CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE
The lake swallowed Elena whole.
Cold, black water closed over her head, pressing the air from her lungs. The silver tablet slipped from her numb fingers and sank faster than she could follow, its glowing countdown vanishing into the depths like a dying star.
00:02:12… 00:02:11…
She kicked hard, fighting the weight of her soaked clothes and the burning pain in her side, but the surface felt impossibly far.
Bubbles streamed past her face. Her chest screamed for air.
Above her, muffled shouts broke through the water…Jax and Lila calling her name.
A hand plunged into the darkness, strong fingers closing around her wrist.
Jax.
He hauled her upward with desperate strength.
They broke the surface together, gasping, coughing lake water.
Lila was already in the shal
