My breathing became shallow as I stepped outside into the cool night air and gazed down several feet to the mirror-like water stretching out before me.
“Where’s Saint?” Blake asked.
“He was half naked the last time I saw him,” I said and Blake stiffened, yanking me around to look at him.
“What?”
The light in his eyes was gone and there was an endless tunnel of darkness awaiting me in them. I peeled his hands off of me as he held on too tight, my heart juddering in my chest. “I wandered into his temple and disturbed his creepy ass workout routine before he sacrificed a goat or whatever he had planned.”
Blake barked a laugh, his posture relaxing in a wave. “You went there? Fuck, you’re lucky you’re still breathing.”
I frowned at him, not really finding his tone all that amusing. He eyed my expression then lowered his voice. “Not that I’d let him lay a finger on you, Tate.”
“I can look after myself,” I said airily.
“Hm,” he grunted like that turned him on and I released a breath of laughter.
“So what does this initiation involve then?” I asked, but just as I spoke all of the lights went off in the entire cabin and we were plunged into darkness.
“You will be weighed,” Saint’s ice-cold voice filled the air and a single beam of light dissected the air above us. He was on the mother-effing roof of the cabin, gazing down at me wearing a crisp white shirt and black slacks. He had a flashlight in his grip and he swung it into my eyes so I winced from the brightness. I felt Blake slipping away from me along with the whole crowd and knew I was gonna have to face this alone.
“You will be measured,” Saint continued in a low purr. He jumped from the roof to a round of gasps, landing in front of me and making the wood beneath my feet tremble as he landed. “But will you be found wanting?”
I lifted my chin to look up at him and a satanic smile pulled at his mouth. “What do you want me to do?”
He took hold of my shoulders, flipping me around to face the water then spoke loud enough for everyone gathered to hear. “Fledglings must prove their worth. Only the most strong of heart can run with the Night Keepers.” He shoved me forward and I braced my hands on the railing, taking in a ragged breath. “Swim to the Everlake flag and back. If you fail, drown or don’t manage it in under fifteen minutes, you will be outcast from our company and from the company of those we keep.”
He pointed out to the flag sticking up from a tiny island several hundred meters out in the lake and cold fingers encircled my heart.
Sure, I could swim. But in a freezing cold lake that looked as deep as the depths of hell itself? Er, no thank you.
I glanced at Blake who nodded keenly in encouragement then to Kyan who was smirking like he knew I was going to back out. And that was it for me. Fickle as it was, being underestimated was my fucking kryptonite. And if that beastly bastard didn’t think I could do it, then he was about to be proved severely wrong. The dark and stormy certainly helped too.
“Go on, Tatum!” Mila’s voice caught my ear and I turned, spotting her in the crowd waving and smiling beside Danny Harper. The sight filled my heart with strength and I turned to face Saint again with a smile tugging at my lips.
“Give a girl a hand?” I turned to show him my zipper and his cool fingers brushed my neck before he took hold of it, making my heart falter for a full second. He ran the zipper smoothly down to the base of my spine and I pushed the dress off of my shoulders, bending down to scoop it up. I looked for Mila again so she could take it for me with my purse, but Blake appeared, pulling them from my hands as his eyes raked over my exposed flesh. Thankfully, I’d gone all out tonight in my Victoria Secret matching black panties and bra and my tan was gleaming even in the dark. I kicked off my stilettos before handing them to Blake too. The lust in his eyes was enough to set my pulse racing. And as I looked to Saint beside him and found his eyes eating me up too, heat gathered between my thighs and sent desire licking down my spine.
I turned my back on them, pulling myself up over the railing and taking a deep breath as everyone at the party started cheering me on. The cabin was up on stilts and it was at least six feet to the water - which hadn’t seemed that high until now.
Please don’t hurt like a bitch.
I dove into the lake and the freezing water immediately stole my breath away. I kicked my way to the surface and as my head breached it, applause and shouts filled my ears. I glanced back up to the deck where Saint, Blake and Kyan stood shoulder to shoulder, staring down at me with shadowed features. Saint lifted his arm to check his watch and that was all the encouragement I needed as I started swimming toward the flag.
It wasn’t the swim I found difficult, in fact swimming was one of my favourite exercises in the world. But the cold was gnawing, blinding. It made my body ache and ache until my limbs started to go numb.
I set my sights on the flag as the noise behind me became a din and the glow of the flashlight was left far, far behind. The thickening darkness made it almost impossible to see the flag ahead, but every now and then I’d catch sight of it, protruding toward the sky which was ever so faintly brighter than the surrounding water. The stars were out in full force too, but there was no guiding moon to help me out. The heavens reflected so starkly in the water around me that it looked like I was wading through a galaxy, the glossy waves rippling out around me eternally.
My hand finally hit the lump of rock which housed the flag and whistles and cheers sounded in response back at the cabin. I circled the earthy mass, clinging to its edge as I stole a few precious moments to catch my breath. Ice was wrapping around my bones and my lungs were labouring against the heavy air that pushed in and out of them. Even the adrenaline in my veins couldn’t counter the pain.
I clenched my jaw as I gazed back at the cabin, resilience tearing through my body. Then I started toward it, moving faster than before, despite the fact that I could hardly feel each turn of my arms and kick of my legs. I willed myself to move with nothing but my mind and hoped for the best as my muscles fought to listen.
I finally swam into the ring of light cast by Saint’s flashlight and smiled up at them through chattering teeth, waiting for my moment of approval.
“You’re in!” Blake called excitedly and I threw my head back and whooped to the sky, causing the rest of the party to join in with me.
I headed for the shore to the right of the cabin and by the time I reached it, Blake was waiting there with Mila, Danny, Pearl and Gerald, all of them looking at me with huge grins on their faces. Blake had a huge white towel in his hands and he wrapped it around me the second I waded onto the shore. Sharp stones dug into my toes and I hissed as I made my way over them, but a second later Blake whipped me off my feet and crushed me against his chest.
I glanced up at him in surprise and I instinctively reached out, pushing my fingers into his hair. “Thank you, golden boy.”
He chuckled and I smirked as we reached the top of the shore and he carried me inside. He kicked his way through a door and I found myself in an incredible bathroom with a walk in shower. The walls were wooden, but the floor was a russet and cream marble which must have been worth a fortune. He placed me down and I spotted my clothes and purse beside a large basin.
Mila raised an eyebrow at Blake. “Off you go, Bowman, the girl needs to get dressed and sort her makeup out.” She popped open her purse and I threw a glance at the oval mirror, eyeing the mascara that had smeared all down my cheeks with a laugh.