Page 54 of Dark Prince's Mate

I blow out a sigh.“It’s still complicated.”I don’t want to tell her that Aruan is literally keeping me captive here.For some reason, I don’t want her to have a bad impression of him.

“I’ve gathered.”

She opens her mouth to say more, but a scream cuts her short.

We both give a start.I spin around just in time to see one of the boards fall down from the bridge.It hits the rocks below with a thud that echoes through the space.Eucabeth stands on the board in front of the gap, her left foot poised in mid-air.

Shit.

She must’ve stepped on the board that collapsed.

Vitai freezes two paces behind her.His tone is clipped.“Don’t move.”

The board under her right foot creaks.She raises huge, fearful eyes to us, tears glimmering with a plea in their expressive depths.

I rush to the edge of the platform that gives access to the bridge.Irina and Maeva are in front of Eucabeth.They close the remaining distance with two big steps and leap to the safety of the platform, causing the bridge to sway dangerously.

Eucabeth screams again as she loses her balance and stumbles.Everyone screams at the same time before a deathly quiet falls over the group.We hold our breaths while Eucabeth rights herself with a white-knuckled grip on the rail.She lands with both feet on the unstable board, putting her full weight onto it.

We all stand frozen in horror.

“Just keep still.”Vitai comes up behind her and focuses his gaze on the floor of the bridge from over her head.“I’m not going to let you fall.”

The board beneath her feet stops creaking and looks more solid.

I charge forward on autopilot, but someone grabs me by the back of my shirt.Karl.

“The bridge is unstable,” he says in a strained voice, yanking me to the middle of the platform.

I haven’t tested my power enough yet to know if I can fix a board with my mind.I’ve just learned how to open walls and part water.Before I can put my new skills to the test, Vitai cups Eucabeth’s hips and steers her forward carefully.

One of the boards on which Vitai steps gives way.It falls for three, four seconds.A crunch follows as the wood breaks into pieces on the rocks.

“Vitai,” Eucabeth cries out.

“Don’t worry.”His voice is soothing.“You’re fine.”

Two more steps, and they’re on the platform.

Just as I’m about to let out a relieved sigh, the ropes make a funny noise.They groan with strain, stretching… stretching.The bridge starts to sway in the breeze that picks up.

A chorus of gasps rises from the platform.

A sharp snap sounds.The bridge tips sharply to the right.A few boards fall to the bottom.

More screams pierce the air.The women cling to the ropes, their faces pulled into masks of horror.We’re trapped on the platform.

The platform jolts.

“The ropes.”Sandy’s face is as white as chalk.“They’re fraying.”

Instinctively, I focus my mind on them as Maeva starts crying.

Shivering from head to toe, Alexa says, “We’re going to die.”

“We’re not,” Vitai says with a tight jaw.

The ropes knit together again, and the remaining boards grow in size, covering some of the gaps.

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