Eli barely had time to breathe—before Kairo's arm shot around his waist.
"Wha—?!"
The world tilted. Water splashed up around them in a violent spray.
And suddenly, Eli was off his feet again, lifted clean out of the water and pressed tight against Kairo's chest.
"Kairo—?!"
The hunter didn't answer. Didn't even look at him. His jaw was set, expression carved from steel, eyes fixed ahead.
And then he moved.
It happened so fast Eli's mind lagged behind. One heartbeat he was staring at the monstrous silhouette in the distance—the next, the world blurred into streaks of dark stone and rushing water.
Kairo's grip around him was unyielding, solid, the kind that made Eli realize just how much stronger he was compared to anyone else. Each step Kairo took sent ripples cutting through the flood, water splitting around him as if forced aside by sheer will.
Eli's pulse tripped over itself, panic and confusion twisting in his chest.
'What the hell is he doing now?!'
