I have lived through some of the most horrific events in both human and supe history—death, injustice, pure evil. But not one of them has sent me into a panic like watching Cordelia disappear under the water. The fear in her eyes and the scream ripped from her throat was my worst nightmare come to life.

I dive under the water. Her blurry figure thrashes as it is dragged into the deep end. She kicks and claws for the surface but remains locked in place at the bottom of the pool. I swim to her and wrap my arm around her torso. With the other, I stroke toward the surface but am met with resistance. No matter how hard I try, Cordelia doesn't budge.

Bubbles float from her mouth and her movements turn sluggish. She is desperate to take a breath; that much is clear. She curls in on herself, her hands fumbling with something around her ankle. A rope. Someone has tethered her to the bottom of the pool.

I push her hands away and set to work loosening the knot. Cordelia tries to remain still, but as the seconds pass, her need to take a breath has her reaching for the surface. My attention is divided between her face and the damn knot. The rope slips through my fingers, and I can't seem to get any give from it. With time running out, I lean in close to her foot and take the cord between my teeth. It snaps in two when I sink my fangs into it.

Cordelia's head pops out of the water, and I'm close behind her. She gasps for air as I guide her to the side of the pool. Something in my peripheral catches my attention, and I catch a dark figure darting toward the back of the property. Part of me wants to chase after it, but I have a stronger desire to stay with Cordelia.

"Are you alright?" I ask, scanning her face for any indication that she needs more help than I can offer. Humans are so delicate, and I forget just how easily their lives can be snuffed out.

"My...inhaler..." she gasps, pointing toward the purse she brought with her, now hanging on the back of her chair.

Fuck, her asthma. "Oh, shit, yes, I'll get it," I say as I plant my palms on the side of the pool and launch myself out in one motion, sprinting to her purse and grabbing the inhaler from where it sits on top of everything inside.

When I get back to where she's now sitting on the concrete step, her head buried in her hands, hair tangled between her fingertips.

"Here, Cordelia," I murmur, tipping her chin up with two fingers and pressing the inhaler to her lips. She takes it from me and presses down until she is taking the medication into her lungs, and after a few seconds, she's breathing normally again, and the color is coming back into her cheeks.

"Shit," she mutters, laying the inhaler on the side of the pool, her shoulders deflating until she's leaning against my side. "What the fuck was that?"

"I don't know," I say, my gaze falling on something white stuck in the strap of her bikini top. Paper. A folded piece of paper. I gently pull it out and unfold the soggy note.

Not all problems can be drowned. Some are meant to haunt you for eternity.

A chill runs down my spine as I read the words over and over again. They hit a nerve with me. A better forgotten nerve.

Cordelia leans in and whispers, "What does that mean?"

I ball the paper in my fist and lock eyes with her. "It means you are not safe anywhere in this house."

Her stormy grey eyes widen. "Wait, you think that someone inside the house did this to me? But—but who? Who would do that? There was no one out here but us." Her lower lip trembles and I can tell she is trying to be brave. "Why would someone want to drown me? I don't understand. I haven't hurt anyone here."

"I don't know if it is someone in the house. But it is someone who can get in the house. And as to why..." I shake my head. "I don't think it is you they are after. You are just the weakest being here. You, Cordelia Ashling, are easy prey."

"But everyone on this island is here for the singles' retreat, just like us. So it has to be someone staying in the house. No one else is here. Right?"

Who the hell knows at this point is what I want to say, but I don't. Because I don't want to scare her any more than she already is. "That's the idea. I don't know where else they'd be staying if they weren't in the house."

She swallows, and to my surprise, sinks further into the water so only her neck and head are sticking out. "I'm scared, Elias."

"Cordelia, don't you think—"

"They ran off, right? They're not here to pull me under again, are they?"

"Yes, but—"

"I don't want to go back inside right now. I don't—I don't want to be alone," she whispers, not taking her gaze off mine.

"I don't want you to be alone either. In fact," I run my hand over the back of my neck and tilt my head side to side. "I don't think you should stay in your room alone any longer. You are not as in tuned to the things going on around you as others here are, and you need an extra set of ears and eyes while you are sleeping."

"Where am I going to stay? I don't have a friend here with me like you do. I can't just move in with someone; no one is going to want a stranger crashing with them in their room during a singles retreat. I mean, people need privacy for these things," she rambles, running her fingers through her wet hair, curling the ends around her fingertips.

"I don't."

She gives me a side-eye with a raised eyebrow.

Fuck! I feel like a teenage boy asking the head cheerleader to prom. This shouldn't be so difficult. Cordelia can't stay in her room alone any longer, and I wouldn't forgive myself if something happened to her. I shouldn't feel so protective of the woman. She walked straight into the lion's den. It is her responsibility to know where she is going and how to handle herself in dangerous situations.

But I just can't leave her to do it alone.

"If you find yourself in need of privacy, we will work it out. But my room is big enough for both of us, and it only adds to the validity of our act. Everyone will just think that we are taking things quickly."

Her face flushes and the sweet aroma of her blood fills the air and I realize right then just how difficult it will be to share a living space with her. But it's worth it to keep her safe.

"Oh. You want me to stay with you," she says, a shy tone creeping into her voice. "I didn't—I didn't think you'd want me in your space all the time." I just stare at her, trying not to betray in my face just how close I'd like her to be to me. She clears her throat and continues. "If you're sure, Elias...I'd love to stay with you. I can't imagine going back to my room alone tonight."

I stand and hold my hand out to her, eager to get her back to my room. Where it is warm. And she is safe. And she is close to me. "You're not going back to that room at all. As long as we are on this island, you will be staying with me. I promise to keep you safe, Cordelia."

She looks from my hand to my face a couple of times, like she's trying to decide if she's actually going to do this, actually going to trust a vampire she's only met a couple days ago. Rising to her full height, she makes her decision and takes my hand, and I cannot stop my eyes from traveling the curve of her waist all the way up to her face, where I finally get to see another smile from her.

"Well, we can stop to get my stuff, right? I brought a lot of clothes and books with me."

"We can. There is more than enough space for it in my room." The thought of her invading my space brings a smile to my face. I like the thought of her clothes folded next to mine, and the book she is currently reading resting on my nightstand. I want to see her toothbrush next to mine, and our dirty laundry to get mixed up. I might be making the biggest mistake of my life, but I want Cordelia in my bed.