Chapter 42
Having been born and raised on the Jersey Shore, I’d grown up hearing people claim that when the air was warm, the water felt cold, but when the air was cold, the water felt warm.
The ocean air had been cold, all right. But just FYI, when I plunged into the water, it did not feel warm.
It felt cold. Shockingly cold. So cold it hurt. It felt as if the water had teeth, and it was gnawing on every square inch of my body.
At first, I was grateful for the pain. The discomfort of being submerged in the icy ocean distracted me from the fact that I was, well…submerged.
But soon enough, realization hit. I was in the water—underwater—for the first time since I’d almost drowned. Predictably, panic clutched at my heart.
My heartbeat pounded in my ears.
I was terrified.
Terrified and cold and in pain…
And in love.
Yes. I was in love with Xander.
And goddammit, this day, I was choosing love. Not fear.
Pushing back against fright’s hold on me, I peered around. I spotted the line of the anchor that Drew had dropped. I figured if I followed that line, I’d keep moving in the right direction. And I’d stay on course. So, with the line in my sight and a plan in my head, I started swimming.
Swimming, it turned out, was a lot like riding a bicycle in that, once you learned how, you never forgot. Although ten years had passed since I’d taken that last ill-fated swim, my muscle memory kicked in quickly. Using the anchor’s line as a guide, I began to make my way into the deep.
My body had acclimated to the temperature, so I no longer felt the stinging cold. But I was starting to lose feeling in my hands and feet. Ignoring the numbness, I powered on, slicing my limbs through the water, propelling myself onward. Downward.
With each stroke, I knew, I was getting farther from my friends, farther from my family. Farther from home. But I was also getting closer to something. Closer to…me. Or the me I used to be before fear dug its ugly claws into me and held me back.
I swam on, following the anchor line. Only, my lungs were starting to burn. I wasn’t sure how much longer I could hold my breath.
My heartbeat accelerated.
I told myself to keep calm, to keep going. But now, my limbs felt heavy, as if they were made of lead. Instead of gliding through the water, it seemed like I was swimming through quicksand. My strokes were getting slower. I was tiring.
I was nearing exhaustion.
I felt the fingers of fear catching up with me, trying to pull me back into their grasp. Was I going to make it? Was the portal even down here? And if so, was it still open?
Maybe this had all been a horrible mistake. A fatal mistake.
I’d already cheated death once before. Was I deluded to think I could cheat it again?
My vision was wavering.
I was a hair’s breadth from losing consciousness.
Fuck. I was going to drown.
Just then, I saw an unnatural glimmer in the water below me. It was the same kind of shimmering light I’d seen peering down into the water of the Jacuzzi, when Xander’s glowing legs had become a glowing merman tail.
Suddenly, I was fully alert.
And I wasn’t afraid anymore.
I was…excited.
That has to be it! I thought. That has to be the portal.
Tapping into a reserve of energy I didn’t know I had, I swam toward the light. It didn’t feel like I was leaving anyone or anything. I wasn’t leaving home. I was going home.
Xander was my home.
I was going to be with Xander.
My hands and feet were tingling, my brain felt foggy, and my chest was on the verge of exploding—but none of it mattered. All that mattered was getting to Xander.
I would get to Xander, dammit. I’d get to him or drown trying.
Stroke…
Stroke…
Stroke…
One more stroke, and—
I was surrounded by blinding light.
I had an uncomfortable sensation, like my body dissolved in the water and somehow reconsolidated.
And then there was Xander. My Xander.
Relief flowed through my body. I’d made it! I was home.
The sea here was dark like midnight, just as Xander had described it, but I could see him in the ethereal glow emanating from the portal behind me. He was looking at me the same way he had when he’d first found me in the water.
As if he’d always known I was coming.
And he couldn’t contain his joy that I’d finally arrived.
I was just able to make out flashes of light and color and movement behind him—but that could wait. For now, the only world I was interested in was the one I saw in his eyes.
The one I’d glimpsed ten years ago.
The one that was waiting just for me.
I swam for him, wanting to wrap my arms around him and pull him close. But in my eagerness, I forgot to keep holding my breath. Salt water shot up my nostrils and filled my lungs. My eyes went wide, and my limbs seized up in panic.
No! Had I really come this far only to fail now?
But just like he had before, Xander reached out for me, his hands on my waist warm and reassuring. Then, with one hand still on me, he removed the necklace from around his neck with the other and draped it over my head.
And just like that, I could breathe.
I could breathe.
I opened my mouth to try to speak, but that turned out to be a no go. Although I wore his magic necklace, there was apparently no underwater speaking charm. And goddammit, I had so much to say!
But as I stared into Xander’s eyes—those amazing green eyes—I realized we didn’t need to talk to communicate. His gaze said everything he held in his heart. Just as my gaze, I was sure, expressed what I felt. Words weren’t necessary. Words could wait.
Besides, there were other nonverbal ways to communicate what I was feeling, weren’t there? Only, before my body could mold itself against his, I remembered something.
Looking down at the necklace, I found the shard of abalone, the one he’d said he needed to use to seal the portal. Showing him the charm, I pointed straight up, hopefully warning him the hunters weren’t far behind me.
Getting the message, he nodded, grabbed my hand, and swam with me over to the shimmering pool of light I’d just come through.
With his free hand, he took hold of the portal-sealing charm.
I didn’t know how he managed to tug it free of the necklace without breaking the whole strand.
But compared with the miracles I’d already witnessed, this was a mere parlor trick. I barely even blinked.
I watched, expecting him to use the charm on the portal with great haste. But instead, he paused. He reached over, cupping my chin and lifting my face so he could peer at me directly.
Reading the question in his eyes, I nodded without hesitation.
Yes, I was sure about this. Of course I was.
Even though I knew sealing the portal meant there was no going back for me, I was 100 percent positive.
I didn’t want to return to my old life. My life was here.
With Xander. The fact that he’d thought to stop and ask—with his whole kingdom on the line—only made me more confident in my decision.
He searched my eyes with his, looking for signs of doubt. But finding none, he finally nodded back. Then, with a flick of his wrist, he sent the abalone charm floating through the portal.
As a magical light show erupted around us, Xander pulled me into his arms, and I had my first underwater kiss. I was delighted to discover that, now that I was wearing that magic necklace, I didn’t need to come up for air.