Page 77 of Veiled Fate
“Must go faster!” I yelped, somehow finding another gear, adding a bit more speed.
We hit the edge of the tunnel and flung ourselves free, landing in a heap as the cave-in settled heavily, erasing any signs of the tunnel entrance amid a heap of broken rock and debris.
“That was close,” Kiel said.
“Yes, yes, it was,” I heaved, crawling over and curling up next to him, our naked bodies pressed firmly against one another in a reaffirmation of life.
I remembered when he had held me like that at another time when wehadn’tjust fled for our life. When the focus was on our nakedness, on our bodies touching, pressing, moving against one another.
He had been the man. I was his woman. Our bodies had joined into something mutual and lasting. My mouth quirked upward in a half-smile as I relieved those intense, passionate moments, the only time we’d truly had tobewith one another. A magical memory that was all too fleeting.
“When this is over,” I said, rolling over to stare at him. “You and I, we’re going to—”
“Look out!” Kiel shouted, his hands moving under me and flinging me off him, even as he rolled in the opposite direction.
A moment later, one of the wolf statues crashed down where we’d been, spraying me with sharp shards of stone that peppered my side, opening dozens of tiny cuts, and one longer one over my hip where a big piece bounced off the bone.
“Kiel!” I shouted, bringing an arm to my face to try to shield against the dust cloud.
“Here,” he replied. “But keep moving, don’t stop, there’s the—”
“I see it!” I hollered, rolling to my feet and running to the side, to the edge of the ledge, as the other wolf statue, the second Hunter, came toppling down toward where I lay.
The heavy groaning of the solid statue as it shook itself apart was a terrible sound of impending doom.
“Shit! I’m going over the edge!” I yelled and tossed myself clear of the ledge just before the statue crashed down.
Down I fell. Five feet. Ten feet. Thirty feet. I hit the slope hard, wrenching a shoulder, and bounced, abrading skin across my body as I curled into a ball, desperately trying to shield myself.
Wood snapped as I hit a small tree, the impact slowing me down even as I went through the sapling, destroying the trunk and scraping my side brutally on the remains of the stump.
Then I was sliding through a grassy field, slowing to a halt amid a field of green. It was almost perfect, staring up at a sky that was now dark, lit with a million glittering stars. Peaceful, calm, and wonderful.
If I tuned out the sound of rocks hurtling down the slope after me.
Every muscle in my body was wrenched from the fall, but I forced my neck to crane around just in time to see huge chunks of the statue heading right for me.
Joints, tendons, and basically every fiber of my body screamed from the torture I’d put it through, but somehow, it still responded as I got to my feet and dashed to the side, out of the path of the mini-avalanche as it also slowly spent its energy on the slope, coming to a stop.
“Okay,” I said loudly, hoping Kiel might hear me. “I think it’s done now. I hope so because I’m done. I’ll be right here. Lying down. Maybe asleep!”
And I did just that, collapsing onto my back, catching my breath, my wits, and anything else I was out of.
Soon enough, my view of the stars was blocked by a familiar face.
“Jada,” he said, scrambling to a stop beside me. “You’re okay.”
“Better than okay,” I said, reaching up to stroke his face. “Especially now.”
Kiel grimaced but said nothing.
“What?” I asked. “What was that look for, Kiel? Why can’t I be glad to see the man I l—”
“Don’t say that,” he said sharply, putting his hands to my lips to cut me off.
I frowned, easing myself into a sitting position. “What do you mean? Whynot, Kiel?”
Did he not care for me the same way? Was I overstepping some imaginary line that we weren’t supposed to cross?
