Page 195 of Drown My Sorrow

A couple of people move to help him, but Keagan steps up beside Shale and looks around with his sinister smile. The people back off, eventually walking away.

Beau picks me up and carries me away from the scene.

“He’s not wrong,” I whisper to Beau.

“Oh, my babe, he is the most wrong person on this planet. There is no Daane without Aspyn.”

I blink at him, trying to hide the wounds that are bleeding, but I can never hide anything from them.

“We want you as you are, Cher. No more, no less. Whatever you can give is what we will worship.”

I close my eyes, a tear escaping.

I don’t deserve them, but I can’t exist without them.

PresentDay

There is no Daane without me. That’s what he said. That means I need to fight. I need to stay alive. This is my pack. I am Daane.

I struggle against the force that’s holding me down. My lungs are burning, and I frantically fight to get to the surface. I break through suddenly, take a breath, get my feet under me, and am hit from behind. I slam forward, twisting and rolling. My hip bounces on the sand, and when I try to stand up, I can’t break through the rolling white.

But then it’s gone, and I surge upwards, gasping for air, and all I can see is the churning grey skies. The ocean pulls me backwards at an alarming speed. By the time I’m able to turn in a circle and spot the island, I’m much further out than I would have thought possible, and I can’t touch the bottom.

It’s disorientating.

I’m slammed into the water, a wave throwing me forward, moving so fast I can’t figure out which way is up or down. This time, when I’m dropped, I can feel the ground, but when I stand up, I’m on my tiptoes. I look around and spot Mitch with Nat. He’s dragging her up on the shore and fighting. It doesn’t make sense, but then the ocean’s stolen me off my feet. I let out a shriek as I go down again, pulled out faster than before.

I fight to stay with my head above water, but I keep going under, and when the next wave comes, it rolls over me and tumbles me like a washing machine.

The next time I break through the waves, I can’t touch the bottom, and when I turn to look at the shore, it seems like it's miles away.

I turn back, facing the threat which are the waves.

I kick as hard as I can, but my leg is cramping, and I’m cold now. Every part of me is bruised and tired. The rain makes it hard to see anything, but when I see the next wave, I do what I’ve seen the surfers do. I dive into it.

I come up for breath, panting and shaking.

Rips. Currents. I need to stop fighting. I try to remember where everything washes up on the island, but my brain isn’t working right either.

The next wave is here, and I dive, forcing my tired body through the water. I come up, and the next beast is upon me. I just manage to dive again, but my lungs are aching, and when I come up, I get a mouthful of salty water and start coughing hard.

I look up through squinted eyes and see a dark and oily black wave coming at me. It’s so huge. It’s like that black wave is chasing me.

It’s the one from my childhood, the one that took my dad and Cassie. Now it’s here for me, it won’t let me go.

I float up the wave, dragged faster, and then I’m at the top, and on the other side is Typhor. Somehow, I’m not surprised to see him. He wants to destroy me more than he wants to live.

That is insanity.

He bares his teeth and hits out at me, but before he can make contact, a massive shape throws itself at him, and they both sink beneath the waves.

My cry is snatched away, but my heart aches. I know that was Gael, and the agony of his disappearance and the fact he doesn’t come back up rips me apart.

He saved me.

I bob there, scanning the surface, begging, pleading for him to reappear. Tears mix with salt water, but he doesn’t come back. Somehow, I’m even more freaked out that I’m alone and that I can’t see anyone. All I can see is pouring rain and the enormous waves. I can’t even see the island anymore.

The cold is seeping in, and the effort to stay on the surface is getting harder.

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