Page 179 of Fallen Princess: Shadow Stalker

“What happened?” I ask. “Where’s that bloke I dragged off you?”

“You tripped and dragged him with you over the edge. He’s somewhere with the rest of the bodies below, which our girl managed to tally up.”

“You know what? I’m about to clock you in the head!” I snarl. “I didn’t trip! I dived in because I lost my gun on the way down, and I plunged to grab his ankle as was the only thing I could do!”

“Plunged?” he looks at me as if I have something between my teeth.

“Yes, plunged, dived…” I roll my eyes, fed up with his third inquisition.

“Why’d you lose your gun?”

“Shut up, Haze,” I bark. “You’ve just earnedSir Snootingtonback. Enjoy!”

I grab onto a rock and lift myself up, but I feel dizzy.

“Fuck,” I growl at my condition. I may have pulled a muscle in my shoulder.

“Use the harness and hoist yourself up.” I look up to find someone from the rescue crew looking down at me from above.

“Here,” Haze holds it out for me and helps me into it.

“Cheers,” I mutter before being lifted up.

As soon as I get to the top, I look around at the rescue operation going here on this mountain. Two choppers are circling the sky, and the sun is as strong as ever. Two black body bags lay zipped up on the floor, and some men pick up another body to put it on a stretcher.

I see Asher and Jagger but the one person I so desperately want to be near is nowhere in sight.

“Siren!” I shout, and people stop and turn. “Siren!” My voice echoes loudly among the canyons.

And suddenly, my desert beauty jumps away from a group of rescue workers and feds.

The air crackles with an electric charge as time seems to freeze.

I breathe a sigh of relief, and the massive smile on her face is infectious. She stands there for a moment, and I take in the scene. Even the wild, open landscape of the surrounding canyons cannot weaken the intensity of my emotions.

“Siren,” My breath catches in my throat, quietly relieved.

Then, as if propelled by an invisible force, she starts running towards me. The rhythmic resonance of her boots thumping onto the hard, rocky surface syncs with the drum of my own heartbeat.

“Fucking ‘ell girl!”

She throws herself into my arms, and I wrap myself around her and bury my face in her hair, hiding my eyes brimming with tears that mirror hers.

The world seizes to exist for us. I hold onto her as if she’s my lifeline, her presence stitching the edges of my soul back together again. Seeing her again and in my arms isn’t a reunion; it’s my rebirth.

“I love you so much, Callum,” she murmurs, drawing back.

Tears cascade down her cheeks. I cup her face in my hands, the rough calluses of my fingers tender against the soft contours of her skin, wiping away the tracks left by her weeping.

“I fucking love you too, siren. So much,” I reply with a fierce sincerity.

My face finally crashes against her with such intensity that it should have caused an earthquake around us, sending tremors throughout the canyons around us. I pour my heart into this kiss. It’s a promise with a little bit of magic that drives her into oblivion.

My world has found color in her presence, and there’s no fucking way I can ever imagine my life without her by my side.

“One, babe. Only one bullet is needed to kill you and me,” I say, pulling away from her lips. “And that ain't ever happening. Not on my watch, siren.”

I feel a sudden hand on my shoulder, but Eden’s smile grows wide, and the way she’s staring at them, I can only imagine it’s one of the fellas.

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