Evermore Academy (Evermore Academy #3) - Audrey Grey Page 0,84

My arms strain as I shove him onto his side, his head propped on the tile, back to me. Most of the blood is already dissolved, and I scrub the few areas left. The murky water makes it hard to see.

“Anything?” Eclipsa calls from the speaker.

I shake my head, frustration blurring my vision.

“Summer?”

“No. I don’t—I can’t see anything.”

And then I do my routine check of his breathing and discover his chest isn’t moving.

34

No. No! “Don’t die on me!” I order. This can’t be happening. This can’t—

A sudden focus comes over me. Valerian is my mate and he won’t die. I won’t let him.

I. Won’t. Let. Him.

Gripping his waist, I lift him higher onto the ledge, grunting, my hair wet and plastered to my face.

My pulse hammers in my skull.

Calm down. Figure this out. I’m shoving a strand behind my ear and trying to catch my breath when something draws my attention. A flash of light near his left flank. Eyes narrowed, I draw closer.

Blood oozes from around the jagged piece of iron embedded in his flesh. Excitement and hope crash over me.

Blinking away water and sweat, fingers trembling, I grasp the edges of the fragment, careful not to shove it any deeper, and pull.

The second the iron exits his body, he inhales sharply and begins to breathe again.

I stare in shock at the thing that caused all this trouble. The splinter is roughly the length of my pinky tip. In shock, I mutter, “You have no idea the chaos you created.”

How could such a small thing nearly break my heart so completely?

I toss the iron fragment aside and it clatters softly against the floor. How many times did they kick him? If I didn’t need to stay here with Valerian, I would go kick their asses all over again.

I reach for more towels, prepared to staunch his wound, but now that the iron is out of his body, he’s healing.

I flip him back over. “Valerian?”

The bruising around his eyes is almost gone, as is the swelling. Those ice-blue eyes appraise me behind thick blue lashes. They slowly drop lower, taking in the way the wet fabric of my dress clings to my breasts. Red strips of the lower half swim around my waist.

“This is definitely worth coming back from near death for,” he murmurs in a husky voice, desire darkening his irises to the deep silver color still tinting the water.

Holding my gaze, he reaches a hand out to touch my face—

I slap his hand away, fury bubbling to the surface. “How dare you.”

He blinks, eyes unreadable.

“How dare you do that to me.” All the panic and fear and anger I’ve held back for the last five hours coalesce into a raging inferno. I’m going to burn this entire place to the ground if I can’t get a hold of my emotions, but the frustration and anger keep coming, feeding the flames. “Do you know how scared I was? I thought you were gone.”

“But I’m not.”

His flippant attitude stokes my rage. “Coward.”

“Coward?” He leans back, arms behind his head, those gorgeous muscles flexing, as if this is all some joke. “I am a lot of things, Princess, but coward isn’t one of them.”

I hate his indifference. How can he be so cavalier when my heart feels like it’s held together by a thread?

“I almost lost you.” Tears mix with the water and blood slicking my face. I see him surrounded by the other Fae, unmoving. See him struggling to breathe. Feel the desperation and sheer panic engulf me all over again.

I’m drowning in it. Drowning.

He slowly reaches for me again—

I don’t even realize I’ve slapped him until the crack of my palm against his cheek splits the silence.

His eyes darken, his lips curling into a wicked grin. “You are going to be the death of me.”

Another attempt to touch me. Another slap. Not as hard this time. His eyes flicker with excitement at the contact, stirring something deep in my belly.

I’m breathing fast. My heart pounding so hard it rocks my chest. My skin is on fire. A disorienting mixture of resentment, relief, and desire races through my veins.

I want to hurt him like he did me.

I want to kiss him until I can’t breathe.

I want to scream until I purge the images of him bleeding to death from my mind.

I want to drown in him until the pain is gone.

“I’m going to touch you now, Summer.”

This time, he catches my wrist. I try slapping him with the other hand