Page 34 of The Hunt

He held her tightly, and it was strange but she knew what he needed.Jaxson needed to hold her and just feel her alive and waiting for him.

“Damn it, Calliope, I don’t want anything to happen to you.Nothing can happen to you.I can’t stand the thought of it.You’re my ...everything.”

She felt tears sting her eyes, and she pulled away to smile at him.“I am?I’m your everything?”

“Yeah, you are.I wasn’t sad when the elder told us we were going to be mated.I was relieved.I’d missed you so freaking much.I kept trying to figure out how to bridge that gap between us, and nothing seemed to be working.”He stroked her cheek.“I love you.”

This made her gasp.She knew they had said it before, but they had been under extreme circumstances.“You love me?”

“Yeah, and I’m not going to hide that from you.I’ve loved you since we were kids.I love you now, and I love you still.”And he pressed a kiss to her lips.“I will always love you.You mean everything to me.”

She never thought he would say something like that.

“And I don’t expect you to say anything right now,” he said.“You don’t have to.I behaved so badly, pushing you away.I’m going to earn back your trust, and maybe one day I will earn back your love.”

Calliope wanted to tell him she loved him.She had never stopped.Yes, there had been times over recent years where she kind of hated him a little, because he’d been a giant ass.All of that had changed, though.

Jaxson took her hand, and they started to make their way through the forest, which once again was getting thicker.Something was strange.

“Jaxson?”she asked.

“I feel it too.”

“But this can’t be right, right?I mean, every single time we’ve encountered a life-threatening situation, that was it, until nightfall and the morning.Surely, we get a break, right?”

Only, Jaxson didn’t have to answer, as it was like something reached up out of the earth, wrapped it’s claw around her ankle, and started to pull her down.It wasn’t a monster.This was quicksand.

Panic flooded.

“Calliope!”Jaxson screamed and reached for her hand, but she saw the ground about to give way.

“Jaxson, step away,” she said.“You don’t want to get in here too.”According to the game she remembered, if she wriggled, she got sunk beneath the surface faster.She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, trying not to wriggle or panic, or make any sudden movements.

“Calliope, what the fuck do I do?”he asked.

“You need to find something, like rope, so I can hold onto it, or tie it around me,” she breathed out.

It was getting harder for her to remain still as the panic was consuming her.Jaxson looked around, and then they both must have had the same thought come to mind.

“Backpack!”they both screamed in unison.

She tried to smile, but that fear was a pesky little devil, making it impossible for her to be happy.Tears filled her eyes.This was not how she wanted it to end.Looking at Jaxson, she knew she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him, being mated to him, having his babies.

They used to spend every waking moment together—Christmas, birthdays, all the festive occasions throughout the year.They hadn’t taken the time.She hadn’t stood, heavily pregnant in their kitchen, baking cookies, waiting for him to get home.They hadn’t sipped hot cocoa while watching it snow.They’d not made love in the heat of the summer, out in their yard.There was so much they hadn’t done.

“I’ve got it,” Jaxson said, pulling out the rope and coming toward her.

The ground was getting larger as it was starting to sink.He tossed the rope toward her.The first one didn’t even start to come close.She was sinking down.She had been at knee level, but now she was at hip level.He had to throw the rope four times until she finally caught the end.

Tying it around her body as best she could, Jaxson started to pull, only she was barely moving.It was like the ground was holding her in place.The moment he stopped trying to pull, the ground then pulled her under, until the water was suddenly at waist height.

She tried not to panic, but Jaxson wasn’t handling it.He kept trying to pull her out.

“Don’t go under, Calliope.Do not go under.”

Her neck was right at the surface, and she felt tears spring to her eyes, only she refused to panic.This is where it was going to end for her.

“You know, I would love to one day be making you dinner, and you come home, missing me.You can’t wait to see me, and you find me in the kitchen, cooking meatballs and spaghetti, your favorite.You put your hand on my hip, kiss my neck, and I know what you want.Only, our kids—two of them to start—scream ‘Daddy,’ and they want your attention.”

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