Of Mine Enemy

chapter seventeen

Alex had never seen so much beauty in one place. Trees drooped to tangle their leaves with the passing figures trodding the leaf-covered trails. Pure, crystalline waters babbled along the ledges of embankments tipping over either side of the road. Sunshine, unlike the usual pulsing punch of piercing rays, caressed every angle of skin left barren of protection. Saiorse told him they would only be passing through the beautiful land - but Alex hadn't the slightest desire to leave. Their three day journey had so far consisted of snapping remarks and uncomfortable moments of exhaustion induced sleep. Now, as they lingered near a coursing brook, the temptation seemed too much for even Saiorse. Giving in, the brunette guided Fievel down the grass-slicked slope, pushing him right into the river with a gleeful squeal.

Alexander and Aridyn hadn't a clue where Saiorse was taking them, but they supposed questioning her would be quite pointless. Silently, both men desperately hoped this was their final destination - if their luck would pull through for once, anyhow.

Hands lifted to the sky, Saiorse tiled her head back to the sun that ailed her so, digging past the immediate discomfort following the fall of her hood. With a sluggish grin, the vampire wobbled from her saddle to plop through the placid surface of the reflective waters. Even from the shore, Alex could see her clearly. Saiorse sank until she reached the bottom, opening her eyes to a whole new world below. She released the air in her lungs, shoving her feet from the bottom of the river to drift back upward. She surfaced calmly, waving Alexander and Aridyn in to join her.

Obeying his lady, Alex kicked Elia into a racing canter. The chestnut mare leapt from the shore, legs cracking the surface as if it were nothing but a mirror. Together Alex and Elia sank, plowing back through to shake his head. The horse kicked vigorously, skimming around Fievel and Saiorse as she sought the banks. Laughing, Alex dropped away from Elia's saddle, allowing the horse to seek her comfort on the other side of the river. Shaking her mane, Elia seemed to give Alex a distrusting glower, then contented herself with a fresh patch of grass.

Saiorse sank beneath the cover of stream, shoving her hand to create a wave that nearly swept Alex under. The Lord turned his head away as the rapids smashed into his chest, knocking him backward. A smug grin covered his lips as Saiorse lurked like a shark in the deep. Flipping backward, Alex smacked his legs as hard as he could into the surface, spraying Saiorse with plumes relentlessly. Before he knew it Saiorse was baring down, clasping his middle with all her might. She collapsed over him, taking them both under water. She dragged him down until she found the shifty riverbed, daring to open her eyes to peer at him.

Alex looked right back, mesmerized by the way her hair floated about her like a siren at sea. Her nose wrinkled when her lips pulled back in a taunting smile, those silver eyes glinting even under the currents. Chest straining, Alex fought the urge to leave her there and seek the air his lungs pleaded - it reminded him all too well that he was not like her. Saiorse could most likely linger beneath the surface for hours if she wished whereas Alex would drown in minutes. His smile faltered, bubbles bursting from his lips as he lost his breath.

Were they doomed to be this way for as long as he lived? Would Saiorse mourn his loss - a meager human that happened to provide her the tools needed to settle her unaging scores? Alex reached to touch her face, drawing his fingers over her cheek with a drooping frown. The inevitability of Alexander's death tainted the river. He couldn't stay beneath the surface any longer.

Moments after Alex had burst through, gasping for breath, Saiorse joined him, her hair plastered to the front of her face in mimic of shaggy dog. Her shoulders shrugged with giggles. Alex joined her in her laughter, as was only proper, he figured. Drifting to him, Saiorse wrapped her arms around Alex's neck, dangling there without kicking her legs to support herself. Alex battled to support the both of them, their chins sinking beneath the water's edge. Alex's eyes widened.