Divine Read Free Page A

of
sight.
    Terror shot him toward the water. “No!”
    Rocky gorges on the river’s floor, mixed with
the churning water, posed another threat, but he had no option. He
dove under, swam in the direction she disappeared, and ignored the
fear neither of them would resurface.
    Particles of dirt pricked his eyes. He
entered the concentrated whirlwind, the river’s wrath. A hard
object smacked him with as much force as a branch falling. He
thrashed a hand forward, hoping and praying he’d find her. The
current grabbed at his arms and legs like hungry hands greedy for
food.
    Kicking and shoving at the water weakened his
resolve. If he went down with the current, lord help him, he didn’t
care. But he didn’t want anything to happen to the girl.
    He dug deep on an adrenaline rush, ignored
his screaming lungs, and stretched a hand into the darkness. Slight
pressure thumped his arm.
    Her hand!
    With his insides vibrating, he gripped onto
her arm and tugged. She came easily, a lot easier and lighter than
he expected. Securing his hold, he kicked to the surface and gasped
for air. A piercing sound escaped him, filling his eardrums as he
brought her above water.
    “I gotcha ya. You’re gonna be okay,” he said
between heavy pants, to soothe her as much as to calm his jittery
nerves.
    With an arm wrapped under each of her
armpits, he swam on his back to the shore. He didn’t know her,
didn’t know where she lived, and didn’t know what had scared her
when she ran to the river.
    What if she couldn’t tell him? What if he
never discovered anything more? He stopped his wandering thoughts
from diving down the black hole of doom and shoved aside the shock
that he wanted to learn so much.
    Close to shore, his feet bumped the murky
soil of the river’s floor. He straightened. With a hand under her
butt, the other under her neck, he curled her into him. Her head
fell backwards, an arm dangled at her side. Purplish-pink lips
stood out against her pale skin. He hustled up a small slope and
laid her on a patch of grass.
    He saved her! His heart leapt!
    But she didn’t move. A lasso sensation
tightened his chest and his stomach clenched. “Miss,” he said,
staying on his knees beside her. He pressed two fingers to her
neck, as he’d seen Travis do for a neighbor who’d passed out.
    The beat was steady, strong.
    He pressed his palms between her breastbone,
pumped his hands twice the way he’d learned CPR during gym class,
and examined her off-colored lips. The deep pink lightened. He
swallowed and did it again. Still, she didn’t move.
    With a hand under her neck, he lifted her
chin, pinched her nose with his free hand, and covered her mouth
with his. He blew a puff of air and did it again.
    Her chest rose.
    After two more palm-pumps to her breastbone,
he covered her mouth with his and blew.
    She coughed and squirmed, her breathing
raspy, but she was alive.
    Tension fled his body and emotion filled him.
Covering his face with his hands, he sat on his folded legs and
sucked in a slow breath.
    His palms grew damp. His body stunk, not from
the water but from the cold sweat breaking out across his skin.
Adrenaline had shot him into action, and he’d found strength beyond
his capacity to save her. The rush left in waves, leaving him
fatigued. An overabundance of emotions that didn’t make sense
filled him. He didn’t know whether to run, hit something, or cry.
Then one which didn’t make sense—he wanted to pull her into his
arms.
    With a long-suffering sigh, he peeked between
his fingers at the girl.
    She rubbed her hands over her nose and mouth
and stopped coughing. “Thank you,” she whispered so softly he
leaned closer to hear.
    “You’re okay,” he said and bobbed his head.
His muscles twitched from the aftereffects.
    “I could have died,” she blubbered.
    She could have. If he didn’t take the plunge,
she more than likely would have. The realization knocked the air
plum out of him. “Yes, but you didn’t.”
    “You