Page 8 of Heron's Flame

“Oh, shit! It’s a sinkhole!”

A sinkhole? I didn’t have time to ask her what that meant. Did she mean quicksand? Because I wasn’t planning to die or drown in the desert!

Bella turned the steering wheel hard as we lowered back to the ground, pitching us to the right. To our left, the sinkhole seemed to grow in size. “Why does everything always look bigger when it’s trying to kill you?” she asked, giving me a smirk.

Again, with the bad jokes. “You’re killing me, Smalls!”

Her laughter followed as we swerved, nearly slamming into a massive cactus.

“Bella!”

The sand car tipped on the edge of a hill, and the cage rattled as we began to roll.

“Shit!”

I tried to remember to keep all body parts inside the metal frame as we began rolling, toppling down a steep incline. I lost count of how many times we flipped over, finally landing on the roof as we stopped. The tires continued to spin as we sat there, stunned, trying to catch our breath.

“I think we’re in trouble,” she panted, staring to our left.

Upside down, it took a second to orient myself. I found two men in black leather running toward us. Crow. And Heron.

“Hang on!” Crow ordered as he dropped beside Bella, carefully unbuckling her.

Heron reached me at the same time. “Rebel! You okay, Love?”

“I think so,” I mumbled, wincing as I felt my right knee throb. I must have smacked it during our little tumble.

Heron checked me over with a shake of his head. “You’re not bleeding. Can I get you out of there?”

“Please do.”

He somehow managed to squeeze his beefy body into the space, releasing all the straps and buckles until I slipped free. I dropped onto him, and he wrapped his arms around me, pulling me out as carefully as possible. When I stood on my feet, I wobbled.

Heron slid an arm around my waist, keeping me upright and steady. “What the hell were you two thinking? It’s nearly black out here. You can’t see shit.”

Crow had Bella in his arms. He glared at her, leaned down, and captured her lips in a kiss I almost envied, not because of him but because I wanted that kind of passion.

“Bella, that was reckless.”

She shrugged. “I know.”

He sighed. Heron sighed louder.

“Let’s get you both home.” Crow turned, heading away from us.

Heron didn’t move other than to reach out and grasp my chin. He tilted it until I stared into his dark eyes. “You ever do something that stupid again, and I’ll spank your ass.”

I nearly asked if that was a promise or a threat but decided against it. “You don’t own me, you know. There’s no property patch on my back.”

“That’s how it’s gonna be, huh?” His gaze darkened.

“We’re enemies, remember? You’re a foreign country trying to invade me, and I’m setting up battle lines. It’s war.”

He snorted. “I think you like this game.”

I blinked and pretended I didn’t have a clue what he meant.

“Let’s go, Spark. You’re a bit too shaken up for this tonight.”

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