Page 98 of Whispered Warnings: Part Two

You never know I could be wrong about the reapers, and they all could be lovely. They could be super understanding and not force Raiden to use his magic or do whatever else they might make him try and do just because he’s strong.

However, I’ve met another reaper now, and let’s face it, she didn’t exactly leave me with a good impression, and then there’s the whole hierarchy thing where anyone who has less power is treated like shit, even by their own families. So I’m not going to hold out any hope that they’re going to be nice.

After a while, we get to the edge of the cliff and walk parallel to it, the waves crashing on the deadly sharp rocks below, one misstep, and I’ll be getting firsthand experience of the freezing waves below.

Been there, done that. I have absolutely no desire to do it again, no thank you.

Finally, we get to a part that I recognize, and I move to the edge, the guys cautiously following me.

“Oh good, the tide is out,” I mutter.

River snickers, “You probably should have checked that before we came out here.”

I wince, “Yeah, probably.”

I begin to lean over the edge further so that I can make sure that we are in the right place, and it isn’t wishful thinking because I’m getting fed up with walking in the rain, but before I can lean over far enough to see anything, Reed grabs me around the waist and hauls me back against his chest.

His lips brush my ear, sending a shiver down my spine as he says, “Let’s not test just how fast my reflexes are.”

“You sure?” I ask, “It could be fun?”

He lets out a low rumble of a growl, “Your idea of fun and mine differ greatly.”

“Come on you two,” Evander interrupts, “let’s get down there. We have no idea how long we have got until the tide comes in and I am definitely not strong enough to hold back the sea.”

I grin, “Alright. When we fly down it should be pretty obvious where it is, it’s the only cave that we will all be able to fit inside.”

Griff grabs River, and Raiden, who had landed at some point during my exchange with Reed, takes off running toward the edge of the cliff, he grins wildly as he just jumps off, his wings pinned to his back before he snaps them out, allowing them to catch the air and stop his descent.

River whoops loudly, making Griff let go of him in his exuberance, and looks at Griff, “Come on? Throwback?”

“That was seriously fucking cool,” I say, a smile on my face.

Griff opens his mouth and starts to shake his head, but River starts running, puts on a burst of speed, and then dives straight off the side of the cliff.

I squeak as fear rushes through me.

Griff curses loudly, and then dives off the cliff after him, like Raiden he keeps his wings tucked in, allowing him to move faster, and he quickly catches up with River who is whooping loudly with a giant grin on his face. I don’t breathe until River is safely and securely in Griff’s arms.

“What the fuck are you playing at!” I shout down at River, who looks up at me with panic in his eyes. “Oh, now he fucking panics.”

“It’s a game that we used to play at the magical academy, Nene,” Evander says as he comes to stand next to me. “They used to do this all the time.”

“They haven’t done it for a while though,” Reed adds.

I sigh, “Okay, so it’s not quite as bad as him just throwing himself off and not knowing whether Griff would catch him or not.”

“He has impulse control issues,” Van adds, and then looks at me with a raised eyebrow, “a bit like someone else I know.”

Before I can say anything else and maybe admit that Evander might be right, Griff comes soaring back up and lands next to us.

He chuckles, “River is freaking out. He thinks you’re mad at him.”

I grin, “Well, I was. Reed and Van explained to me that you used to do it at the academy.”

Griff rolls his eyes, “Yeah, emphasis on the ‘used to’. We haven’t done that for probably nearly a decade. The man has far too much faith that I will fucking catch him.”

I shake my head and repeat, “Impulse control issues. At least you got some practice in?”

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