Heartless Villains (Ruthless Villains Book 3)

“Only go half of what you can actually handle.” Callan glanced down to meet my gaze. “Because if the end of it is too far away, you’ll need to have enough air left to swim back here or you’ll drown.”

“I know that.” Letting out a huff, I rolled my eyes at him while I started to turn away. “I’m not an idiot.”

His hand shot out and grabbed my chin before I could finish turning. Holding it in a firm grip, he leveled hard eyes on me. “I’m serious. You’re so fucking stubborn all the time but you need to know your limits on this one or it’s gonna go to hell real quick.”

“Aww.” I smirked up at him. “Are you worried about me?”

Leaning down, he brushed his lips over mine in an almost kiss. “You wish.”

My heart skipped a beat. I tried to ignore it, but the problem was that I did wish that. However, before I could say something terribly dangerous, he drew back again.

“No, I’m not worried about you,” he continued. “But if you don’t make it back, Paige is gonna come after me. And I would hate to have to kill such an accomplished forger just because your stupid ass drowned in a damn cave.” He released my chin with a forceful move, making my head snap to the side. “So know your fucking limits, alright?”

Slowly turning my head back, I narrowed my eyes at him. “We’re going to be testing some other limits very soon if you don’t do something about that arrogant tone of yours.”

“Come try it, sweetheart.”

After one last glare at the presumptuous force mage, I shook my head and stalked into the water. It wasn’t nearly as warm as I had hoped it would be, but at least it wasn’t freezing. Since swimming while wearing clothes would have slowed me down, the only thing I had on was a pair of panties. And the moment I stepped into the cool water, goosebumps spread across my body and my nipples hardened. I rubbed my hands over my arms a couple of times before continuing deeper into the pool.

It was shallow around the edges, and the stone ground sloped gently downwards for a few steps before it turned into a sheer drop. Stopping at the edge of the drop, I looked down at what waited me below.

Through the clear water, I could see the large opening that was set into the back portion of the pool. Beyond it waited something like a tunnel. The issue was of course that Callan and I had no idea how long the tunnel was, so I had volunteered to check it out.

I stepped off the edge.

Cool water wrapped around my body as I sank down until only my head remained above the surface. The sudden chill against my chest made me suck in a sharp breath.

“You okay?” Callan called from the stone ground around the pool.

“I’m fine. Just keep an eye on the opening.”

Before he could reply, I drew in a deep breath and dove underwater. The world around me blurred as water shifted in my vision, but at least it was clear enough that I could still see relatively well. Kicking my legs hard, I swam as fast as I could for the opening.

Surprise flitted through me when I swam into the tunnel and realized that those glowing crystals lined the stone walls in there too. While I continued farther in, I couldn’t help but wonder if they really were naturally occurring or if they had been created by some kind of rare mage of old. Regardless, I was grateful for their existence because I wasn’t sure how anyone would have been able to see anything in there otherwise.

I scanned the stone walls, along with the ceiling and the ground below as well, while I continued swimming. But apart from the glowing crystals, there was nothing else there.

Straining my eyes, I tried to see the end of the tunnel. Only water framed by stone walls with crystals stared back at me.

The coldness of the water was sapping my strength more than I had expected, and I briefly wondered if I should start making my way back soon. But then something that looked like a hole in the ceiling appeared a little farther ahead. Victory sparkled inside me as I set course for it.

As I got closer, I saw that it was indeed a circular hole set into the stone.

After moving so that I was right underneath it, I got ready to swim upwards. But then I screeched to a halt.

The hole only continued upwards a foot or two before it was blocked by a stone that was so flat and smooth that it had to have been put there on purpose. Lifting my arms, I pressed my hands against the strange stone, but it refused to budge. I flicked my gaze over the area around me to see if I could spot some kind of opening mechanism, but there was nothing there.

Irritation washed over me. I wanted to keep searching, but I had already wasted enough time here. I had to get back to the other opening before I ran out of air.

Pushing off from the ceiling, I used it to launch myself back in the direction I had come. The white crystals watched impassively as I kicked my legs and drew my arms furiously through the cool water while trying to get back to the cave as fast as possible. But no matter how quickly I swam, it didn’t seem to be getting any closer.

Had I really gone that far in?

Panic pulsed through me. I tried to smother it while I continued forwards.

My lungs burned. Fuck. I really needed air. But only cold water surrounded me.

I kept swimming.

At last, I could see the opening ahead. Or I thought so, at least. I felt lightheaded and my vision had started sliding out of focus.

A wave of pure terror slammed into me.

I needed air right now.

My lungs screamed for it.

Kicking my legs, I tried to swim the final distance but the opening seemed to be getting farther away instead. Darkness crept into the corner of my eyes. I reached towards the end of the tunnel. It was so close. I knew that it should be right there. But my limbs were no longer obeying my orders.

My whole chest felt like it was on fire.

Terrible dread weighed down my limbs as my vision faded.

Something big suddenly moved in front of me.

But before I could find out what it was, darkness enveloped me.

My eyes shot open as my head snapped to the side. I immediately vomited a lungful of water onto the ground next to me. It triggered my upchuck reflex and I threw up again. And again. Until my whole soul felt like it had been wrung out.

While coughing and gasping in air, I rolled over on my back again.

The rough stone ground was cold against my back. I used that feeling to anchor myself and try to piece together what had just happened. My lungs still ached. And my cheek… stung.

“Hell fucking damn it, Audrey,” a familiar voice growled.

I blinked and shifted my gaze towards the sound of the voice. Callan’s face appeared before me as he crouched down until he was straddling my hips. Leaning forward, he took my chin in a gentle grip and turned my head from side to side while scrutinizing every inch of my face. Then he held up his other hand in front of my eyes.

“How many fingers?” he demanded.

“I didn’t hit my head,” I pressed out hoarsely. “I almost drowned.”

“And don’t I fucking know it. Now, answer the damn question.”

I slid my gaze from his angry face and to the fingers he was holding up. “Two.”

“Good.” While letting his hand drop, he released my chin too. “How are your lungs?”

“Sore.”

“Serves you right, you fucking idiot.” Planting a hand on the stones next to my head, he leaned down over my face and locked furious eyes on me. “Didn’t I tell you to know your fucking limits?”

“Why are you swearing so much?”

“Because you almost drowned! Hell fucking damn it, Audrey, you almost died.”

I chuckled, which immediately made me cough. “You seem very upset about that.”

“Of course I’m upset about that!”

My head still felt a bit fuzzy, so I wasn’t sure if I had heard that correctly. While blinking again, I dragged my gaze from his face and down the rest of his body. He was also only in his underwear, and water was running down his muscular body. It took me another few seconds to realize that he had actually dived into the water and pulled me up.

However, I didn’t know what to do with that information, so instead I said, “You’re sitting on me.”

Callan blinked at me before looking down at his own body. Then he gave his head a few quick shakes before he swung his leg over me again so that he was no longer straddling me.

A thud sounded as he flopped down on his back next to me instead.

“Fucking hell, Audrey,” he muttered again.

I reached up and pressed my palm to my cheek. It still stung. While letting it drop down by my side again, I turned my head so that my cheek was resting against the cold stone floor instead. From that position, I could see Callan’s profile. He was glaring up at the ceiling while his chest rose and fell with angry breaths.

“Did you slap me?” I asked into the tense silence that had fallen.

“Yes. I had to wake you up so that you could get the water out of your lungs.” A small smirk tugged at his lips when he turned his head so that he met my gaze. “And besides, you deserved it.”

I snorted, and then coughed again. “Bastard.”

“You’re welcome.”

“Yeah, well…” I cleared my throat as I briefly glanced away. “I guess this makes us even for when you made me put on a collar.”

“Again, I never made you do anything. You agreed willingly.”

“Just take the damn win.”

He laughed. I shifted my gaze back to him. The light from the crystals glittered in his deep brown eyes and glinted off the water that still ran down his toned body.

And as I listened to his laugh fill the empty cavern around us, I realized how much I actually enjoyed that sound.