Angel of the lake

Chapter Forty-Nine

Claudio didn't stop chanting till the paper burned in his hands.

He didn't stop till he had no choice but to stop.

This had better fucking work.

He'd done everything the instructions said. Even when she screamed for him to stop. Even when she'd gone under. Even when she used that word that poisoned him. Please. She'd cried about what he was doing to himself. How she'd rather face death than let him be punished for putting her first. But he hadn't listened. He'd kept going. He'd done what needed to be done.

He swore to all things holy, if the warlocks had failed him, he'd kill them.

The anger of the water receded, slowing until those waves and ripples were gone. The stars, one by one, came back to life, glimmering just as steadfastly as they had before. The dead leaves blew away, as though they'd never even been there, and his eyes focused back on reality.

Megan was below that water.

Fuck!

He dove without so much as a second thought. His hands grasped madly at the liquid, searching for her, scrambling.

Skin! He had her leg. Thank the fucking Gods.

He yanked her upright, her body surfacing, crumpling into his arms.

He wrapped her up tight, breathing heavily, as she spluttered and coughed.

He lifted her body from the water, the salt line broken, ripples from the lake still licking at his own skin as sods of water drip, drip, dripped from her.

Please work.

He swiped his finger across her cupid's bow, wiping away the blood that dried there. It came from her ears, from her eyes, everywhere.

A tragedy in the making.

Fucking work!

Something told him that gathering of moisture beneath her eyes wasn't water from the lake.

"Megan love." His runes were shifting from one shade to the other.

A second ticked by of her struggling to breathe. Soon, she started to writhe.

Fuck.

It wasn't supposed to happen like this. The instructions had never mentioned anything about pain. For her, this was supposed to be easy.

The blood dripping from her body didn't slow. It oozed from her figure in a rush, moans of pain breaking from her, terrorising him.

This was his fault.

And if it didn't work—

"Megan, love, baby I'm with you." He squeezed her body into his, tears of his own breaking free. He hated seeing her in pain. Nothing killed him like this.

A force from below dragged him down, snatching her from him.

Fucking no!

He darted around madly, searching, searching—

Her body broke from the water with a horrified scream. She grabbed his shoulders, crying.

"It hurts!"

But Gods fucking help them—it was working!

Wings were sprouting from her back. Nothing like they'd looked before. No. These were different. Darker. Demonly. Fit for a demon Queen.

His breath escaped him.

She hadn't made the connection yet.

"It's burning," She whined. "My back's burning."