Death must be laughing right now.
Her lungs started to burn and she flailed again, at once desperate and hopeless. A ball of outraged fury welled in her chest.Such a stupid way to die.
And then something caught her shirt and yanked her upward. She burst through the surface of the water and dragged a great, gasping lungful of air. Nothing had ever felt so good.
Raven’s face came back into focus and she struggled to put her feet down on the riverbed. “Don’t try. You’re out of your depth. Look at me. Only me. Nothing else.”
She was too terrified and disoriented to do anything other than obey. He was supporting her in the water, his legs beating a strong stroke beneath her, his hand fisted in the collar of her shirt.
Heloise blinked the water out of her eyes and coughed, clutching his forearm with both hands until her knuckles turned white.
“Breathe with me,” he ordered. “Match your breaths to mine. That’s it. Slowly.”
He became her universe; everything else faded away. She focused on the tiny droplets of water on his eyelashes, the black hair plastered to his forehead, the ridiculous green of his eyes. Her chin dipped beneath the surface and she inhaled another mouthful of water.
“Kick your legs,” he said.
She gave a weak kick and was astonished to feel herself propelled forward. She did it again. And again. When her feet finally touched the gravelly bank she uttered a heartfelt prayer of thanks. She started to stagger ashore but Raven swept her up into his arms and carried her the rest of the way. He deposited her a few steps from the bank, letting her slide down his body but keeping his arms around her for support.
Heloise sagged against him, and for a brief moment she allowed herself the forbidden luxury of pressing her face into his chest and absorbing his strength deep into her bones. A shudder racked her body.
She wasn’t dead.
Raven rested his chin on the top of her head and simply held her, crooning reassurances into her sopping hair. She clung to him, unable to stop the shaking of her body or the bone-deep chill that gripped her. She had no idea how long they stood there. Time lost all meaning as he rocked her gently, but eventually the tremors abated and she came to slow awareness of their position.
She was clinging to his chest like a barnacle to a ship’s hull. Her head rested on his chest; she could hear his heartbeat, a reassuringly solid thump, but she forced herself to release her death grip on the front of his shirt. She uncurled her fists and straightened her fingers, flattened her palms on his chest.
She became intensely conscious of the fact that their wet clothes gave very little protection. Every inch of her body was molded to him, the hard tips of her breasts were squashed flat against his chest. She started to pull back, but Raven had caught her face between his hands. He swept his thumbs over her cheekbones then gently pushed a strand of dripping hair from her temple.
Her pulse missed a beat. There was an ache in her chest that had nothing to do with the water she’d swallowed and everything to do with the tender expression on his face.
“Cats never like water,” he said softly. “It’s over. Well done.”
His gaze flicked to her lips. She tensed, sure he was about to kiss her, but he released her and stepped back instead. She swayed but remained upright through sheer, stubborn pride.
He narrowed his eyes. “You’re not going to faint, are you?”
It was just the buck-up she needed. Renewed energy flooded her body and she straightened her spine. “Of course not. I’ve never fainted in my life.”
He gave her a disbelieving look. If he could be so coolly unaffected by a near-death experience then so could she. She gathered her wet hair and wrung it out over her shoulder. “I know, I’m a failure as a woman. I can’t summon a half-decent swoon. I’ve tried, believe me. I can’t even cry prettily. My eyes go all red and puffy and my nose runs. It’s very unattractive.”
“Nerves of steel are far more useful.”
She opened her eyes wide in feigned astonishment. “Good God, is that acompliment? I might swoon, after all, from the shock.”
Raven smiled. “Ha. You’re fine. If you’re well enough to argue with me, you’re well enough to get back on that horse. Come on.”
“The day I lack the strength to argue with you, Ravenwood,” she said, “will be the day I leave this world forever.”
Chapter 16
Raven caught the horses, which were grazing contentedly nearby, and Heloise breathed a silent prayer of thanks that they hadn’t galloped away. The last thing she needed was to be stranded in the middle of this unforgiving landscape withhim.
But Persephone had opted to stay close to the dubious protection of Hades, when she could have made a spirited bid for freedom. Heloise shook her head. Horses were stupid creatures.
Her clothes dried quickly as they rode. The breeches rubbed against her thighs but Heloise refused to utter a word of complaint. She’d asked for an adventure, hadn’t she? And this was certainly more exciting than sitting at home. She’d even faced one of her greatest fears and survived, although that was probably more to Raven’s credit than hers. Perhaps her wish to swim in the ocean one day wasn’t so far-fetched after all.
“Thank you,” she said suddenly.