Free Heroes of Falledge Book One: Black Hellebore by Nicole Zoltack Page A

moving her would not be smart.
    Which meant he had to lift the entire car.
    By now, it had drifted to the bottom of the pond. He kicked his legs and swam toward it. He reached for the door handle and brought his legs to the ground. Adrenaline coursed through his body. His lungs felt fine despite his submersion underwater for a good bit of time now. He bent his knees and placed his hands under the side of the car. Closing his eyes, he lifted it.
    And promptly dropped it. It bounced and settled back on the ground.
    The car proved much lighter than he'd thought.
    He lifted it again and carefully held it above his head. Knowing time was of the essence, he walked forward, step by step, but he made only slow progress. The woman might be dead already, her lungs filled with water. He thought of the boy he had already saved. Growing up without a mother was not a fate he would have the boy live through. Not if he could help it.
    After making sure the car was secure in his hands, he pushed off the ground and kicked. At first it was awkward to swim while holding the car, but he managed. He reached the surface a few moments later, and shoved the car onto the grass.
    Crap. Why hadn't he thought to call for an ambulance before he had left Ginny's house?
    Now was not the time to dwell on his failings.
    In the dim lighting from the stars, he saw the woman's face, her skin slightly blue.
    Nicholas glanced at the boy. He appeared to be sleeping. Anxiety and doubt filled Nicholas as he knelt beside the boy and placed his hand on the kid's chest. To his relief, his hand moved up and down. Slowly, but it was definitely moving.
    Should've made sure he was breathing before I got his mom.
    Again doubt plagued him, and he debated calling for an ambulance when he realized the woman's face was now bluer.
    He had to get her out of the car.
    It looked to Nicholas like most of the blood came from her facial injuries, not from her chest or torso. With a quick prayer, he tugged on the door handle.
    It broke off into his hand.
    His fingers were thick, but he managed to squeeze them into the cleft of the car door. Planting his feet, he yanked. The mangled door peeled off the car. He tossed it onto the ground. It slid across the grass and sank into the water.
    Nicholas pushed the air bag aside and reached around to unbuckle her seat belt. With the tenderness of carrying a newborn, he lifted her out of the car and placed her on the grass next to her son.
    Okay, now what?
    He closed his eyes and tried to think. Between his lack of education and limited medical knowledge, he could only guess what to do next. He had to get the woman breathing again, had to get the water out of her lungs. Compressions... was that the right term? How? He knew you had to press down on the body, but where?
    Falling to his knees, he placed one hand on top of the other. He shook. Damn nerves. He touched her torso, felt her frail ribs beneath her skin.
    His hands dropped to his side as he pulled back. He had so easily broken the shelf, lifted an entire car, ripped off a car door... If he pressed down on her chest, he could break several of her ribs and do a lot more harm than good.
    Not wanting to do anything more than help, he rolled her onto her side. He rubbed her back and debated rolling her onto her stomach as he wondered if he could try to force the water out that way. Before he could try, he heard the squeal of tires.
    Julianna's car. Followed by an ambulance. Someone else must have heard the crash and called the police. He must have been too focused on the family to hear the sirens. Its piercing cry now shattered through his ears, and he gripped his temple as he staggered away. He blended first into the growing crowd, then the darkness, and ran back to Ginny's house, careful to slip inside when no one was looking his way.
    Nicholas peeked out from around the hideous plaid curtains. Thankfully, he had a clear enough view of the scene. Official personnel swarmed around the two prone