Bright green light flared. Denae let out a few bubbles of air and started swimming. There was no doubt Matt had tried to kill her. Since she didn’t know how long the tunnel was before it opened up inside the mountain, he could very well get his wish.
Death by drowning. She should’ve expected as much since it was how her sister died.
Denae refused to think about Renee and that life-altering day as she kicked harder with her legs. Matt was still behind her, and if she was going to come out of this with any chance at living, she had to reach the surface before he did.
With the water so dark, she wouldn’t know when the tunnel opened up without feeling it. Denae moved as close to the top of the tunnel as she could. The water rushing the other way made her progression slower—and her body shake from the need for air.
Denae squeezed her eyes closed for a second to focus. When she opened them, she powered forward even as she caught a glimpse of Matt’s mask lights cutting through the water.
She let out another few bubbles of air and wondered if this was how Renee had felt when she drowned. It had been years since Denae had thought of that fateful day that changed her family’s life forever—and guilt remained her constant companion.
With her thoughts churning, it took her a moment to realize the roof of the tunnel was no longer above her. Denae pointed the glow stick upward and saw only water.
She kicked hard and propelled herself up. When she broke the surface, she gasped in air before she sank beneath the water again. Denae wasted no time swimming to the edge. She tossed the glow stick onto the floor of the cave and quickly jumped out of the water.
Matt was right behind her before she had time to kick off both her fins. His, she noticed as he stood glaring, had been removed in the water. They circled each other around the glow stick while she managed to kick off the last fin.
Matt’s smile was sinister as he shrugged off his tank. “I should’ve known you’d be a fast swimmer.”
“Was it always your plan to kill me in the water?”
“Not kill you, Denae, just wound you.”
She frowned. “Wound me. Why? So you get all the glory of this mission?”
“You are a stupid one.”
“Enlighten me then, or get on with the fight.”
Matt lunged, the knife in his hand aimed for her leg. Denae blocked his thrust with the side of her arm and punched him in the jaw with her other fist.
He spun and thrust his foot out, trying to trip her, but she jumped and kicked, landing a foot directly in his chest.
“You’re bait,” he said with a sneer as he stumbled a few steps back.
A fission of dread made her heart skip a beat. Bait. There was only one reason for bait, and it never ended well. “Since I’m such an idiot, explain it to me.”
The excitement in Matt’s eyes said it all. “Your mission in all of this was to die so we could reveal just who those at Dreagan really are.”
Just as she expected. “You’ll wound me because you suspect those at Dreagan will kill me once they discover me.”
“Something like that,” Matt said with a snort of laughter. “We need to catch those at Dreagan. Your death will ensure that. Those here at Dreagan will never know they killed an MI5 agent.”
“But my death will give MI5 the reason to investigate Dreagan,” she finished.
Denae was appalled. Not just because they wanted to kill her—and “they” meaning everyone in her division had planned this—but because those at Dreagan were being set up.
There was no need for her to reply. Matt had his mission, but Denae wasn’t going to go down easily. She feinted with a left jab and kicked Matt against the side of his head with her right foot.
He hissed and lunged for her again. This time she wasn’t able to block him and felt the sting of pain as the blade slid through her wetsuit and into her skin on her left side.
Denae hit Matt’s arm, which held the blade, so it pulled the weapon out of her. She then elbowed him in the throat as she was turning. He landed a foot at the back of her knee sending her to the ground.
She tucked and rolled, and when she came to her feet, she had her knife in her hand. No one liked to spar with her when it came to knives because she was so good. Now that she had her weapon, she had a chance.
“Know your death will free the world,” Matt said as he attacked once more.
CHAPTER TWO
Kellan kept utterly still in his corner. The sound of water sloshing against stone woke him instantly. He opened one eye to see the normally glass-like surface rippling violently as he caught sight of a human emerging from the water.
He barely had time to register it was a heavily breathing woman before a second joined her—this one male.
Kellan shifted his head to get a better look. It had been many centuries since he’d seen a human, and quite frankly, he could go through eternity without seeing another. How he despised them.
He didn’t like his sleep being disturbed either. Yet, he knew Constantine wouldn’t be happy if he made himself known in his dragon form and ate the two intruders … as tempting as that might be.