Thorn to Die

“When you grow a pair,” she said, crossing her arms.

“Alright, guys.” I put my hands out between them. Ancient history didn’t need to repeat itself. “No need to fight. We’ll find her.”

At that moment, a scream pierced the evening. It came from behind the cabin, in the direction of the lake. The three of us didn’t waste any time. We hopped off the cabin porch and sprinted in the direction of the shoreline, over brambles and rocky terrain. I was lucky I didn't twist an ankle.

Another scream sounded and cut off abruptly. I lengthened my stride, pushing my muscles to work harder. That was Blythe screaming, I just knew it.

We neared the lake, Ian in the lead and Raven right on our tail. Two bodies squirmed in waist-deep water. They twisted and splashed, throwing up sprays of foamy green lake. The commotion slowed enough for me to realize it was Blythe and Drew intertwined.

At some point this evening, my cousin must have stripped down to a matching lacy pink bralette and panties. Drew wore a tight pair of black boxer shorts, his trim abdomen sinewy and tight. He had his hands wrapped around her neck and was shoving her under the water. She kicked him in the crotch and managed to free herself a moment before he dove after her and dragged her back down.

“Help! Help me!”

“Blythe!” I ran into the lake, until the warm water reached my calves, and slid to a stop. They were still a good ten feet ahead, wrestling like two alligators. “Let her go!”

“Release her.” Ian splashed through the water and stopped next to me. The lake soaked into his pants, leaving dark splotches up to his knees.

Drew didn’t even look up at us. His eyes bulged with unbridled fury as he w

rapped his hand around Blythe’s slender neck and pushed her under the water again. This time, she went fully under, her blonde bob floating on the surface of the lake. Bubbles popped above her face as she thrashed.

Drew was much too big and strong. Even for as strong as Ian was, it would take five of him to pull Drew down. There was no way the three of us could take him down alone.

A burst of energy sailed past me, brushing against my side and pushing me into Ian. We tumbled into the water as it hit Drew square on the shoulders, toppling him over Blythe’s body. With the momentary distraction, she managed to surface and gasp for air.

Drew came back up growling. A madness glinted in his eyes, a madness that terrified me. He lunged for Blythe again, grabbing her by the wrist. Raven needed to blast him again, but Ian had already regained his footing and was watching everything go down. If she used her powers again, he'd see the magic and then we'd have another problem on our hands. In a flurry of panic, I pretended to trip on a wet stone and drove my elbow into his gut, forcing him to crouch down in pain.

Raven stepped next to me and released another short blast while Ian remained distracted. It sent Drew flailing back into the water again as Blythe scrambled toward us. Water streamed down her sleek skin and the lake churned where her limbs grasped for footing. She threw herself into my arms and I pulled her in tight, clutching at her trembling body.

“He was going to kill me,” she breathed. “I saw it. I saw it all.”

I hushed her and wiped at the lake water mixing with her tears. “It’s alright. You’re going to be okay.”

My bouncy and annoyingly cheerful cousin might’ve drove me crazy with her antics, but I felt fearfully protective of her in that moment. Her petite figure made her seem like a child in my arms, soaking hair clinging to her round face. Everyone loved Blythe. She didn’t deserve this. I wanted to hurt Drew for hurting my cousin.

She looked up at me, her eyes as wide as river rocks. “It was just supposed to be a date. He made me supper and then we decided to go swimming. This wasn’t supposed to happen.”

I nodded and glared at Drew, still facing off with Raven and Ian. They were ordering him to come to shore, but he remained standing in the waist-deep water, his abdomen quivering with rage.

“He kissed me and...and...that’s when I had a vision,” Blythe stuttered. “That monster was going to drown me and sink my body to the bottom of the lake. To the bottom of Apolka Lake to sleep with the fish.” She shuddered and pulled her arms tight across her chest. “When I came out of it, I was freaked. I called him a murderer. That’s when he wrapped his hands around my neck.”

I rubbed my palms up and down her shoulders, pulling her toward dry land. “He freaked because he is a murderer. He’s the one who killed Allen White.”

Blythe stuck her feet in the ground and her eyes got even bigger. “Why? Why would he do that?”

“That’s a great question.”

Really, it was the question of the century. How had newcomer Drew Warring come to know Mr. White? And why did he hate him enough to murder him with ricin? My brain was swirling, trying to put together all the pieces of the puzzle.

“Get out of the water, Mr. Warring,” Ian shouted.

“You’ll never take me alive,” Drew spat, picking up a large rock from the lake floor. He crouched like a tiger ready for the pounce. “I’m not going to prison.”

“Get down!” Ian yanked the gun from his belt and aimed it at Drew’s chest. The cold hard metal of the barrel zeroed in on its target. “That’s an order.”

From where we sat, it was easy to see someone wasn't going to make it out of tonight alive. I held my breath and hoped between the four of us, we could take him down. But from the look in Drew’s eyes, all humanity had disappeared. In its place was something like anger and another emotion that looked an awful lot like pain.

The man we'd met only days ago was gone.