my head broke the surface of the water and I sucked in a greedy lungful of air. Something constricted my middle—Justin’s arm, holding me afloat while I coughed and sputtered and reminded my body what oxygen felt like.
“Good to see you,” I managed between gasps.
“Told you I’d be here.” He swam to the ladder, pulling me along. “Can you climb up?”
“Maybe,” I lied. My limbs were spaghetti.
He wrapped my arms around the railing. “Just hold on.”
That, I might manage.
He climbed from the pool, then hooked his arms under mine and hauled me out. I think I was heavier than he expected. I hoped he assumed it was my waterlogged dress. He fell back, and I sprawled on top of him like a big, soggy fish.
For a long time neither of us moved. I didn’t think I could. Not one muscle in my body wanted to obey my commands. Truthfully, though, it felt good to rest there, Justin’s chest rising and falling under my cheek as he caught his breath. There was another issue as well, but I hadn’t figured out what to do about it.
“When I saw you dive from that board”—his hand stroked my back, almost absently—“and I use the word dive very loosely—I thought my heart would stop.”
“You, too?” Mine still beat kind of erratically.
He looked at the pool, which rippled innocently against its concrete borders. “Is it—the demon—gone?”
“Yeah.” It felt gone. The way it had disappeared from my head with a little pffft, just like its Hell-dog offspring, made me certain. Well, as certain as I could be, with my vast experience in matters mystical.
“Do you think you can get up?” he asked.
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Because my dress slid down when you pulled me out of the water. I’m not decent.”
“Oh.” His cheeks flushed visibly in the dim light, which I thought was kind of cute, until I noticed a tinge of guilt in his blush, and it occurred to me he might not have been completely unaware of that fact.
Call me clueless. And slightly flattered.
He covered his eyes while I sat up and quickly tucked things back where they belonged. Collecting the dinner jacket crumpled on the tile nearby, he handed it to me, his head still turned.
“Thanks.” I wrapped the fabric around my bare, wet shoulders, grateful for the warmth. “You can turn around now.”
He offered a hand and pulled me to my feet. My knees buckled—no, really, they did—and Justin caught me tight against him.
“Thanks.” I rested my hands on his shoulders, not quite able to meet his eyes. “For helping me save the world and all.”
“Anytime.” His crooked smile never looked better. If this were a movie …
The kiss couldn’t possibly have felt so good. He bent his head and fit his lips to mine, as naturally as, well, breathing. But I’d never again take oxygen for granted. I slid my arms around his neck and kissed him like I might never kiss anyone again, ever. He kissed me as though I’d scared him to death, and he needed to tell me something important before I did something else foolhardy. I think I got the message.
A few blissful centuries later, he broke away and wrapped me tightly—tighter still—in his arms. “Maggie Quinn, when you take a leap of faith …”
“I knew it would work.” I rested my cheek on his shoulder, very warm beneath his sodden shirt. “I just thought: water. The universal solvent.”
He laughed. Even with the incredulous shake of his head, it was a wonderful sound.
“Hey!” I startled guiltily at the voice, calling from above. “Maggie? Is that you?”
“Lisa? Are you okay?” I saw her pale face at the edge of the diving platform.
“What the Hell am I doing way up here?”
“It’s a long story,” I said. “Can you make it down?”
“Yeah. If I made it up in this dress, I guess I can make it down.” Her head disappeared.
Justin let his arms fall away from me, obviously reluctant. “I’ll give her a hand.” I wrapped his jacket close and watched Lisa’s shaky descent; once on the ground, she stood for a moment, grasping the ladder and brushing off his assistance.
Then she looked at me, confusion knotting her forehead. “Why are you wet?”
Justin spoke, not coldly but not kindly, either. “She vanquished the demon with a trap in the water.”
Her eyes widened. “The dive pool?” A dizzying jumble of emotions chased each other across her face. Shock, awe, relief … shame, grief, and regret. Finally she raised a shaking hand to her face. “I didn’t understand what it was. A vengeance spirit, Stanley said. I didn’t think it would …” She trailed off as we all remembered what it had done.
“Why did he come to you?” I asked.
She gave a bitter laugh. “I’m D and D Lisa. He thought I knew about sorcery and things.”
“But you came up with the spell.” Justin’s tone clipped the damp air.
Lisa walked to a bench and sat, as if her legs wouldn’t hold her any longer. “Research and improvisation. An academic exercise. I didn’t really expect it to work.”
I moved to her slowly, my arms folded. “Did you send the demon after me?”
“Of course not.” That sounded more like Lisa, impatient with me for even thinking it. “Stanley made the list. It had to be written in the same ancient script as on the artifact, and he had his mother’s books. I couldn’t even read it. Fortunately, he thought your name was Margaret.”
“Not so fortunate for Karen,” I pointed out. “Was it just coincidence, that she was your closest competition for valedictorian?”
“I hoped so.” She sank her face into her hands. “But it was like the thing was taking thoughts out of my head. I knew what would hurt the Jocks and the Jessicas, but I never wanted to act on those ideas, not seriously. Except maybe Brandon. And I would only want to beat Karen fairly.”
I could sense the guilt that wracked her; I’m not sure how. Still as stone, she didn’t ask for forgiveness. I suspected from the starkness of her voice, she didn’t think she deserved it.
“We should go.” Justin touched my arm. “I’m going to check the hall. Meet me at the door.”
I nodded, understanding he was giving us privacy. I sat on the bench and took my friend’s hand. “You forged the weapon, Lisa. You didn’t wield it.”
She raised her bleak gaze to mine. “But I didn’t stop it, either.”
“I’m not sure you could have, once it started.” I looked away, at the rippling blackness of the pool. Curiosity, anger, arrogance, denial. I couldn’t judge Lisa, because I’d been guilty of all those things at one time or another. Sometimes all at once.
And we would need each other. Azmael knew us. He was gone from this plane, but had he ceased to exist? Vanquished was not the same as destroyed.
I stood, decisively, and pulled her with me. “Come on. It’s time to go.”