filled my mouth and I sputtered, trying to spit it out. With one last attempt to get free, I turned toward whatever was holding me. I peered through the muddy water and I couldn’t see anything.

  Except the red eyes.

  Those were hard to miss. They glowed with an intensity that shook me to my core. They were inherently evil. I tried to look past the red orbs that stared at me to see who or what they belonged to, but there wasn’t anything there. The eyes seemed to belong to a cloud, a cloud that was only slightly lighter than the water surrounding us. It was terrifying. I looked back at the eyes and I wasn’t sure if they seemed out of focus – fuzzy – because they were or because I had been beneath the water for too long.

  Where is it? a voice inside my head hissed.

  I whimpered. This voice didn’t belong to Sam.

  Tell me…

  What do you want? I asked.

  The scroll, tell me where it is.

  You can’t have it.

  Blinding light burst behind my eyes and pain seared my head. I couldn’t do anything but endure as wave after wave of pain washed over me.

  Tell me.

  No. No matter how much he hurt me I couldn’t tell. I prayed that I would soon pass out.

  You’re stronger than I gave you credit for little one.

  Who are you?

  Your future. He laughed, the sound churned my stomach. I felt pressure in the back of my skull, like my head was being squeezed.

  I screamed. Water rushed down my throat. The demon gave one final great tug and pulled me further into the depths of the lake, further away from Sam.

  Further away from life.

  Sam

  The demon had no shape. It was practically without form at all. I kicked through the water toward Heven and the way her body just drifted with the current scared the hell out of me. I watched her die once before.

  I would not do it again.

  Airis gave us a second chance and I doubted there would be a third.

  My lungs burned and felt heavy, and for a brief second, I began to believe that I couldn’t breathe. My heart started hammering in my chest. I had to breathe!

  But I didn’t. And I knew that.

  Hellhounds could not drown. We didn’t have to breathe to survive. I was feeling Heven’s emotion—her pain at drowning. Focus.

  I wrapped my arms around her torso and kicked with great force toward the surface. How long had w
e been down here—a minute? More? How long could her brain go without oxygen?

  Even with the strength of my kick, we didn’t burst through the surface of the water. No. We were jerked violently back toward the lake bottom. I twisted and saw a set of red eyes below, the demon, whose shape I couldn’t really see—was holding her at the bottom.

  I released her body and attacked it. I wasn’t sure where it began and ended, but I threw the hardest, heaviest punch I could. My fist cut through the dark water like butter. I connected with something solid and it shrank back. Then I looked at Heven’s ankle where a thick green vine was wrapped. I yanked it from the lake floor and towed Heven to the surface of the water. When my head broke free, I heaved in a huge gulp of air and rushed for the shore.

  Heven was pale.

  Her lips were blue.

  Do. Not. Die.

  I pushed back the panic rising in me and began to administer CPR.

  If you cannot breathe, I will breathe for you.

  If your heart will not beat, mine will beat harder.

  If you do not live, neither will I.

  After what seemed like endless hours of CPR, she began to cough. I turned her onto her side and water poured out of her mouth onto the ground.

  I wanted to collapse in relief. I ran my hands through my hair and took a deep breath as she coughed and coughed.

  My throat burned like I had swallowed acid and my entire body was on fire. I allowed her emotions and her pain to pour over me because I was so thankful she had any to feel. Yes, they were horrible and she felt like hell, but at least she felt.

  “Oh, God, Heven. Thank God.”

  When the coughing stopped, I was still afraid to put her on her back. Instead, I climbed over her and lay on the ground, mirroring her position and facing her. I reached out my hand and cupped her head where it was lying on the ground, cradling it, trying to give her some comfort.

  Her eyes fluttered open and she stared at me. She was confused and disoriented.

  “Shhh. It’s all right, just rest.”

  Her eyes closed briefly before opening back up and settling on me.

  “Hey. That was scary, huh? It’s all right now, though. It’s over. You’re okay.”

  “What happened?” Her voice was raspy and low.

  I was stupid. I failed to protect you. I failed to realize that we were being stalked from beneath the water. I was so angry at myself that I wanted to punch something. I shouldn’t have let down my guard.

  “A demon pulled you under the water,” I said, trying to keep my voice gentle.

  “I almost drowned.”

  “I’m so sorry.” I scooted closer and pushed the wet hair off her face.

  “Thanks for pulling me out of the water.”

  “How do you feel?” I asked, not wanting to accept her thanks because I felt responsible that it happened at all.

  “Okay.” She tried to sit up but she didn’t quite make it that far.

  I couldn’t help myself. I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her into my chest.

  She relaxed against me and we stayed like that for a long time until the shaking in her muscles stopped and breathing seemed easier for her.

  I kept my eyes on the water—how deceiving it could be. It appeared peaceful; it appeared beautiful.

  It was good at lying.

  I had always liked the water, but damned if I wasn’t beginning to change my mind.

  With every ripple in the current, every jump of a fish, I was certain that the demon was going to rise from its watery camouflage and attack.

  I would find pleasure in taking away its life.

  The longer we sat there, the more paranoid I became. It wasn’t safe. Yes, I could protect us, but I didn’t want to have to. She’d been through enough.

  I stood, taking Hev with me and walked to where we left our stuff.

  “I can walk,” she said, turning her face to look at me. She seemed alert.

  I set her down, keeping an arm around her waist. “We need to go.”

  I grabbed up her dress and pulled it over her head and as she finished dressing, I pulled on my T-shirt. I gathered the towels, slinging them over my shoulder, and reached for Heven’s hand.

  “I’m okay, Sam.”

  “I’m taking you to get something hot for that throat.”

  She stopped, seeming to just remember that our Mindbond enabled me to feel her pain. “Oh, Sam. How much of that did you feel?”

  She wrapped her arms around me, to comfort me, but I didn’t want it. I deserved to feel this way—to carry this memory with me. Hopefully, it would make me more cautious in the future. And I was going to need that caution.

  That demon was unlike anything I had faced.

  That was saying something because, over the past few weeks, I had faced-off against a lot of evil and vile creatures. But this one was different. More powerful. I know most people would assume that because this demon had no shape, it was weak. How could it be strong when it wasn’t even capable of holding its own form? But it was just the opposite. Only a truly strong demon could attack—could take a life like that—and not hold its shape. It had to have taken effort to appear so unrecognizable. It had effectively made itself unidentifiable to me whenever I should come across it again.

  And I would.

  Of that I was absolutely certain.

  There wasn’t one attribute that I could commit to memory about it. I had been so completely focused on getting Heven out of that water that I scarcely had time to look at it, let alone look for something that would make its identity known.

  Well, there wasn’t a physical attribute.

  Mentally—I think I would recognize it anywhere. It was dark. Darker than anything I had encountered.

  “This isn’t your fault,” Heven said, pulling away to stare up at me.

  I cut off the noise that rose in the back of my throat and cupped her face in my hands. “I’m glad you’re okay.” The truck was parked beneath a nearby tree. I was glad that this is where we came, to a spot on the lake that no one ever swam at because there wasn’t much of a shore to sit on. I helped Heven into the cab despite her protests and made sure the seat belt was strapped firmly around her. I wasn’t taking any more chances today.

  I drove down the dirt road toward the area of the beach where everyone else swam, but just before we got there, movement caught my eye and I slammed on the brakes. My hand shot out and pressed Heven back to keep her from jerking forward. Yes, she was wearing a seatbelt, but it was a reflex that I didn’t bother to stop.

  “What?” Heven gasped, but I was busy staring out the windshield.

  There was a woman standing in the middle of road.

  She was strapped from head to toe with weapons. Very old, deadly looking weapons. But that wasn’t the worst part.

  The worst part was that I recognized her.

  “She doesn’t have an aura,” Heven murmured.

  What could she possibly want and why was she here? I opened up the door and Heven slid across the seats to follow. “Stay in the truck,” I ordered before closing my door in her face.

  I will not! she declared, opening the door and climbing out.

  Mentally, I sighed. I got that she didn’t want to take orders from me, but you would think that, after almost drowning, she might be willing to let me handle this. Haven’t you been through enough today?

  Who is that?

  “What are you doing here?” I called.

  “You know her?” Heven asked.

  It’s the woman I got your bracelet from.

  She looked down at her empty wrist. I was glad she hadn’t worn it today. The last time she almost drowned, she was wearing it and I had to search the sandy bottom of the lake for it.

  “She can’t have it back,” Heven said.

  The woman laughed. It was a strong laugh, the laugh of a warrior. Heven and I both turned to face her. “We meet again,” she said.

  “What do you want?” I asked, suspicion welling ins
ide me.

  “I’m not an enemy.”

  I didn’t respond. I simply stood and waited for her to tell me what she wanted.

  “I’m here to offer my assistance.” As she spoke she walked closer.

  I angled my body in front of Heven’s because I didn’t trust her. Just because I recognized her, didn’t mean that I knew her. Heven stepped out around me to stand beside me, rolled her eyes and sighed dramatically. My lips twitched at her display of annoyance at being protected. She was strong. I couldn’t complain because, if she wasn’t, she would probably be dead.

  I looked back at the woman. She had the hair of women on shampoo commercials, glossy and thick. It was a deep, rich shade of brown, so dark it was almost black. She had a heart shaped face with wide, high cheek bones, full, pink lips and wide gray eyes. Her skin was creamy and unblemished. What balanced out all that perfection was the way that she carried herself. She walked like a warrior, with self-confidence and awareness, with grace but purpose, ease but meaning. It made her more than beautiful. It made her interesting and arresting.

  You bought my bracelet from her? Heven’s voice entered my mind.

  Yeah.

  “You have a Mindbond,” the woman said.

  I stiffened, but Heven seemed curious and even a little drawn to her. “How did you know that?”

  “Heven,” I warned, she shouldn’t draw attention to herself.

  She isn’t here to hurt us. She told me.

  How do you know? You can’t see her aura.

  I just know.

  Echoing Heven’s silent words she said, “I mean you no harm. As I said before, I’m here to offer my assistance.”

  “Assistance for what?” I asked.

  “I saw what happened earlier, with the demon.”

  My eyes narrowed. What did she have to do with that demon? “So?”

  “They are getting braver, tougher. Word is out that she has protection of a hellhound.”

  “You know what he is?” Heven gasped.

  My head was reeling because it was exactly what I had been thinking too—that demon was stronger than any of the others I had faced up until now.

  She smiled, full lips drawing back to reveal perfectly straight white teeth. She turned to Heven to say, “I know everything.”