#Chapter 9: Mouth to Mouth

Rowena

I awoke to the feeling of water exiting my lungs and a burning pain in my chest—the sort of pain that I had never experienced before. But there was another experience too, just as new, and maybe even more shocking.

Bright blue eyes stared down at me, and our lips were touching. Maybe my lips burned even more than my chest now that I came to my senses.

Eric pulled back, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. He let out a deep breath, clearly relieved.

“Rowena.”

I kept coughing, but the sensation of his lips remained. I knew it was just mouth to mouth resuscitation, but… it was my first kiss, technically.

While I continued to cough and sputter, Eric stood up and faced the crowd. The other warriors had gathered around us, looking on with confusion, shock, and discomfort written across their faces.

“Who did this?” Eric bellowed, his voice booming across the now-quiet pool.

No one answered. I wanted to say that it was Emma, but I couldn’t. The water in my throat wouldn’t let me