Page 55 of Hunting for her Heart
Seeing them in danger is all I need to force myself into action. I take a deep breath and step away from the wall. “Hey!” I yell as loud as I can. Its head spins in my direction.
“Willow, no!” Ronan yells as he starts to get to his feet. The beast turns on him and roars, so I move further into the cave, waving my hands about my head.
“Hey! Ugly! Come get me!” I hear my guys yelling at me to stop, but it works. The beast turns back toward me, then suddenly starts to run toward me.
My heart leaps in my chest, and I turn, running as fast as I can toward the larger pool of water. Luckily, it’s not too faraway, and I don’t hesitate to place my foot on the large rock at its edge and launch myself as far in as I can.
I’m not prepared for the sensation of being completely submerged in water. It’s disorienting and suffocating, and now I’m not just worried that the beast can, in fact, swim and is about to jump in after me, but I’m also terrified that I’m about to drown. I tell myself not to inhale, but it’s almost impossible. I’ve never had to hold my breath like this before.
My arms and legs flail as I try to remember my lessons, but wearing my dress makes it so much more difficult to move, the wet fabric weighing me down. My head finally breaks through the surface, and I inhale greedily as I glance around for a glimpse of the grimclaw.
I see it standing on the rock I jumped from, snarling down at me as if it’s tempted to pounce. A sword suddenly appears above it, and it comes down fast, impaling its back. The beast roars in pain as it turns.
I don’t see what happens next as I fall below the surface again, not even managing to get in one last breath of air before the water covers my head. Fear races through me as I try to remember how to move my arms the way Bo had shown me, and how to kick my legs the way Hawk had explained.
You can do this,I chant to myself as I try to block out any thoughts of the beast and my men fighting for their lives. Instead of clawing at the surface as I had been doing, I move my arms to my sides and glide them back and forth as I kick my legs in a steady rhythm.
Almost immediately, my head breaks the surface again, and I sputter, trying to take in air without any water.
“Willow!” someone yells, though my ears are partially underwater, making it hard to hear. The beast cries out, and Isee its brown fur and the glint of a blade before I dip down again. This time, I’m able to push myself back up much quicker and take in a deep lungful of air.
The beast's snarling face turns in my direction, and he bends down as if about to launch himself toward me. I gasp, losing my rhythm as I fall beneath the surface again. Fear has me forgetting how to swim, my arms and legs flailing uselessly as I wait for the beast to land on me.
I see it break the surface as it dives down in front of me, and it takes me a few seconds to realize the form is much too narrow and majestic to be the beast.
Hawk’s eyes find mine in an instant, and he kicks his legs, propelling himself to me in mere seconds, then he wraps an arm around my waist and pulls me to the surface with him. I loudly inhale as I break the surface, coughing when some water mixes with the air.
“I’ve got you,” he says gently as he turns me in his arms so I’m wrapped around his front. I keep coughing over his shoulder, and he pats my back as he moves us to a spot in the water where he can stand.
Fearing the grimclaw will attack us here, I lift my head and glance at where I last saw it. Bo is pulling both his swords from the beast's body, as Ronan is squatting near its head. It lies unmoving on the ground, telling me that the battle is over. We’ve won.
“It’s dead,” Ronan says, pushing to his feet. Then he turns, instantly finding us as a look of relief washes over him. I start to cough again, and Bo and Ronan jog over to the nearest part of the shore with us.
“Are you okay?” Bo asks in alarm as Hawk pats my back. I nod and try to respond, but can’t stop coughing.
“She’ll be okay,” Hawk tells him. “She just took in a little bit of water.”
“We need to get her out of that wet dress,” Ronan says, beckoning us over. “Bring her here.”
“The cave isn’t secure right now either,” Hawk reminds us all as he carries me over to them. “The grimclaw took out our early alert system.”
“Fuck, you’re right,” Ronan says as he reaches for me. I lean into his hands and let him pluck me from Hawk’s hold. I’m always surprised by how easily they lift me, and secretly, I love it.
I wrap my arms around his neck as he moves me toward the fire.
“Okay,” Ronan says as the three of them stand in a triangle. “Hawk, you start reassembling the traps. Bo, you stoke the fire then help him. I’ll take care of Willow, then we’ll deal with the carcass.”
“I-I can change on my own,” I say, not wanting to be a burden.
Ronan stares at me with a look I haven’t seen on him before. It’s not anger, but disappointment, I think. I’m used to seeing that expression on my father, and it makes me worry about what will happen next.
“No,” is all he says before the other two move away to take care of their tasks. Ronan stops at our bags to grab my nightdress, then carries me over to my changing corner and sets me on my feet. I reach for my pajamas, but he pulls it out of my reach and shakes his head.
“No, I need to see you’re unharmed.”
My eyes widen in surprise. “I’m not injured. Besides, I’m naked under here,” I tell him, feeling nervous about the darkness I see in his green eyes.
He takes a step toward me, and I back up, feeling unsure about his intent. He doesn’t say anything as he stares down at me, and for the first time since I’ve met him, I feel afraid. My vision blurs a second before I realize I’m crying, and I quickly try to wipe the tears away.
