Part 21 (2/2)

It wanted into Sage Springs, and I doubted it would be alone.

”Riley! Stop it! Stop it now!” I wrenched out of his grasp and took hold of him instead, shaking him. But he didn't lose control of his spell.

”You need to kill her now if this is going to work,” said Riley, addressing The Bull. Then he pulled me back to him and spoke fast and low in my ear. ”Don't be afraid. He can't hurt you.”

Bulldog took a couple of steps toward me. I hesitated, looking between everyone here-Riley, Laurel's circle, even Brooke-and knew I couldn't run. I couldn't just leave them all here to face whatever was coming.

Bulldog took hold of my arm. Though I knew I couldn't escape, I couldn't resist swinging my elbow back and giving him a satisfying whack in the gut. He coughed and yanked me back harder, hurting my shoulder. ”Little b.i.t.c.h,” he said in my ear.

He could insult me all he wanted. It made no difference to me.

Across the pool, a figure stepped from between the trees. Broad shouldered, blond haired.

My heart jumped with happiness. ”Flynn!”

”I told you he was trouble, Beth,” he yelled at me. ”You didn't listen.”

”Do something and then lecture me,” I shouted back. ”You're supposed to be the protector of the pools. Where the h.e.l.l were you?”

Bulldog gave my arm an extra yank. ”Shut it, both of you. There's nothing you can do now. You'll both be dead in a matter of minutes.”

Russ took the gun away from Dana's head and waved it in Flynn's direction. ”Should I shoot him, Boss?”

Bulldog shook his head. ”No, keep the gun on the girl.”

The funnel of water grew higher. Almost all of the water from the pool was now suspended in the air. The creature I'd spotted before had made it halfway up the inside of the pool, and more movement came from below. I knew without a doubt that these were the things that would start the h.e.l.l cycle.

”Do something, Flynn!” I cried.

He lifted his hands above his head, as if he was about to dive, but he didn't jump. Instead, he began to push his palms down in an arch. He appeared to be pressing against a force I couldn't see, but when I glanced up, I saw the funnel of water Riley had created beginning to get lower. Somehow, he was forcing the water back down.

Riley's concentration increased, his face taut with focus. With every bit of downward pressure Flynn applied, Riley's efforts doubled back. They were fighting each other. A battle I could only see by the elements involved.

Riley risked breaking his concentration for a moment to yell over an instruction to Bulldog. ”Move closer. You need to hold her over the edge, so when her blood is spilled it pours into the pool. Her blood can't be spilled on our dirt.”

Bull pushed me forward, the knife held against my throat. He leaned me closer over the edge, so I stared down into its vast, black depth. Dizziness spun over me. Feeling like I was falling already. Was that what he planned? He would slit my throat, and I would die plummeting into those depths. The last things I would ever experience were those strange gla.s.sy black walls and the feeling of falling.

I thought of my parents, how they'd kissed me goodbye, never knowing it was for the last time. I thought of the people of Sage Springs, and possibly even the rest of America, how their lives would change forever after this night. How the h.e.l.l cycle was about to begin.

Several tons of water swirled above our heads. I felt as though I was looking up into an ocean. It was both overwhelming and terrifying. The pool was an empty black hole now, or not so empty. From its depths, more of the creatures emerged, their fingers long and spindly, with long, curled nails, or perhaps claws, protruding from the ends.

The creatures were getting closer, a couple of them only a matter of feet from the top. One reached up, its claws curling around the edge, digging into the gra.s.s and soil.

I tried one last time. ”Please, Riley. Don't let him do this.”

But the boy I'd fallen in love with ignored me.

His attention was focused on someone else.

Riley and Flynn exchanged a glance. I had enough time to think, What's going on there?' Then Riley shouted, ”Now!”

My survival instinct kicked in. I shoved away from Bulldog, diving for the ground. The edge of the blade sliced across my throat with a sharp sting, but I didn't have time to worry about it. A roar came from above and suddenly ten tons of water collapsed on top of Bulldog's head.

He floundered, his arms spread out as though thin air could help him, and then the force of the water pummeled him down, his feet flying up into the air.

The water was back in the pool, slos.h.i.+ng from side to side from the motion.

His hand reached out of the surface for help, only for a black claw to reach up out of the water beside him and drag him back under.

”Never trust anyone,” Riley said, addressing the water as he stood over the pool Bulldog had vanished into. He shook his head, sadly. ”You taught me that, Bull.”

Chapter.

24.

I lifted my hand to my throat, expecting at any moment to start choking on my own blood from where the blade had punctured my windpipe. But when I brought my hand away, my palm was clean, and the choking never came. I frowned, confused. I'd felt the blade slit my skin and enter my flesh. Why wasn't I hurt?

Then I noticed the symbols Riley had drawn on me, all glowing in the dark, just like the time I'd seen them on Brooke in our room.

Riley crouched beside me and took the hand which I still stared at, perplexed. ”I did a protective spell on you back at Bulldog's trailer,” he said. ”I didn't use the symbols to prepare you for the afterlife.”

I managed to tear my eyes away from my palm and looked up at him. ”You didn't?”

He gave a small smile. ”You can't actually think I would ever let anyone hurt you?”

I opened my mouth and shut it again. I didn't know what to say. I had thought he was going to let someone hurt me. I'd thought he'd served me up and handed me to Bulldog Mackenzie on a platter.

A groan caught my attention, and Mitch started to s.h.i.+ft, coming around. Russ reached down to help his friend to his feet. He tucked the gun back in his belt and lifted his hands in defense.

”We don't want no trouble,” he said. ”We were only doing what Bulldog told us. We ain't got no beef with all of you.”

My first instinct was to kill the pair of them. They deserved to go the same way as Bulldog. Anger built within me, the familiar red haze descending on my vision. All of my muscles tightened, and I realized the herb they'd fed me had completely worn off.

I started forward, but Riley's hand on my arm stopped me. ”Leave them,” he said. ”They're not worth it.” He raised his voice. ”Get out of here, or we'll get the cops onto you for abducting a college girl.”

”You ain't no innocent in this either, Riley,” Mitch yelled back. ”What proof have you got that you weren't involved?”

Riley glanced to me, and I nodded.

”Witnesses,” he replied. ”I've got witnesses. What have you got?”

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