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sea with
lord knows how many hungry creatures swimming just out of sight. Her lungs
protested the lack of oxygen.
    She was so close.
    Only when her fingers
snagged fabric did she stop swimming. She dropped out of the Frost World, but
the damage had been done. Her head pounded with a relentless thud. Her eyes
burned, phantom shapes flickering in her vision. She could deal with them. They
weren’t the real problem.
    Her caveman was a
dead weight, dragging them both further down into the murky, icy-cold depths.
    She kicked. Muscles
protested the abuse. The burn in her body lessened as the breath-stealing chill
of the sea seeped into her pores. Her fingers cramped as she struggled to maintain
her grip on her savior.
    When she glanced
around, everything looked the same. It was impossible to tell which way was up.
Panic tightened her throat, and a bubble of air escaped. She watched the small
circle trail through the water.
    Toward the surface.
    Shayla quickly
followed. She swallowed repeatedly, fighting the instinctive need to inhale,
fighting to prevent water from invading her nose and mouth.
    Her lungs strained.
    Demanded air.
    Her concentration
broke when the corpse of the man she’d cracked over the head plunged into the
water just feet away. Entombed inside the shell of his body, his soul screamed
in silent terror, struggling to be free of the flesh imprisoning him while he
was slowly pulled toward hell.
    She jerked back,
terrified he’d reach out and haul her down with him. His clouded eyes gazed
beseechingly at her. One touch from her would free his soul, but it would also
set off a craving in him for the life that he’d lost. He’d cannibalize her,
absorb all the warmth she’d hoarded, just for the illusion of living for a few
more hours. She could fight him off but not rescue her caveman at the same time.
    Shayla resolutely
turned her back and swam, thanking the faeries that his recent death kept him trapped
inside his body. It was only a matter of time before he figured out how to
escape his rotting corpse, and she wanted to be long gone by then.
    Her lungs strained,
and she couldn’t hold back as her body reflexively gasped for breath. Saltwater
stung as it hit the back of her throat seconds before she broke the surface.
    Shayla coughed until
her throat ached with each breath. Minutes passed as she struggled to remain
afloat and keep her savior’s head above water.
    Knowing that no one
would be out searching for them, that she had to rescue herself if she wanted
to survive, she angled them away from the rocks and kicked toward shore. After
ten minutes, she stopped searching for the coastline and just concentrated on
staying afloat.
    A large wave smacked
her in the face, dragging them under for a few seconds. Using the last of her
strength, she managed one last push upward.
    The man exploded into
action, fighting against her, shoving her under again. A blow landed on her
already aching ribs, and she automatically inhaled water.
    Then she was being hauled
to the surface.
    She didn’t have
enough energy to spare to even glare at him. Her arms felt laden. It hurt to
even move. “I swear, if you drown me, I’ll come back to haunt you.”
    And she’d find a way
to do it, too.
    The man stared at
her, incredulous. “You saved me.”
    Shayla rolled her
eyes. “No, the mermaids did.”
    She shifted to her
back, battling to stay afloat, and allowed the tide to draw her toward shore.
The man struggled silently at her side, but she was too tired to help. By the
time the waves tossed them onto the sandy beach, she didn’t have the energy to
do anything but balance on her hands and knees. Agony throbbed through her. Breathing
was a chore as she struggled for air. Her throat was raw, her body battered and
bruised, and her head pounded relentlessly from the use of her gift.
    The frigid air stole
the last of her warmth. They had to get out of the water. Shayla groaned at the
thought of moving, then forced herself to stand.