to be perfect partners, but they needed to find a way to make that partnership click. “We need to work on our communication.”
“We do,” he agreed.
She held up a spoonful of her food with a smile. “This is a start.”
“I suppose it is.” She liked the way he smiled just then. Like he believed they could actually make this work.
They ate in silence for several moments. Then Lena heard a click like a lock engaging. She jerked her head towards the door and saw the red light lit up. She pushed her food away just as water began rushing into the room.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
SOLAN FROZE FOR HALF a second, unable to believe that they were being dumped into another challenge so soon after their last failure. He wanted to curse and complain, but the water was already up to his ankles and they couldn’t afford a third failure in a row. Lena looked just as unbelieving as him and ready to shoot fire from her eyes, or her spark from her hands.
“No powers,” he warned. “Don’t want to get electrocuted.”
“God damn it!” She shoved back from the table and stalked through the water, splashing her way across the room and looking around madly. “There’s got to be a way to stop this. It’s a puzzle.” She turned the normal water faucet on and off, but it didn’t have an effect on the water coming in through the ceiling. “Is this even real? Or is it a simulation.”
He didn’t know. The water soaked through the fabric of his clothes and chilled him. But the simulator downstairs was powerful. It didn’t matter. They had to solve the challenge. “Feels real enough to me.”
Lena closed her eyes, and he could see the moment she centered herself. She gave a firm nod and met his eyes. “Let’s do this.”
Stopping the water was the first and obvious priority. Lena took her half of the room, getting down on all fours to check under the sink and soaking herself to the bone while Solan worked the other side of the room. They covered every inch, moving in perfect harmony. They flipped every switch, turned every knob, and tried rearranging anything they could to see if some combination of actions would stop the water from flowing in.
By the time Lena was done checking under the sink the water was up to their waists. They moved as one to the door, pulling on the handle with combined strength, and still nothing. They even tried getting Lena wedged against the door, her legs on the wall and Solan’s arms wrapped around her to create as much leverage as possible.
The door didn’t budge.
“This thing shouldn’t be water tight,” Lena scowled as she splashed down. They were both shivering in the cold as the water climbed up to their chests. It was getting close to Lena’s chin, and who knew what would happen when it got too high.
How were they supposed to solve this one?
The computer had given no hints. They’d been dumped into the test without warning. What was the objective? How could they win? Maybe the only option was to lose.
“We can call this thing off,” he offered as the water started to lick at Lena’s neck. They both had several feet to float, and they probably should. Fighting against the water took a lot of extra energy.
“Not while we’re breathing.” She was breathing hard, but her eyes were determined.
He couldn’t help but smile at that and flash a little fang. She smiled back and he wished they weren’t in the middle of a challenge.
Then it was back to business. “Can we use anything to plug the spouts?” She was looking up at the ceiling where the water was pouring in.
It wouldn’t solve the problem, but it could buy them time. Solan stripped off his shirt and swam towards the nearest spout. For a second it seemed to work, until the pent up force of the water sent it shooting out.
“Brazon’s bowels!” Solan swiped at the water in frustration and spun around. And that was when the answer came to him. “The window.”
“What?” Lena was busy with her own hole and having just as much success as he was.
Solan swam towards it. It was set high in the wall and tiny. He wasn’t sure if he’d fit. But Lena definitely could. And even if only she got out, she could try and open the door from the outside. As an added bonus, the water would pour out, so he wouldn’t