Page 57 of Midnight Moon
A gust of wind funneled into the pit. A shiver wracked my body.
I straightened and contemplated how best to move Asher. He landed on the left side of the pit, so there was really only one direction I could roll him to get him off the net.
Not wasting another moment, I braced my hands along the dirt wall and edged my way between the small space between Asher and the left side of the hole.
I winced when my toes brushed against the net. It was about to get a lot worse.
Inhaling a fortifying breath, I crouched and placed my hands along Asher’s shoulder and hip.
Then, I shoved.
My exhale morphed into a grunt as I struggled to move the muscular male. I changed my position. My heels braced against the dirt wall, but my knees touched the net. I forced myself to ignore the pain.
After what seemed like minutes, but was truly only agony-filled seconds, I managed to flip Asher over.
I didn’t stop to give myself a break. Asher’s new position exposed new areas of skin to the burning metal, and I could already see the sores forming.
The new angle was harder. I was forced to scooch closer and expose my shins to the net.
I gritted my teeth. Tears squeezed out the corners of my eyes, but I wouldn’t stop. I pressed both hands against Asher’s back, throwing my right shoulder into my latest shove.
I shoved and shoved and shoved until, finally, Asher rolled off the net.
I collapsed on my stomach, immediately screaming when my bare skin met the metal.
I was just about to crawl on my hands and knees to safety when a pair of strong, tanned arms yanked me into the air.
I gasped for breath, my skin still burning. My vision blurred. I squeezed my eyes closed.
My feet touched the ground. Hands rested on my shoulders, keeping me from swaying.
“Blair?”
My ears rung.
“Blair. Open your eyes!”
My brain barely registered the words. I lowered myself to the ground and tried to breathe through the agonizing burns licking my body.
A strong finger lifted my chin. I cracked open my eyelids. A pair of concerned blue eyes greeted me.
“Blair?” Asher knelt on the ground in front of me. He moved his hands to frame my face. “Can you hear me?”
I tried to say yes, but a whimper escaped my lips instead.
His eyes flashed with another emotion, but he schooled his features before I could put a name to it.
“Are you hurt?” His eyes trailed over my body, hissing when he noted my puckered flesh. I could feel his anger building at the bottom of the pit, billowing into a dark, angry cloud. The intensity of his emotion was stifling.
“It’s fine,” I croaked. I could only imagine howhisback fared after lying on the net for Mother knows how long. “What about you?”
“I’m fine. My magic protected me.”
My forehead furrowed. “But you were unconscious.” And in contact with skin charring metal…
“That’s an expected side effect of the protective spell,” Asher stated, still focused on the angry wounds marring my stomach. “It covers me always and shields me from danger or injury without a single thought from me, but the magic demands every ounce of my strength when protecting me from the effects of silver.”
I wasn’t sure what to think of that.
