Chapter 74
Dominic POV
The moment her head disappeared beneath the surface, something inside me tore open.
I didn’t feel myself running. I didn’t feel the rocks under my hands. All I felt was a pull, and it was enough to drive me forward like an animal.
I dove deep, eyes burning, lungs screaming.
It was dark. I couldn’t see. Shocked by how deep the lake got so close to the shore.
I was starting to panic, frantic, until my fingers closed around something smooth.
Her arm.
Found her.
Ellie floated limp, hair drifting around her like pale ink in dark water, eyes closed, mouth slack.
A dead weight.
My heart stuttered violently.
No. No, no, no.
I dragged her up with one arm and kicked hard, breaking the surface with a gasp. She didn’t even flinch when air hit her face. Didn’t cough. Didn’t fight me.
“Ellie!” I barked, already swimming for the shore. “Ellie, wake up!”
She didn’t.
I hauled her onto the rocks, messy, but I couldn’t bring myself to care. I got her onto the sandy patch of earth and dropped to my knees, pulling her head into my lap, water dripping from my lashes onto her skin.
Her face… gods. She looked wrong. It was pale, a small bleeding cut on her forehead.
My hands shook as I pressed two fingers to her neck.
Come on. Come on-
There. Weak. Shallow.
But no breathing.
Sarah collapsed beside us, sobbing so hard she could barely breathe. “Oh m gods! Ellie! Oh-I-I didn’t mean- Ellie-Dominic, is she-oh gods, I didn’t—”
Jake tried to hold her back, but she kept reaching for Ellie, hysterical.
Vivian stood frozen several feet away, lips parted but silent for once in her life as Karina watched wide eyed, her brow furrowed.
Marcus already sprinted toward the trail in wolf form, yelling for help.
But none of it mattered.
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My world had narrowed to one trembling girl in my lap.
“Ellie,” I whispered, tapping her cheek lightly, then harder. “Ellie, look at me. Come on-look at me.”
Nothing.
A cold dread spread through my stomach. Everything felt hollow and merciless.
I leaned over her, tilted her head back, pinched her nose-
And pressed my mouth to hers.
Her lips were cold. Nothing like what I remembered.
I breathed into her, willing her chest to rise, willing her lungs to remember how to work.
“Come on,” I muttered, voice cracking. “Come back. I’m right here. Come on.”
Another breath.
Another.
My hands were shaking now, fingers tangled in her hair. I didn’t care if anyone saw. Didn’t care what they would say. Didn’t care what it meant.
I just needed her to open her eyes. I breath into her again.
Her lashes twitched.
Her lips parted.
Then-
A gasp.
Ellie jerked, coughing violently, her whole body seizing as lake water spilled from her mouth.
Relief hit me so hard I sucked in a breath like I was the one drowning.
“That’s it,” I said, one hand supporting the back of her head, the other bracing her shoulder when she tried to sit up too fast. “Slow down-Ellie, stop-hey-hey.”
Her eyes were wild, terrified, unfocused. She didn’t even recognize me at first.
“Where-Dom-what-”
“Don’t move,” I ordered, my voice cracking despite me. “You hit your head. You almost drowned.”
She blinked up at me, shivering. Her hand fumbled weakly at my shirt like she meant to push me away but couldn’t get the strength behind it.
The rush of fear, adrenaline, and relief tangled together until they spilled over in the only way my body knew how. My voice cracked, breathless, but all i could get out was-
“W-What the hell were you thinking?” I snapped, sharper than intended. “Falling like that-getting between them-have you lost your mind?”
Her brows drew together, hazy and offended.
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There she was.
Alive. Breathing. Angry at me.
My Ellie.
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Ellie POV
I was slipping. Then impact. Water swallowing me.
And just-falling.
Then everything went black, and suddenly I wasn’t in the lake anymore.
I was somewhere else. Some when else.
A knife slid between my ribs, hot and cold at the same time. Memory I knew well.
Blood filled my mouth.
My legs collapsed beneath me, the world tilting sideways as the stone floor drank up everything I had left.
I heard screaming-mine, maybe—and then laughter.
Vivian’s.
And next to her… Dominic.
They were older. Sharper. Cruel in a way the real him hadn’t yet learned how to be.
They watched me die.
“Ellie-Ellie, come on-”
A voice broke through the memory, or dream, scattering it like smoke.
My body jerked. A gasp tore from my throat.
Suddenly there was light. Air. Hands lifting me. A head pounding so hard I thought it might crack open.
I blinked up and found two faces hovering above me.
Sarah sobbing, mascara streaked, and shaking.
And Dominic-too close, dripping water onto my cheeks, eyes wide with something rawer than anger.
I couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t think. Everything blurred together. The lake, the knife, drowning, dying, him–
No. No. I was safe. This is other Dominic. Not the older him. The one who let me get killed.
But still…
My fingers twitched, trying to push him back.
His hand caught mine instantly.
“Ellie-stop-just stay still-”
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And then he yelled.
“Have you lost your mind?!”
The sound hit me like a slap.
My heart snapped fully back into the present, fury rising faster than the fear.
“What?!” I rasped, shoving at him weakly. “If saving me was such a burden, maybe you- “I coughed, squeaking, “shouldn’t have done it!”
His jaw clenched. “Stop talking! You could have died-”
“Yes,” I snapped, stumbling to my feet even though the ground buckled under me, “that tends to happen when people FALL OFF A CLIFF!”
“You shouldn’t have been fighting-”
“I WASN’T FIGHTING, DOMINIC, VIVIAN LANDED ON ME!”
“I did not!” Vivian hissed from behind me. “You got in the way!”
Karina titled her head, “Techincally Vivian just accidently hit her.”
“Shut up and eat rocks, Karina!” I snapped. “Why are you even here! With them!?”
Karina scoffed. “Because they like my company more?”
Sarah yelped, “Please don’t fight anymore, this was so scary-”
But no one heard her.
“Whatever,” I hissed, brushing water and sand off my arms, “If your done blaming me for almost dying, I’m leaving.” I jabbed a finger into Dominic’s chest. “The company you keep is the worst! How are you always taking there side! Ugh! Stay away from me.” 1
“I don’t take there side-,” Dominic stopped then tossed a hand. “Whatever, as long as I’m not carrying you again.”
“I DIDN’T ASK YOU TO SAVE ME!”
“YOU WERE UNCONSCIOUS!”
“I WAS FINE!”
“You were BLUE!”
We glared at each other, both shaking.
Then his eyes flickered to my head. My eye shutting as blood trickled into it. His gaze softened, concern biting the edges as I hissed, covering it.
“You,” he muttered. “Should get that looked at. I can-”
He took a step to me but I held up a hand.
“I am a healer. I can do it. I’m pissed off and I want nothing more then for you to leave me alone. Sarah. Now.”
Then I turned and stormed into the trees, pretending the dizziness was just anger.
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It wasn’t.
The second he couldn’t see my face anymore, the bravado cracked. Hard.
My legs wobbled. I had to grab a tree trunk to steady myself.
Sarah rushed after me, still hiccuping, trying to help hold me up. “Ellie-Ellie, slow down-you hit your head—”
“I’m fine,” I whispered, even though it came out thin and unconvincing.
But my hands wouldn’t stop trembling.
Because for a second-just a second-I really thought I had died. Again. Would I have gone back again or…
Was this it?
“Ellie?” Sarah murmured. “What’s wrong?”
I shook my head, unable to explain the dread curdling in my stomach.
Somewhere behind us, Dominic’s voice echoed faintly through the trees, still shouting something-at Marcus, at Vivian, maybe at himself.
I didn’t turn back.
Didn’t breathe until I couldn’t hear him anymore.
And even then, the memory of his hands on me-lifting me, holding me, trying to breathe life back into me- lingered.
He’d save me. Unlike last time.
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