He dove for me, his eyes glittering with hatred as they slid back to a solid glowing red. With my sword down, he hit me in the chest and drove me under the water. The icy cold slid over my head as I dropped my sword, knowing he was too close for me to use it. Damn it all. Even with my eyes open, the dark water was too murky to see through and fuck, his hands were around my neck. I grabbed for a knife, but couldn’t reach any of them. Fear and anger raced along my synapses and I fought them both as I tried to keep the panic at bay. My lungs burned as I held my breath and the little bastard’s hands tightened around my neck, cutting off blood flow. There was a heavy thump and then I was pushed all the way to the floor. I could almost see Alex jumping on the demon’s back, trying to help, but instead pushing me even further down. Fuck, this was bad.

I wrapped my hands around his and tried to pry his fingers open, but they were like vice grips around my neck. Skin to skin, I knew I had no choice but to do things the way Erik had taught me.

Love is not an easy thing to think about when someone is choking you under water. I thought about protecting India and Kyle, about Pamela and Alex. But mostly about Liam. The anger and panic slid away from me and my hands tightened on Simon’s, but not fierce and digging in—like I didn’t want him to let go.

Power rushed through me, stemming from my heart, from the love I had for those in my life. Without warning, his hands were gone and I sat up in the frigid waters, gasping for air. Simon stared at me as the demon expelled from his body. Like pull taffy, the demon’s essence yanked and dragged the kid a few steps before letting go with a pop, fading into the air.

Simon looked at me for a split second, his lips curling into slight smile, his simple blue eyes never leaving mine. “Thank you, I will help you if I can.” His eyes rolled into his head and he fell backward into the water with a splash. I gritted my teeth against the hurt that swelled in me as I struggled to my feet. The kid should have had years ahead of him, years where he could’ve had a life.

And how was he going to help me? He was dead, as much as that hurt. I ignored the hot tears that streaked my face, so at odds with the water that was so fucking cold and rising fast.

I went to the door and put my hands on it. Nothing had changed; I didn’t know how the hell I was going to get them out. But neither could I leave them. “Is there anything on our side that could help?”

A muffled no was all I got. Alex whimpered. “Gots to be faster. Water coming.”

Of that, I had no doubt. Shivering, I turned to look down the hallway, wondering if there would be anything I could use to pry the door open. I stared at my feet, and my dropped sword stared back at me. The cold must have been getting to me, freezing what was left of my brain cells. I leaned down, and had to put my head under the water in order to grab my sword. Shaking so hard I could barely function, I put the tip to the door’s locking mechanism. It was thicker than anything else I’d ever cut with my spelled blades. With a hard thrust, I jammed the blade deep into the heavy metal. Resistance met me and I wondered if the door was spelled too. To be safe, I put my hand on the door in order to dispel any lingering magic on it, but felt nothing. Which meant it was just a freakishly strong door. Sawing my blade back and forth, I worked it down and through the lock. A tidal wave wash of water swept down the hallway as the door opened.

As if things couldn’t get worse.

“Hang onto each other!” I yelled, hardly looking at the two kids as I watched the hallways swell with water that would leave us no room for breathing. Alex dug his claws in around my belt as I reached out and grabbed blindly for India, who had done as I said and grabbed Kyle. She took my hand and everything blurred as the water hit us full on, sweeping us down toward the stairwell.

There was no way I could hang onto my sword and the kids, which only left me one option. I dropped my sword and reached toward the railing. The metal bit hard into my hand as the water dragged at all four of us, swirling and sucking at our bodies. If I let go, we’d be swept further into the bowels of the ship. Not an option I was going with. With everything I had, I fought the current, tried to find my footing on the stairs. Hands wrapped around me and yanked me, Alex, India, and Kyle out of the water. We gasped for air as Berget dragged all four of us upward. Booyah for a vampire’s strength.

“Hurry, we have to hurry,” she said as we stumbled up and after her. Her eyes met mine. “The boy, Simon. His ghost told me you were in trouble.”

A lump in my throat, I nodded. He’d said he would help, and he did. He’d helped to save us. Or at least, I was hoping that was the case and his efforts weren’t in vain. Then again, I realized if it hadn’t been him being demon-possessed, the black coven would have come after me. The demon prophecy said it was a Tracker who was possessed.

If between him and me, I would choose to be the one without a demon in my head.

There was no question we were running out of time. I was betting on minutes, at best, before the whole ship dropped to the bottom of the harbor. A place I really wasn’t interested in visiting.

Back in the main room, we paused for a quarter of a heartbeat before Berget led the way up the stairs. The whole boat listed without warning and my feet slid on the metal stairs. I fell back, hitting the water at the bottom of the stairs then something latched onto me, dragging me into the main room. Clenching my teeth, I kept my mouth shut, held my breath as I twisted and fought, but couldn’t get loose.

Not again.

I was done with people trying to drown me. The hands disappeared as suddenly as they’d grabbed me and I popped up. Berget was at the bottom of the stairs. I waved at her, finding my footing. It wasn’t as deep in the middle of the room with the way the boat had tipped. “I’m okay, get them out!”

Berget nodded as I started toward the stairs for a second time.

A splash from across the room snapped my head around. Something was moving in the water. And for some strange reason, I doubted it was anything good.

And both my swords were gone.

Just peachy.

Chapter 13

OPENING HIS EYES was hard, but this time he managed the feat, to see he was no longer in his wolf form. He was in a clean bed, the scent of sage and incense filling the room. Were they still at Louisa’s?

Welcome back. Blaz’s voice rippled through his head, loud and clear.

Liam put a hand to his chest, the puckered scar there proof to how close he’d come to biting the big one. “How long was I out?”