Chapter 86 Maddy
MADDY
Islept like the dead that night. Partly from the sex but also from the traveling.
I had been exhausted, and after Nico fucked my brains out, I fell asleep so fast I didn’t even remember putting on my pajamas.
I dressed quickly and made my way downstairs.
The excitement and fear about the day must have been catching.
All the others were already in the living room.
The sun wasn’t even up, but everyone there looked bright-eyed and alert.
Nico smiled at me and waved me over to join them.
Sebastian had gone out even earlier and picked up some coffee and a dozen of what looked like some type of doughnuts. We all sat around the table, eating, as Nico pointed at the map.
“This is the dock where we’ll pick up the boat and scuba gear.
I ordered a few extra tanks of air since we’ll need to do a little training with Maddy and Tiago before we go for the real dive.
” He pointed at an unnamed coastline on the Adriatic.
“We’ll head here. This is the exact location Edemas gave as the final resting place of his blood.
It’s the only cave system that matches what’s described in the scroll.
Once we get there, we’ll have to traverse through the underwater cave system.
That’s the truly dangerous part.” Nico glanced at Felipe and Sebastian. “Felipe?”
Felipe pointed at the map. “We picked up two hundred feet of rope last night while you guys were out. I’ll have one end tied to a spindle at the boat.
Nico will be in the lead and will tie off the end to his dive belt.
Next will come Maddy, then Sebastian, Tiago, and I’ll take the rear.
That puts three experienced divers in spots to assist the newbies.
If you have trouble or panic, follow the rope back out, it’ll take you right to the boat.
No matter what, don’t let go of it. Most of your swimming will be done with your flippers. Always keep one hand on the rope.”
“Right,” Nico said. “From what I was able to research, this cave used to only be covered at high tide. Sometime over the last fifty or sixty years, the water has risen, and now it’s covered all the time.
The map on the scroll shows that the actual interior chambers are well above sea level.
It probably means, at some point, we’ll break the surface and be able to make our way in.
Does anyone have any fears or suggestions? I’d love to hear them.”
Tiago raised his hand. “What happens if the cave is totally submerged? I know you have your map, but, worst-case scenario, we get in there, and there are no dry spots.”
Nico nodded. “That is the worst case. Basically, we’ll explore as much as we can, but we’ll have to come back out. We’ll replace our air tanks, and Maddy and I will go back in alone. I’ll get Maddy as far as I can, but then she’ll have to go the rest of the way herself.”
“Because only I can access it,” I mumbled, fear knotting my insides.
Nico must have heard the terror in my voice because he said, “Don’t think about it. That’s not going to happen. We’ll get in there fine. Don’t worry.”
Easy for him to say. I still had no clue what I would do with the vial.
Would I really destroy it? Deep down, I wanted to.
No one deserved that kind of power. But deep in my soul, the desire to take it for my own was there.
A want, a need to use the vial. I wanted to be powerful enough to go toe to toe with the royals, to wipe that smug fucking smile off Viola’s face once and for all.
Still, what would happen? Would I lose myself if I did so?
My wolf was no help. She’d been nearly silent since we got on the flight the day before.
I’d asked her point-blank what she thought we should do, and I was greeted with silence. Nothing but crickets.
We packed up and left not long after discussing our plan for the final time.
Instead of taking two cars, we all piled into the SUV the others had rented to bring to the villa.
Everything was exactly as it should have been, but as soon as we pulled out of the driveway, an eerie feeling crept up my spine.
Something wasn’t right. Nothing overt or terribly pressing, but it was there.
It was on the tip of my tongue, but I couldn’t verbalize what exactly it was I was sensing.
My wolf finally reared her head. Her whines echoed through my head.
Gritting my teeth, I clutched my hands between my legs and made sure not to let anyone else know how much I was worried.
There was no way I could freak out and turn back now.
Zero percent chance of that happening. Instead, I tried to keep my expression as placid as possible.
The others conversed about scuba-diving terminology, whether they enjoyed the flight the day before or not, and other banal, silly things people talked about to fill the silence.
All that was going on while I tried to prevent myself from having a panic attack.
The closer we got to the dock, the worse my anxiety got. Unable to keep my feelings to myself much longer, I leaned over and whispered to Nico. “Something’s off. I can’t explain it, but something doesn’t feel right.”
He reached over with his free hand and gently squeezed my thigh. “It’s okay. Only nerves. We’re about to do something pretty dangerous. You should feel nervous. But it’ll be all right.”
I nodded at his words. That had to be it.
What else could it be? I’d almost talked myself into it until we crested a hill, and the dock became visible beneath us.
My wolf stirred and growled in irritation.
She was not happy. It wasn’t anger or rage.
She was anxious and uncomfortable. I could almost visualize her snarling and showing her teeth.
I shook my head. “Nico, something is wrong. I know it. It isn’t just nerves. Something doesn’t feel right.”
“You good?” Sebastian asked.
“She’s okay,” Nico answered. He glanced at me worriedly as he pulled the car into the parking spot. “Maddy. Do you want to do this? I can’t make you do it. This is up to you. You say the word, and we leave. We go back to the villa to regroup.”
I said nothing, simply staring out the windshield at the purple sky as the sun started to rise.
The sea looked like a flat sheet of iron—dark and cold and dangerous.
The guys got out and walked over to meet the scuba delivery guy who was waiting by the docks with a huge pile of equipment.
Sebastian, Tiago, and Felipe began talking to the guy and going over the equipment while Nico doubled back to the car to check on me.
“Okay. Suck it up. Come on, Maddy,” I hissed the words to myself an instant before Nico opened the passenger door.
He crouched so he was eye-level with me, a look of anxious worry on his face. “Maddy? Are you totally sure you’re up for this?”
“Yep,” I lied. “Nervous, I guess. As you said, I’ll be fine.”
He nodded and helped me out of the car, but I could see the wary look in his eyes.
I walked over to join the others, Nico following behind.
Sebastian was signing some papers while Felipe and Tiago were hauling the gear toward the small boat we’d rented.
Nico headed toward the small office at the edge of the dock to get the keys.
After giving the clipboard back to the rental guy, Sebastian shook the guy’s hand. The man headed back toward the truck he’d come in. Sebastian glanced at me and pursed his lips. He looked worried. “Maddy, you don’t look good.”
“Thanks, you’re pretty hot yourself, big guy.”
Ignoring my jibe, he said, “We haven’t even set foot on the boat yet, and you already look seasick. What’s going on?”
I shook my head. “Nothing. Don’t worry about it.
I… I’ve never dived before. I think the anxiety is getting to me.
All the talk about how dangerous cave-diving is.
It’s starting to get to me.” The lie came easily enough.
I actually was a little worried about that, but it wasn’t the truth.
Not really. Something else, something more existential, was wrong.
Sebastian seemed to buy my line, though.
His face softened. “That’s understandable.
This isn’t ideal. Of all of us, Felipe has the most experience, but even he isn’t fully certified.
What we are doing is a big no-no, safety-wise.
But I’ve seen the map on that scroll. We only have to go about a hundred and fifty feet into the cave.
We should be fine as long as everyone holds the guide rope and everyone sticks to the plan. We’ll take care of you. I promise.”
His words did little to actually calm me down, but I gave him a wan smile and shrugged. “I know. I’ll be fine. Thanks, Sebastian.”
Nico returned a few minutes later with the keys. “Good to go.”
We grabbed the rest of the gear and helped Tiago and Felipe load it onto the boat.
I gasped at how heavy everything was. A new fear shot through me.
A mental image of myself loaded down with all this stuff, plummeting into the darkest parts of the ocean, the pressure building as I tried to swim back up.
Suddenly, I was terrified of diving. Great.
Why not continue stacking anxiety on top of anxiety like some kind of shitty, emotional Jenga?
Felipe went back to the car to grab the few bags we’d brought along, and Nico pulled me aside. “You’re gonna let me know if you feel anything, right? I can tell something is off with you. Do you think it has to do with the vial?”
I hesitated at first, unsure if I wanted to verbalize it, but under his intense gaze, I couldn’t keep it hidden. I nodded. “Maybe. I just feel weird. It’s hard to explain. Hopefully, it’ll fade soon.”
He rubbed a hand up and down my back, looking worried. “Offer still stands. If it gets to be too much, you speak up. Got it?”