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“You scared me,” he whispered into the black, impenetrable darkness.

He couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt that scared. Maybe never.

“Who are you to me?” he whispered. “You feel…important.”

Once he was sure that her breathing and heart rate were normal, Ryan allowed himself to relax. As sleep swept him under, he thought he heard Callum’s voice.

You did well, son, he said.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Sarah opened her eyes to find only black. She blinked several times, but all she saw was endless darkness. For a brief second, she was right back in the closet she’d hidden in as a child. Afraid that the monsters would get her in the dark or that her parents would forget her entirely and never come home.

She curled her fingers into the bed beneath her—only to find it wasn’t a bed. It was warm, solid flesh.

“Ryan,” she whispered as everything came rushing back.

They’d been in the water. She’d held her breath, then…nothing.

“Ryan?” Her throat ached when she spoke, and her voice sounded hoarse.

Gently, she shook Ryan, feeling naked abs beneath her hand.

He shifted, and an arm tightened around her waist. “Hey, Stats, you’re awake.” There was a smile in his voice.

“What happened to the light?” There wasn’t a smile in her voice. Nope, there was borderline panic.

He rubbed her back. “Lost it in the pool. Gimme a minute to get my head on straight, and I’ll go get it. Or at least get the bag. That should be easier to find.”

“We lost the bag?” And all of their meager resources? “What happened down there? I was holding my breath, and I thought I was going to die. But there’s nothing between that and waking up.”

“Welcome to my world,” he drawled.

Carefully, he moved, taking her with him until they were both sitting on the stone floor.

“Are we on the other side or back in the shaft?” Sarah gripped his arm. Afraid she’d lose him in the dark if she took her hands off him.

He shuffled around some. “We’re on the other side of the pool, where we wanted to be.”

“But?” There was definitely a but in there, something he was reluctant to tell her.

His hand brushed her arm until it found her fingers. Threading them together, Ryan answered. “You lost consciousness halfway through our swim.”

Sarah swallowed hard, feeling a raw ache in her throat. Slowly, she realized that wasn’t the only ache she felt. Her chest hurt too, as though she’d pulled something while trying to hold her breath.

“You swam me out of there?” She blinked at nothing as the cold implications of his words sank in. “Did I drown?” Her free hand moved to her chest, testing the pain she felt when she touched it. “Did you have to revive me?”

“All that matters is you’re fine now,” Ryan said firmly. “But the bag got caught on the way through the tunnel and we lost it. I’d planned on getting it before you woke, but I guess we both crashed.”

Sarah barely registered what he was saying. She had a vague recollection of vomiting, which would explain the nasty taste in her mouth.

“Did I die?” she said.

“No!” He gripped her hand tightly. “You just had a minute where your heart didn’t beat and you weren’t breathing.”

She felt light-headed. “Which is literally the definition of dead.”

“No, there was still brain activity, which meant your system had just stalled. It was nothing more than a hiccup.”