Page 30 of Beholden
At a rumble and shaking, I paused a moment before I grabbed Gabriella and pushed her against the wall. I stretched over her to shield her from the sudden shower of rocks that cascaded from the entrance, rolling and crumbling into our passageway.
“Ty! Watch out!” I glanced over my shoulder, assessing how I could help him without also leaving Gabriella unprotected.
Too late, I realized the avalanche would threaten our meager attempt to keep the light burning. A second later, stones and dust doused the fire, plunging us into blackness.
For several more seconds the rumbling continued, until only a showering of pebbles remained.
“Ty?” I called. “Are you safe?”
“I’ve survived,” he said through a cough.
I sagged, my relief making me weak. “Can you crawl to us? We’ll be safest together.”
“I’ll try.” His reply was followed by the clattering of rocks as he moved.
Against me, Gabriella shuddered.
“How do you fare, my lady?” I whispered, even as I felt the warmth of her breath and the rise and fall of her chest.
“The light is out.” Her voice filled with fear.
I reached down and loosened my knife from my boot. “If you stay behind me at all times, I shall be able to protect you from the rats”
“But what about you?”
“I’ll be fine.” Although I was quite proficient at using my seax, I’d never had to fight off rabid rats in the dark. I’d have to use all my senses to keep them at bay.
I started to turn, but her fingers dug into my tunic. “Vilmar.” Her whisper wobbled. “You were right. I have quickly become enamored with you. And I do not want you to be bitten on account of me.”
A fierce protectiveness flooded my chest. Curly’s words from the dance came back to me.“You love her.”Was it possible he was right? Whatever the case, I’d do anything to keep her safe, even if I had to sacrifice my own limbs to the rats to do so.
Her grip against my tunic tightened, pulling me closer still, and her lips brushed against my jaw.
The movement was likely accidental. In the dark, she couldn’t see where I was. It most certainly wasn’t a kiss. Yet, in the next instant, her mouth touched mine, softly, tentatively. At the sweet pressure, I didn’t care if she’d accidentally kissed me or whether she’d done so purposefully. In this moment, which very well could be our last, I wanted to kiss her, to let her know I’d never before met a woman like her, that I adored her.
Additional rocks crumbled behind us, but I couldn’t think of anything else but Gabriella and the meshing of our lips. I deepened the kiss at the same time she did, our connection growing more urgent, more forceful, as if we both knew this was the end and we needed to make the most of every second together.
“Make haste!” blared a voice I didn’t recognize. “Break through the wall faster.”
I could see Gabriella’s beautiful face again, so close to mine, and I broke our kiss, hope surging through me. Light was coming from somewhere, and maybe we wouldn’t have to fight the rats after all. She would be safe.
Bandaged, bloody, and bruised, Ty stood several paces away, taking in my position against Gabriella, no doubt having just witnessed me kissing her.
Guilt rose swiftly, and I released her and stepped back. What had I been thinking to take advantage of her in this moment of weakness?
A moment of weakness. Yes, that’s all it had been. We’d simply been two people taking comfort in each other during what we believed to be our last minutes of life.
Thankfully, Gabriella’s attention was riveted to the growing hole and the light streaming through it, not upon my remorse.
“Gabi?” came a familiar voice from the other side. Curly. “Ye be there?”
“Yes!” She tiptoed toward the hole, standing on her toes to see through. “We are here and unharmed.”
“Thank the saints.”
“Stand back as we blast the rocks again,” bellowed an unfamiliar voice that set me on edge. Had the overseers descended to aid in the rescue? Certainly not. They never came down.
I lifted Gabriella back into the crook of the wall and safeguarded her with my body as another blow rocked the cavern and crumbled more rocks. She held on to me tightly, but this time she kept her head down, as though embarrassed by the intimacy we’d shared.
