Page 43 of Rebel Fae
Regina did little more than dart a look my way and kept running.
’Ciallachadh!She was leaving Vaughn and Bael in the lurch and not even helping me with Ronnie and Becca. I would kill her!
But I didn’t have the time because, ahead of us, the jungle thinned out, stopping beside a huge blue lake. In the distance, a waterfall tumbled down high rocks, making a thunderous sound that I had somehow missed in all the confusion.
Regina stopped. We did, too.
This wasn’t good. I could fly across, but what about Becca and Ronnie? Could they swim the length of the lake? Would a creature swim up to attack them as it’d happened with Wally?
I scanned right and left, realizing quickly that running around the wide lake wasn’t an option. Behind me, the sound of fighting grew closer.
“It’s coming!” Regina jumped into the water.
I watched her sink like a stone and disappear. Gods, what was happening? Did she just drown?
“What do we do?” Ronnie cried, staring at the spot where Regina had disappeared. “I don’t know if I can swim like this.” He held up his bandaged hands.
Becca stared at the water like it was poison. “I am not going in there,” she said, scrunching up her nose. “It looks gross.”
“We might not have a choice.” I turned in time to see three shapes fighting. The trees between us blocked a lot of the action, but it was clear the beast was headed this way. Bael and Vaughn were doing their best to keep it back, but it was strong. Huge tendrils lashed out, again and again, cutting into Bael’s clothes like a cruel whip and wrapping around Vaughn’s limbs to tangle him. And each time he snapped at one with his fangs, another tendril slithered out to take its place.
Everything was going wrong, and I didn’t know what to do.
My eyes scanned the water’s surface. No sign of Regina. No sign of a monster, either. If there was one, it would have likely grabbed her by now. Then my eyes found a fallen tree log beside the shore. It was six feet long and about as round as one of those telephone poles humans loved to toss up everywhere.
“In the water. Now!” I said, rolling the log toward the edge. Gravity helped it the rest of the way and it splashed into the water, bobbing up and down.
“No,” Becca whined while Ronnie did as he was told.
“Becca,” I yelled in my most forceful voice. “If you don’t get in, I will leave you here for the beast. It will eat you and ruin your hair. Understand?”
She blinked and looked like she would cry, but she kicked off her boots, tied them over her shoulder, and stepped into the water.
Taking a deep breath, I thought briefly about what a terrible idea this was, a winged fae near the water, but I saw no choice. The fighting was getting close. Becca and Ronnie had to be kept safe. I stepped into the water up to my thighs and pushed them off. Then I spurred my wings into action and flew as close to them as I dared, avoiding splashes as they kicked away from shore.
The two of them gripped the log and swam, aiming for the opposite shore, but it seemed miles away. It didn’t help that I wasn’t able to get in the water to share the load. Wet wings would make me useless and unable to help them or Vaughn and Bael on the other side. Plus, just the thought of something lurking in the deep, dark depths unsettled me. My eyes desperately searched for movement as I flew above them.
We were nearly to the other side when I felt a tug on my boot. Terror flooded my body as a hand reached out of the lake, gripped my ankle, and pulled.
“No!” I screamed, spurring my wings to take me higher and kicking my feet. One collided with something solid. A figure rose to the surface below me.
Regina’s head popped out of the water. Droplets running down her face as she gave me a dirty look before saying the most surprising thing I could imagine.
“I’ve found him. Antonio. He’s under the water.”
Chapter Seventeen
Swimming weakly,Regina slammed into the log and threw her arms over it. Her weight made the sizeable piece of wood bob. Becca let out a high pitch scream as she dipped up and down while Ronnie barely made a sound as water splashed around him. He just scrunched up his face from the pain in his bandaged hands but held on.
For my part, I flew a little higher to avoid getting wet or hit as the log settled back down.
“Are you all right?” I stared at Regina’s veined face. She looked terrible. Her petty, selfish attempt had drained her of all her energy, it seemed. She didn’t respond.
“Regina,” I said, raising my voice.
“Leave me alone,” she shot back without opening her eyes.
A loud shriek echoed through the jungle, noticeable even through the rumbling of the waterfall. My heart clenched at the thought of Vaughn still fighting that beast. I had to go back.
