got to be kidding,” I told him.
His expression was curious. “Why?”
“There is no way I can run up the rock like that,” I told him firmly.
He reached down and grabbed my arms, hauling me up the side of the rock,being careful not to scrape my knees or shins as he did so.
The top of the boulder was about the size of a tennis court and perfectly round, mottled with lichen and peeling in places in great rain-chipped sheets which created jagged edges that caught my toes as I tried to keep up with Merrick.
He strode confidently around the perimeter of the boulder before leaping lightly across a fissure in the surface and then turning to face me.
I followed him until I came to the fissure, standing opposite him, my fear of heights making my palms itch as I tried to gather the courage to leap across to his side.
“Are you up for a bit of an adventure?” he asked playfully, holding his hand out across the chasm.
I smiled a wobbly smile, my forehead creasing in concentration as I took his hand, holding onto it like it was a lifeline.
He pulled my across the gap with a firm jerk and held onto my hand as he led me to the edge of a perfectly round rock pool. The water around the edge was the most brilliant shade of turquoise I’ve ever seen in nature. Like every pool I’d seen so far, the centre was as black as night.
He turned to me smiling.
“I’d like to show you something,” he said again.
“OK, what is it?” In reply he pulled me slowly into his body until I was uncomfortably close to him. I could feel the warmth from his skin radiate along the length of my body and although I recognised the voice of reason and caution and all things sensible from a distance, my will to resist was a hazy and intangible thing that I couldn’t quite seem to access.
I looked up at his face. He was grinning at me, his smile stretching just a little too tight across his face, his teeth white in the sun and his eyes, his eyes were feverishly excited.
He lifted his other hand and tucked a stray tendril of hair behind my ear. I blushed at the intimate gesture.
“Alexandra, do you trust me?” His voice was husky.
“Um… I… I don’t know,” I stuttered, my heart racing.
He gazed into my eyes a moment longer and then, wrapping his arms around me in an unbreakable grip, launched us into a perfect tandem dive into the very centre of the pool.
Chapter 10
Novice
The icy water whipped past me stinging my eyes until I had no choice but to close them. I couldn’t work out where the surface was and the disorientation made me dizzy.
We had moved so fast that I hadn’t had time to be afraid yet. Only when Merrick stopped suddenly and flipped us the right way around did a flicker of fear resurface. I opened my eyes as wide as they could go in the strange twilight. The light was too weak to fight its way through the water which stung my eyes. I looked up and could vaguely see a ring of wavering light far above me, the entrance of the pool the size of a beach ball above us. We were very deep.
As if on cue, my lungs began to burn, the shallow breath I’d taken just before we dove into the pool was running out too quickly. I fought against Merrick’s iron grip, trying desperately to get to the surface I knew I’d never reach in time.
He pulled me closer to him and put his mouth to my neck just below my jaw.
“Calm down, Alexandra,” I heard him say with such startling clarity that for a moment I went completely limp with shock. Stretching my eyes as wide as they would go in the murky water I tried to make visual sense of what my brain had informed me was impossible.
He was so close to me that even with the water distortion I could see that his eyes were very calm with just a hint of the excitement I’d seen in them earlier. He leaned forward again.
“I need you to learn to breathe with me before we go any further.”
I stared at him, my mouth clamped shut as I desperately tried to keep the meagre oxygen I had left
His expression was curious. “Why?”
“There is no way I can run up the rock like that,” I told him firmly.
He reached down and grabbed my arms, hauling me up the side of the rock,being careful not to scrape my knees or shins as he did so.
The top of the boulder was about the size of a tennis court and perfectly round, mottled with lichen and peeling in places in great rain-chipped sheets which created jagged edges that caught my toes as I tried to keep up with Merrick.
He strode confidently around the perimeter of the boulder before leaping lightly across a fissure in the surface and then turning to face me.
I followed him until I came to the fissure, standing opposite him, my fear of heights making my palms itch as I tried to gather the courage to leap across to his side.
“Are you up for a bit of an adventure?” he asked playfully, holding his hand out across the chasm.
I smiled a wobbly smile, my forehead creasing in concentration as I took his hand, holding onto it like it was a lifeline.
He pulled my across the gap with a firm jerk and held onto my hand as he led me to the edge of a perfectly round rock pool. The water around the edge was the most brilliant shade of turquoise I’ve ever seen in nature. Like every pool I’d seen so far, the centre was as black as night.
He turned to me smiling.
“I’d like to show you something,” he said again.
“OK, what is it?” In reply he pulled me slowly into his body until I was uncomfortably close to him. I could feel the warmth from his skin radiate along the length of my body and although I recognised the voice of reason and caution and all things sensible from a distance, my will to resist was a hazy and intangible thing that I couldn’t quite seem to access.
I looked up at his face. He was grinning at me, his smile stretching just a little too tight across his face, his teeth white in the sun and his eyes, his eyes were feverishly excited.
He lifted his other hand and tucked a stray tendril of hair behind my ear. I blushed at the intimate gesture.
“Alexandra, do you trust me?” His voice was husky.
“Um… I… I don’t know,” I stuttered, my heart racing.
He gazed into my eyes a moment longer and then, wrapping his arms around me in an unbreakable grip, launched us into a perfect tandem dive into the very centre of the pool.
Chapter 10
Novice
The icy water whipped past me stinging my eyes until I had no choice but to close them. I couldn’t work out where the surface was and the disorientation made me dizzy.
We had moved so fast that I hadn’t had time to be afraid yet. Only when Merrick stopped suddenly and flipped us the right way around did a flicker of fear resurface. I opened my eyes as wide as they could go in the strange twilight. The light was too weak to fight its way through the water which stung my eyes. I looked up and could vaguely see a ring of wavering light far above me, the entrance of the pool the size of a beach ball above us. We were very deep.
As if on cue, my lungs began to burn, the shallow breath I’d taken just before we dove into the pool was running out too quickly. I fought against Merrick’s iron grip, trying desperately to get to the surface I knew I’d never reach in time.
He pulled me closer to him and put his mouth to my neck just below my jaw.
“Calm down, Alexandra,” I heard him say with such startling clarity that for a moment I went completely limp with shock. Stretching my eyes as wide as they would go in the murky water I tried to make visual sense of what my brain had informed me was impossible.
He was so close to me that even with the water distortion I could see that his eyes were very calm with just a hint of the excitement I’d seen in them earlier. He leaned forward again.
“I need you to learn to breathe with me before we go any further.”
I stared at him, my mouth clamped shut as I desperately tried to keep the meagre oxygen I had left
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