Total pages in book: 130
Estimated words: 121008 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 605(@200wpm)___ 484(@250wpm)___ 403(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 121008 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 605(@200wpm)___ 484(@250wpm)___ 403(@300wpm)
I almost make it to the hill above the river when a wave of pure fear crashes into me. For the barest second I struggle but then realize the powerful emotion isn’t coming from me. I feel Meg’s terror before I hear the scream. It floods my body, causing my heart to pound and my soul to ache. She’s so scared, and she instinctively reached across the distance to find me. The bow is in my hand as I crest the hill. In one smooth move, I pull and notch an arrow. I’m aiming before I even know what threatens her.
A kelpie. A fucking kelpie has Meggie. She’s on the kelpie’s back, and it’s already taking off. Her scream echoes through the forest. That sound will haunt me forever. I let the arrow fly, hoping to hit the heart before the horse gets away with my wife. I hear the thud of the arrow striking flesh, but it doesn’t slow the damn thing down. The horse plunges into the icy river and Meg disappears.
Her panic threatens to take over my mind. She doesn’t know how to shield, likely doesn’t understand she’s flooding me with her fear. I do the only thing I can. I forcefully cut the connection between us. I can’t do what I need to do if I’m overwhelmed with her fear. I rush out into the river, cursing the cold. I take three deep, long breaths to fill my lungs, pull out a cold iron knife, and dive after them.
The river is clear and the early morning light illuminates the scene. The kelpie has gone deep. She sits patiently at the bottom of the river among the thick reeds that sway with the current. It would be a peaceful scene except for the woman struggling to survive. She can’t. The horse will hold her in place until the river takes her life. When Meg is dead, the kelpie will release her and devour her. If I hadn’t found her, the only thing I would be left with is her heart. The kelpies never eat the hearts of their victims.
Meg is still struggling, but I can tell she’s already failing. Her eyes flare as she sees me swimming toward her. She tries so hard to push her body toward me, as though in her last moments, she needs to get as close to me as possible. I swim straight to her and take her head in my hands. I kiss her, forcing the air I hold in my mouth down to her lungs. It’s not much, but I need every second if I’m going to save her.
I try to cut through the coarse hairs that hold her hands to the kelpie. The horse is having none of that. She kicks out, trying to catch me with her powerful legs. I don’t dare touch the mane with my own hands, lest I get as trapped as my wife.
The horse catches me in the chest. I fly back in the water, all the air blowing from my lungs. I float helplessly up to the surface. I drag air into my chest. The knife is still in my hands. I managed to hold onto it.
How long had she been under? How long can a human go without breath in her body?
She isn’t Fae. Her small body is more fragile. Goddess, I’m going to lose her. I breathe in one last time and dive again.
This time Meg is slumped over. She moves as the current moves, and her beautiful hair sways with the reeds. I can’t give up. I go straight for the monster trying to take my woman. I avoid the strong, kicking legs of the kelpie and savagely go straight for its throat. This time I don’t even try to keep my hands clear. I forcefully plant my left hand in the horse’s mane. It sticks immediately. I can’t move it, but it serves as an anchor. If I can’t kill the fucker, I’ll go down with Meg. I’ll die as close to my mate as possible.
With a sort of savage glee, I shove the blade I hold in my right hand deeply into the horse’s throat. The kelpie, unable to kick me at this angle, tries to use her teeth to bite. I dodge her mouth. I use every bit of strength I have left to drag the blade through the kelpie’s thick flesh. As the water around me clouds with blood, I know I’ll kill the monster, but it’s too late. I feel my consciousness begin to fade. We’ll die down here. Cian will never know what happened. We’re too far from each other. He might feel some sense of my panic, but nothing solid. Cian will fade, never knowing why I didn’t return.
Then suddenly my hand is free, and I feel myself beginning to float.