Falling for Angels - Hazel Hunter Page 0,5
a towel to me. “Griogaire says Tyree and some of the other guys swim, you know.”
Tyree I’d already checked out, but he was out of my league.
“Speaking of.” I glanced at the water. “Can McAwesome wait another twenty while you spot me?”
She nodded. “Go, be a fish.”
I waded out and warmed up with a two-minute freestyle, and then started a breathing-focused workout. I needed to set up a buoy and some kind of kickboard so I could do some fast-paced sprints and cardio practice, but for now my goal was maintaining my lung capacity. The other girls swore the loch was too cold, but I loved the deep, clear water. It looked to be about five miles long and a mile wide at the deep end.
Halfway to the other side I saw a small fishing boat floating toward me, and swerved to avoid it. As I did I saw it slowly sinking, and shouted to Coco to get help before I swam toward it.
The side of the boat looked as if something big had taken a bite out of it. I saw a net and some fish inside, but no oars or fisherman. I peered past it and saw a body-shaped shadow under the water. When I dove under to swim to him a man with a gorgeous face, a long black mohawk, and supremely sad eyes appeared right in front of me.
In that moment I never wanted anything as much as that drowning guy. My whole body went berserk for him, and all the breath bubbled out of my lungs. He stretched out his hands, beckoning to me.
Something grabbed my arms and yanked me back against a wall of muscle. I surfaced with Tyree, who was one of the fair-haired, blue-eyed McGilleans (Coach said the clan used to share their island with some Vikings back in the pre-immortal days.) Definitely the prettiest, too.
“There’s a man drowning.” I looked around, but the shadow was gone—and suddenly I felt sick, like I was ready to pass out. “I swear I saw him.”
“He’s no’ a man.” Tyree locked an arm around me and started swimming toward the closest embankment. He helped me out, and then collapsed next to me. I started to thank him, and then saw a big pile of someone’s insides a few feet away from us.
“’Twas some manner of water demon. He killed the fisherman.” He turned me away and put his arms around me. “Dinnae look, lass.”
“Okay.” I fainted instead.
I came to while Doc Ivers was checking me out in her infirmary. When she asked me how I felt I said, “Fine. Scared. There’s a freaking fisherman-eating thing in our lake.” A thought occurred to me. “Could it be the Loch Ness monster?”
“Unless it swam here from the other side of Scotland, probably not.” She checked my pulse. “Feel up to talking to my guy?” When I nodded, she left and returned with Kendric and Tyree.
I liked K-pop (we all still called him that behind his back) but not the way he was looking at me. I felt like I’d blown a qualifying and was about to be banned from the pool.
“Hey, Master Gowan.” I smiled again at Tyree, feeling shy. He was even better-looking not wet, and no one had claimed him yet. Still out of my league, though. “Sorry about this.”
“’Twas no’ your doing, lass.” The druid sat down next to me. “You’re the only one thus far to face the demon and live. Will you tell me what you saw?”
Tyree looked away when I described my bizarre lust attack, but I glimpsed his expression. He wanted to kick some water demon ass. Then the men left, and Doc Ivers told me to rest.
As soon as I closed my eyes I saw the demon again. He was out there, in the deep end of the loch. I knew he was waiting for me to come to him, and what I had to do. No one had ever wanted me like him. In my dream I walked out of the castle, and into the water, and swam for the deep end—which is where I woke up, treading water.
“Victoria.”
I heard Tyree calling me, and then a big splash, but I couldn’t take my eyes off the shadow coming toward me. It looked like a giant black horse, and then it changed shape, turning into Mohawk Man.
He surfaced right in front of me, his gorgeous face darkening with a smile. He had jagged shark teeth. “My love.”
“My ass.” I