Chapter 14 Bonnie
Bonnie
The water rushes, all white and green murky depths.
“We have to get in that?”
I turn and peer at Quincy, who is suddenly very white and shaky. There is always someone who is convinced they are fine, right up until they aren’t.
“Come on, Quincy, get in,” Justin snaps like the whole thing is annoying him.
Kendall is holding onto the raft for dear life. It would be almost cute if I didn’t know better. I've seen too many terrified people put others in danger because they didn’t listen.
Quincy gets in, but it’s me who hesitates. If we go further than this spot, we have to commit to the trip. We won’t be able to come back this way.
I look across at Vale, who is waiting for me. “Ready?” I wonder if he knows.
“Waiting on you, Bon.”
I shudder at the way he shortens my name. It’s too intimate and makes me think of the way he looked at me while Dakota was on his knees, no don’t think of that.
“Right, on three, one, two-” I shove the raft into deeper water before hopping up into it. Vale does the same a moment later. I reach for the oar that Rory hands me. Everyone is dressed in orange life vests and helmets. This section of the river isn’t bad, but all water can be dangerous.
Dad’s thrown me out here multiple times and made me swim it so I know what I’m doing.
The other three rafts will stay covered up and anchored to the shore for the next trip.
When we get to the next section, we’ll leave the raft and go on foot, but after we’ve dropped these guys off, Desi, Dad, Meg, and I will come back down, get the raft and bring it back up the river.
It’s a much harder trip and requires skills most people don’t have.
“Right, this is supposed to be fun, but we’re going to need to work as a team.”
The raft is full to the brim at the moment, the ten-man capacity over if I include myself. We could have split it between two rafts, but something didn’t feel right about that.
“Everyone remember the lesson?”
There are grumbles, but when I look at Cyn, his face is shining. For a second, all my thoughts disappear, and there is just the pure joy shining through him as he stares at the river.
Compelling and completely disarming. He looks at me, and the expression doesn’t change. My stomach flutters wildly.
He turns back to the water and lifts his oar at the ready.
At that moment, the current grabs us, ripping us into deeper, faster waters. I let out a whoop because there is no other activity that makes me feel alive the way white water rafting does.
I stab my oar into the water. Here we go. “Forward paddle.”
As one, the ten guys in the boat stick the oars into the water, and the boat takes off.
The current sends us swiftly towards the first of the rapids. It’s just a small run, barely anything, but it will give me a good idea of how this ride is going to go.
“Left,” I shout out.
Kota, Rory, Quincy, Justin, and Rojer all adjust their oars, back peddling while the others keep paddling forward.
“Stop!” All paddles lift out of the water.
We hit the white water, and the nose of the boat drops before rising, water spraying everywhere.
Vale and Cyn laugh.
I don’t look the rest of them over; I don’t have a chance.
“Forward paddle.”
The oars slide through the water, and we’re off again. We hit the second part of the run too quickly.
“Right!” I bark out loudly. “Stop, and hold on!”
They reach for the safety line in the middle of the boat and hold on. I watch carefully, and, yes, we’re exactly where we need to be. We hit, and with a couple of violent bounces, we’re through.
The water stills to a mirror smooth surface as canyon walls rise up on either side of us.
“Wow!”
I give Vale a small smile. There’s something about bringing people here. You give them part of yourself and take something from them. They and their stories become a part of you.
The experience is as close to something sacred or mystical as I’ve ever had, and I know a lot of people say the same.
“How did that feel?”
“Amazing!” Kendall laughs, surprising me. I thought the germophobe would hate the river rafting. He’s been bitterly complaining the whole time about literally everything else.
“Good god, how do I get off this ride?” Kevin growls, looking close to green.
Dakota doesn’t need to say a word; his eyes are shining with unholy glee. Rory glances back at me, and I can’t tell what he’s thinking, but his gaze travels down my body, over the ugly lifesaving vest, to my exposed calves and boots.
My body heats instantly. I force myself to look away, but that doesn’t help. I can still feel his gaze.
Water, think about the dangerous water.
Right.
“The next rapids is a longer run and a bit more dangerous. Does everyone remember what to do if you fall out? Grab the raft if you can or a paddle. Do not panic, panic and water are toxic bedfellows.”
The roar of the rapids gets closer. Adrenaline jumps in my blood. Almost there.
“Keep your feet up, your head out of the water, and remain aware of what’s coming ahead of you. Stay on your back, facing the river, use your arms to help guide you, and maneuver yourself to the raft or the shore. I will come for you. Are you ready? Too bad, here we go. Forward paddle!”
Kevin lets out a groan, but I hear someone laugh, and I think it might be Nathan.
I grin wildly, looking ahead, tracking our path.
“Right.”
The nose of the raft swings right.
“Stop!”
Paddles lift from the water.
“Get down.”
Everyone slides into the middle of the boat, scrunching down. We go down the first one like textbook. The canyon walls open up, revealing thick forest and rocky banks.
Two more drops and then, suddenly, and unexpectedly, we swing the wrong way. We’re heading straight for a rock.
“Right!” I shout, but it’s too late. The boat goes up almost vertically before it topples backwards, and we’re all dumped out into the water.
It’s cold, and the current surprises me with how quickly it snatches me up.
“Legs up!” I scream. “Stay calm.”
I drop into the next rapid, bopping in the water. The raft is up ahead, and as soon as I see it, I maneuver over to it. I grab it and pull myself up, searching. Nathan and Rojer are on the far bank. While the Prince pack appears to be making their way to me.
My ears are ringing, but it soon stops as I force myself to stop and take stock. Nothing broken or injured. I’m fine. I turn and find Quincy helping Kendall out of the water. Justin is a few feet away from them.
Just one missing. Where is he?
I see a pack floating in the water and take two steps before I pause, seeing a random life vest. There is no one in it. What the fuck? The packs are loose, and Kevin isn’t in his life vest?
Shit!
I turn around, frantically searching, and spot Kevin going under just as he gets to the next rapids.
“Bonnie!” Vale shouts.
I glance at him as I drag my life vest over my head and dump it on the raft, then I run and launch myself into the deepest, fastest current in the river.
It snatches me quickly, and I don’t fight it, letting it carry me down the rapids. As soon as I’m down, I roll onto my stomach and swim as fast as I can. He’s in the shallows, laying on his side. I grab him and pull him out of the water.
“Please, please.”
I check his pulse. He’s alive and breathing. I carefully check him all over, but there’s only a lump on his forehead that explains why he’s unconscious.
How did his vest come off?
I checked them all; did he undo it?
I get up and run back up the river. “Rojer, Nathan, Kevin’s down there on the bank. Go sit with him.”
As soon as I get to where the raft is, I dive back into the river, swimming hard until I get to it. I pull myself up, grunting at the burn in my muscles.
I can’t do this alone.
“Vale, I need you.”
“Finally,” he says.
I scowl in his direction, but he and Rory swim out to me and climb up on the raft.
“Attach these lines to the sides.” I show them where and then grab mine.
“Now, what do we do?” Vale asks.
“Lean back.”
“Mm, you look so fucking hot right now,” Rory says in a voice that makes my skin prickle with awareness.
“Stop being a creeper,” I snap back. “Now lean.”
I throw my weight back and the raft lifts, slowly. Vale and Rory strain back, leaning harder. And it flips, dumping us all back in the water. I pull myself up and into it. The paddles are gone; the packs are gone. They should have been attached. I secured it all. I double and triple checked.
Who is sabotaging my tour?
I grit my teeth, frustrated.
Rory lifts himself out of the water just using his arm strength. The vulnerable omega part of myself I’ve been trying to subdue all these years pricks up and takes notice.
The way his biceps bulge, the water dripping from his black hair, as his eyes flash and land on me, almost seeming to darken, to focus when he looks straight at me like he’s scenting my weakness in the air.
“Where is your life vest?” I snap.
Rory looks up at me. “You threw yours off and swam away.”
“Yes,” I growl. “But I know what I’m doing!”
“Kota and Cyn nearly lost their minds. They ran down the river bank.”
Oh.
Vale shoves our raft out, throws three paddles into the boat and a wet pack, then jumps in.
“Shall we?”
Yeah, I think we shall.
We handle the rapids easily between the three of us and then guide the boat to where the others are sitting on the side of the bank.
Cyn sees me and scowls, but it’s Kota who grabs me by the upper arm and almost drags me out of the raft.
I snatch my arm back, but he grabs my hand and drags me up into the forest. Ignoring my hissed protests.
No one stops him, but Cyn follows, looking unhappy.
I’m slammed up against another tree.
“This is getting old,” I snap at him.
“Yes, it is.”
“Well, stop doing it.”
“You just throw off your life vest and go and rescue a fully grown alpha?”
“He is part of my party.”
“I bet your dad wouldn’t have said to do that.”
I stay silent because my dad would have kicked my ass.
“Are you trying to die?” Dakota shouts.
“No, but they are my responsibility.”
“CRAP!”
Cyn pulls him off me. “We were worried. When the rapid sucked you under, and you disappeared, we thought you were dead.”
“I’m not dead.”
“We thought you were.” Dakota muscles his way back in, growling at me.
“Why does it matter?” I snarl, clenching my fist.
Cyn pulls Dakota away and shoves him back towards the bank. He runs a hand through his wet hair.
“You have to realise that none of us expected this.”
“What?” I ask, completely confused by his stark words.
“To see you again, to see you like this? You aren’t lace, frills, and innocence anymore, Omega.”
I hiss at the word.
“What makes me different now?” I spit bitterly.
“The difference,” Cyn says with darkened eyes, “is that now, I don’t think we could break you.”
I scowl at him, hoping he can’t see how fast my pulse is thundering, hoping he can’t see how desperately I want to lean my weight against the tree to stop my knees from buckling. Hoping he can’t smell the heat that is burning through my blood.
Oh, my god…
I race down to the river, ignoring Cyn’s demands for me to stop, but my pack is nowhere in sight. Dad’s going to kill me. I’m supposed to always have them in a separate bag on my person.
I stand on the edge of the water, shivering in the cold, wondering what has happened to this normally peaceful trip.
Everything is going to get really bad now. Really bad.
In my pack were the suppressants, the only thing that kept my scent hidden and the alpha’s tempers under control.
Fuck.