She tastes like a piece of the heaven I won’t be going to.
Kissing her is relief.
It’s a delicate sort of demand.
She pulls away, panting words between each kiss. “I hate you.”
“I know,” I murmur into her mouth.
Her palms push at my chest, pulling her lips away from mine to whisper again, “I hate you.”
I run my hand slowly up her side. “Prove it to me, Gray,” I murmur against her ear. “Hate me enough to use me.”
I hear her breath catch, feel her heart racing against my chest.
I look away, ready to pull back and—
A hand finds my face, turning it back toward her to press my lips against hers.
Her mouth is crushed against mine, and it’s her I’ll breathe in for the last time.
My hands are cupping her face, fingers twining in her wet hair.
I kiss her frantically, memorizing the feel of her lips against mine.
It feels like finality, this kiss. This moment.
I kiss her harder at the thought, willingly breathing her in until the very end.
Her arms slide from my wrists to wrap around my neck. She’s clinging to me as though I’m an anchor she’s willing to sink with. I’m drowning with her, in her.
It’s only when the water reaches her lips that she pulls away. “Kai,” she whispers, “I never learned how to swim.”
“You’re okay,” I murmur, pushing tangled hair from her face. “I’ve got you.”
I wrap my arms around her waist, holding her against me. It’s only a matter of time now. The water is at my neck and rising rapidly. It’s not long before I’m treading water, trying to keep the both of us afloat.
“Wrap your legs around me,” I order softly, staying calm for her sake. I feel her nod before her legs are hugging my waist, freeing my hands to help keep our heads above the water.
My head is nearing the ceiling trapping us down here. I focus on the feel of her hands around my neck, of her fingers fidgeting with my hair. “Are you scared?” she whispers, her lips close to my ear.
“I’m brave enough to admit that I’m terrified,” I say quietly. It’s a struggle to hold the both of us, though I won’t need to do it for much longer.
I only wish I could see her face, could count the freckles splattering her nose one last time. I wish I could drown in those ocean eyes before the water gets the chance.
“Do you…,” she starts. I feel her arms leave my neck. “Do you feel that?”
I try to keep my voice steady despite struggling to keep my head above the surface. “Feel what?”
“The air…” Her hands are running across the crumbling stone above us. “There is air coming from up here.”
Her fingers sound frantic. I hear the sound of scraping nails and muttered curses before I’m blinking at a thin beam of light streaming through the ceiling. “Kai.” She’s breathless. “It’s a grate. It’s covered, but it’s there.”
She throws the chuck of stone she broke off into the water, half laughing as she begins tearing at the ceiling. I’m dodging pieces of falling stone as she rips the crumbling ceiling apart. It’s a struggle to keep her afloat with her constantly moving in my arms, not to mention the fact that my head is brushing the ceiling. “Quickly, Pae,” I grunt.
Her spine goes rigid in response to that nickname, but she’s quickly distracted by the more pressing issue at hand. “I know, I know,” she pants, pulling at the jagged stones. She’s uncovered several inches of the hastily covered metal grate, allowing sunlight to stream through the slits.
I’m forced to tilt my head back to breathe. “Paedyn,” I gasp.
“Just a little more,” she says, frantic. Only inches separate us from the ceiling. Her head is tilted, her cheek likely pressed to the stone she’s clawing at. The grate is mostly uncovered now, and she’s pushing against it while I’m trying to hold her up.
I can’t. I can’t hold her any longer. I can’t stay afloat. I can’t breathe.
“Pae,” I manage. “Take a breath—”
I gulp down air before the water swallows us.
Paedyn untangles herself from me, using both her hands to push against the grate. I wrap an arm around her waist to keep her from sinking and shove at the grate with every ounce of strength I have left.
The sunlight teases us, speckling the murky water. A reminder that the only thing separating us from air is this damn grate. I ram my shoulder against it, feeling it budge. Paedyn pushes, pounds against our final hope.
I’m running out of air, and I know she is too. Her movements grow more sluggish with each second.
I will not let her die like this. I cannot.
With one final ram of my shoulder, I feel the grate lift. I’m forced to let go of her, using both my hands to slide the grate to the side. It gives a couple of inches, allowing me to grab the lip and fully push it open.
Then I turn, finding Paedyn slowly sinking toward the bottom of the tunnel. Her eyes have drifted closed, her lips stained an eerie blue. I swim downward, grabbing her by the waist and pushing off the floor to shoot us toward the light.
Then I’m shoving her upward until her head peeks through the grate.
I vaguely hear her muffled gasp, her choking coughs. Through blurry vision, I watch her pull herself up and over the grate.
She made it. She’s breathing. She’s alive.
I don’t know that I’ll be able to say the same for me.
My eyelids are heavy, blinking shut without my permission. In fact, my entire body is heavy, weighing me down as I begin to sink.
So this is it.
This is how the mighty Enforcer meets his end.
It could be worse, I suppose.
I don’t bother fighting the water anymore. I’m too tired. Too ready to rest.
She’ll be free of me now. She’s probably halfway to a shadow she can melt into. The idea almost makes me smile.
I sink into oblivion, the thought of her my final prayer.
