Page 186 of Forgotten Prejudice

I hated doing this to him, but he had to trust me.

“You know, there was something I always wanted to tell you,” I said, stopping to face him.

Confused, Soren focused his scared eyes on me, and I doubted I’d ever seen him this worried. Maybe only that cursed night seven years ago, when he decided to break both our hearts without explanation.

“You worry way too much, Verano.” I pressed my fist to his chest, right where his heart was beating fast. Automatically, he moved to grab my wrist, his thumb caressing the skin the wet suit didn’t cover.

“It’s because you never give me a break.”

Smiling, I moved my hand up and rested it against his strong jaw. Turning his head, Soren kissed my palm, his soft lips lingering on my skin. I loved this vulnerable side of him but had no time to admire it because each minute was valuable. Breaking the connection was hard, but I forced myself to move.

Since the moment I’d found out Kai was missing, my heart had been racing like crazy. I was scared as fuck, anxious about what would happen. Yet the second my feet met the cold water, all the noises in my head quieted down, and I was focused on the mission. The ocean was always my home, where I came when I needed guidance. Now was no different, and despite the tall waves and strong wind, I’d trust it and myself.

I turned to glance at Andrei, whose eyes were already on me, waiting for my signal. One nod was all it took before we ran in, boards under our arms. Jumping headfirst was quite a shock since the water was freezing, but working on my breathing helped. “Stay away from those rocks.” I pointed at them. “And there’s a strong rip current to the right, so keep to your left and avoid areas where waves aren’t breaking.”

“Okay,” Andrei called back. It was harder to hear him over the crashing waves.

“And if you get caught in one, don’t fight against it,” I reminded him of the first rule of the ocean: never, and I mean never, try to beat a rip because the water would always win. Rips would flow faster than a person could swim, and eventually, you’d get tired and start panicking.

A glint of hope came in the form of a sunray, hitting the ocean a few miles away. I told myself we’d find Kai once we got there, so that was where we swam. We had a bit of paddling to get there, but we’d manage. Thankfully, the water was a bit calmer now without the rain, and if we worked fast enough, we might get Kai out of here alive.

Once we got to that small ring of light, we sat up on our boards, trying to look around. It almost felt impossible until—

“There,” Andrei yelled, pointing his finger at a white spot that stood out against the dark water.

Squinting my eyes, I managed to focus on the figure long enough to recognize it was Kai, paddling through the waves, fighting to stay above water.

Thank God. He’s alive. But from his heavy stroking and slumped body, he looked exhausted.

The strong wind and the rolling waves made it hard to move forward. Swaying from side to side, each stroke we made felt like it was taking us backward, but we didn’t give up. My lungs burned, and my muscles hurt with the effort until I was close enough to call his name.

Kai turned around, looking for the source of the voice until his eyes landed on me. For a moment, it seemed like he didn’t believe what he was seeing, but once I reached him and was able to put my hand on his arm, his expression changed.

“W-What are you doing here?” he gasped, breathless.

Just like I suspected, he was holding on to his board with his last ounce of strength, his knuckles going white with how hard he clenched it. Who knew how long he’d been here?

“I’m here to take you back home.” My eyes studied him carefully.

“A-Ashy, I’m so sorry,” he choked, but we didn’t have time to get emotional.

“Are you injured anywhere?”

He shook his head, and I noticed his stare was unfocused. He was either too tired or still high, but thankfully, he was unharmed.

He swallowed hard and spat some water. “No, but I can’t reach the shore. Whenever I try to, the current pulls me deeper in,” he said while panting, then rested his head down on his board. “I’m tired, Ashy. I don’t think I can make it.”

“Don’t,” I warned. “You need to stay focused a little more so we can get out of here.”

I looked at Andrei. “You good?”

“You bet.”

God, I loved that kid.

“And you.” I pointed at Kai. “You’re not giving up, or I’ll fucking kill you.”

Kai seemed to pull himself together before he nodded.