They spot me, both of their faces riddled with worry, with shock.
“Rose,” Brad yells. “Stay there.” He shuts the engine off when they’re a good ten feet away and start floating toward me steadily. He leans over, ready to pull me up.
“I can’t find him.” My voice breaks. I feel like I’ve swallowed something large and hard and it’s trapped in my throat. “I can’t find Danny.”
“Fuck,” Brad curses, leaning out as far as he can, stretching his arm for me. “Take my hand.”
Just as our fingers brush, I hear something behind me. I abandon Brad’s hand and fly around, my eyes darting across the water wildly. I see his eyes before I see anything else. I hear my heart pounding its thanks before I hear his coughs and splutters, followed by a curse. His hands go through his hair, pushing it back, and he searches the water. Something inside me bucks. Something profound and demanding. Something that will not go ignored. And then our eyes meet, and I realize in this moment . . .
I’m in more trouble than I ever comprehended.
Trouble that scares me more than death. More than Nox, but not more than what I know he can do to me. Yet . . . will that stop me from being so reckless?
My arms and legs start moving of their own volition, taking me to him, rather than accepting Brad’s hand and going to safety. I’m swimming toward him. Toward the flames. Toward the heat.
Toward the danger.
Danny starts swimming too, and when I make it to him, our bodies crash together, and I curl every limb around him, hiding my face in his neck, feeling like I’m drowning all over again. “You’re okay,” he says against my throat, holding me tightly as the fire continues to blaze just a stone’s throw away. “You’re okay.”
Tears come. More feelings, more emotions, more madness. He saved my life. He’s the only person who has ever deemed me worthy of being saved.
I hear Brad yelling in the distance, calling for us to swim to him. “We should go,” Danny encourages me from his arms, but stops me before I can turn my face away. He says nothing as he takes me in. Just gently wipes under my eyes. I don’t bother telling him that it’s sea water. He knows. The warrior has had her armor destroyed.
I’m suddenly exhausted, all of my adrenalin gone, so Danny has to hold me while he swims us to the edge of the boat where Brad is waiting, his face grave. He takes my hand and pulls as Danny pushes me up, and I’m caught on the other side by Ringo. He gathers my wet body into his arms and puts me on the soft bench, and I start to shake, not that I’m cold or anything. I’m just . . .
“Shock,” Ringo grunts, taking a fleece blanket and wrapping it around my shoulders. “Have some water.” A bottle is thrust into my hand before he joins Brad and helps get Danny up, and once he’s in the boat, the three men stand and look out to sea, watching the fire blazing.
“Another life down,” Danny quips, looking at Brad. “Someone really wants me dead.”
Like a volcano, realization erupts, and my shakes take on new levels. As Danny turns toward me, taking in my vibrating frame, I look away, shame eating away at my trembling flesh. All I can see in my head, glowing and bright on the screen of the cell phone, is my text message to Nox. I close my eyes and feel Danny settle beside me, his arm coming around my body and hugging me close. I don’t deserve his comfort. This is my fault. I told Nox he would be here. He just didn’t expect me to be too. “You’re cold,” Danny murmurs, and I nod into his chest, because I can’t possibly speak until I’ve found air to simply breathe. “Rose?”
I can’t look at him. Can’t face him knowing it’s me who nearly got him killed. Taking my chin lightly, he applies only a little pressure, not forcing me to look at him, but making it clear that he wants me to. When I find his soft eyes, my guilt triples. “I’m sorry,” he breathes.
I can only shake my head, hoping he translates that to “Don’t be.” This is all on me, though I could never confess that. Danny saved me. He thinks I’m sitting here shaking like a leaf because I’m