To Trap A Temptress (Southern Sanctuary - Book 2) by Jane Cousins

heat of the day suddenly seemed to have escalated
exponentially.  Holding her breath so as not to wake him, she got silently
to her feet heading for the water.  Maybe a nice cool distracting swim
would quench her libido. 
    Ten
minutes later with the aid of a borrowed mask, snorkel and flippers she was
making her way slowly along beside one of the cliff faces, studying the plants
trailing into the water.  The shadows were deepest here, making it an
interesting but frustrating exercise as she perused several specimens trying to
pinpoint their species and medicinal properties in the dim light available. 
Marvelling at the strength and survival instincts of one particular deceptively
feathery looking vine, its roots dug deep high into the cliff face, the long
trailing vines floating like seaweed spread out over the water’s surface. 
    Idly
tracing the lengths of the vines she wondered if the tide ever got so high that
the root system would be fully immersed by sea water.   If so that
would be interesting.   Floating idly she came to the end of an
extensive branch of the vine which drifted in the deepest shadows of the cliff
face.  Brrr, what was it about the dark shadows under the water that
suddenly had her creeped out? 
    She
jerked abruptly as a shadow appeared to zip along the sand below.  It had
looked too large to be a fish, too fast to be human.  Trying her best to
untangle herself from the floating vine she decided to head into the middle of
the cove, where the filtered sunlight was brighter.  She’d no more managed
to turn herself in the right direction when something grabbed her ankle and
yanked hard.  What the….? 
    No
time to think just react as she tried to kick her way free.  But the grip
on her ankle remained tight, painful and relentless, intent upon pulling her
downwards.   Desperately she tried to claw
her way back to the surface her arms becoming entangled in the feathery
vine.   Doing her best not to panic or
waste energy struggling she wound the vine around her forearm hoping that the
root system was anchored as securely as she had surmised. 
    The
dark sandy bottom was only feet away now.   Whatever had a hold of her shifted in the shadows below like smoke in
the night sky.   She’d lost her mask and
snorkel in the struggle, the salt water burning her eyes as she tried to make
out what had hold of her.   Visible but
with no clear definition of shape or species, whatever it was it certainly
didn’t seem to be a mundane human.  Abruptly the vine pulled taut, sending
screaming agony through both her captured ankle and forearm.  The person…
weight… creature below tried frantically to resume its passage to the bottom of
the ocean with its prize.  Nell was a like a string in a bow, pulled tight
and inflexible, unable to move either up or down.  Water swished and
bubbled around her.  Her lungs were fit to bursting and the urge to cough
almost unbearable.  Yet all she could think about was how angry Drum was
going to be with her for going off on her own when she’d promised him that she
wouldn’t.
    Next
she knew a large shape was cutting through the water towards her, scary fast
and pinpointed right on her location. Everything was going dark, had the sun
disappeared behind a cloud?  Goddess she needed to cough, droplets of
seawater burning the back of her throat.  Her eyes fluttered closed as her
body began to relax.  Suddenly Drum was there grabbing her shoulders
bringing her in close to... Goddess the man wanted to kiss her at a moment like
this?  Smashing his lips to hers and releasing heavenly oxygen into her
mouth.  The lassitude retreated as pain roared back into her
consciousness. 
    Ouch
her arm, at least the weight on her ankle was gone.    Drum
scooped her up, breaking the surface with a dramatic splash, unmindful they
were tangled in the vine that had undoubtedly saved her life.  Nell clung
to him taking harsh gasping gulps of air that made her dizzy at