Page 94 of Echos and Empires
Her fear thickened into terror, growing oppressive as the silence roared around her. It closed in, choking. She forced herself to stay calm, to stay collected. She could do this. She could be brave. She had more than just herself to protect now, and she would. She would protect all of them. She didn’t need them here to do that.
Ranger’s growl was a low rumble, constant and warning. Emma knew they weren’t alone. Knew that her fear was a sign of just how much she wanted to live, how much she had to lose. It made her desperate. It made her determined. She wouldn’t let anything happen to the babies. To her. To any of them. She’d come too far. They’d all come too far.
Despite the tension coiling inside her, she steadied herself. She focused on her breathing, on controlling her racing mind. The weight of the world pressed down, but Emma pushed back. She had no choice. She would face whatever was coming. She was ready. As ready as she could be.
“Did you really think you’d escaped me, girl?”
Victor’s voice came from nowhere and from everywhere, echoing off the cavern walls like a sickening song. Emma’s blood froze in her veins, then ignited into a desperate fire. He’d found her. She was in danger. The babies were in danger.
With a choked breath, she scrambled to act, to react, to survive. Her mind raced like her pulse as she pulled herself, Ranger, and the lantern deeper into the cave, away from the voice that seemed to seep through the very rocks around her. His presence was everywhere. A poison. A vile infestation that threatened to smother her fragile hope.
“I’ll admit, your friends surprised me.” Victor’s laugh was cold and sharp. “But I’m not done yet.”
Emma’s limbs shook with adrenaline.
A shot exploded in the cave, and the lantern shattered, leaving her in darkness. Emma had heard him before she saw him. He hadn’t expected her to be this much trouble. She hadn’t expected him to find her. Sunlight barely reached the spot where she crouched, holding her breath. But she had been here before, trapped by a man intent on doing her harm. She had learned what to do, how to survive. She hadn’t learned what to do with him.
Victor moved in the shadows, thinking he was invisible. But she could hear him. She could sense him, and she could see his outline.
Emma was different now, and her fear only sharpened her instincts. She wouldn’t let him win. She couldn’t.
Ranger growled and it seemed to vibrate through Emma. She wasn’t alone, she had him. Emma didn’t need the men. She didn’t need anyone. She needed to trust herself, and she was getting there. She was getting better.
Another shot rang out, closer this time. But she knew what to do. She knew how to fight back. Victor was taunting her, acting like he had already won. But he didn’t know her. He didn’t know what she was capable of.
Her heart was a wild drumbeat in her chest, eachthuda reminder of the life she carried. The babies needed her. They needed her to survive. They needed her not to be afraid. She refused to let fear take over. Refused to let it make her weak.
Moving further into the cave, she embraced the darkness where the sun couldn’t reach.
Emma pushed against the fear the dark brought, against the weight of it all. She launched herself into action, relying on the skills she’d honed, the instincts she’d developed. Her body was heavier, slower, but she fought against that too.
Ranger was beside her, a fierce companion. Victor was on her trail, persistent and cruel. She countered his moves with deliberate strikes, focused on survival. Focused on protecting her babies.
She wouldn’t let Victor take this from her. Not now. Not ever. His taunts grew louder, and Emma’s resolve grew stronger. She would outlast him. Outlast the fear. Outlast the darkness. She had no choice.
“Selfish bitch!” Victor’s voice rang out in the smaller space in the cave, echoing in her ears before he moved.
Victor charged at her with fierce determination, his eyes full of ruthless intent in the dim light from the flashlight he’d suddenly had. But Emma, fueled by a surge of desperation and love, countered with swift agility, dodging his grasp with expert precision. Her body moved instinctively, absorbing the impact and reacting with trained reflexes. Everything around her was chaos and danger, but inside, she was focused. In control. Her blood ran hot with adrenaline and fire. Each movement, each escape, gave her more hope, more belief. She could do this. She could win. She could survive.
Her limbs moved as if part of a well-rehearsed dance, evading Victor’s advances with a confidence that grew with every beat of her racing heart. She knew she was different now—stronger, faster, and more resilient than she’d ever been. The memories of Chris and Bash drilling her, of their unwavering belief in her, flooded back and filled her with a fierce resolve. She had been scared to imagine herself in this moment, but now she was here, and she was ready. More than ready. Victor’s presence loomed, his taunting echoing through the cave, but Emma pushed back with everything she had. She launched deliberate strikes, sharp and precise, daring him to keep up. Daring him to think he could actually win.
The world tightened around her, shrinking to this battle, this fight. Her heart pounded with a brutal rhythm, the melody of survival. It fueled her optimism, kept her alive. Every dodge, every counter, brought her closer to believing she might actually make it. She could see herself emerging victorious, could see herself proving him wrong. The babies would have their names. The men would be there to hear them. She would be there to say them. She let herself believe it, let herself picture it. She could overcome this. She could rise above the chaos, the loss, and the fear that threatened to swallow her whole.
Emma allowed herself to imagine the victory, to hold on to the hope of outlasting Victor and the dark future he promised. He thought she was weak, but she wasn’t. He thought he could take everything from her, but he couldn’t. She was faster than she’d ever been, and the more she fought back, the more she believed she could do it. She could be the person she knew they all needed her to be. Her strength was a wild thing, a relentless force that refused to break. She was winning. She was surviving. The thought pushed her further, faster, against the weight of it all. She wouldn’t let him win. She couldn’t.
Her determination was a living thing, growing inside her as she moved. As she fought it gave her the edge she needed to keep going, to keep pushing. She could do this. She was ready. As ready as she could be.
Ranger hurled himself at Victor, his teeth bared in a fierce attempt to defend. Emma’s confidence crumbled as she watched Ranger flung aside, a pitiful yelp escaping him as he landed.
It felt as though a part of her soul had been violently ripped away, inciting a frantic frenzy within her. She thrashed and clawed, her heart pounding with urgency as she tried to reach Ranger, all the while striving to hold Victor at bay with every ounce of determination she possessed.
She wouldn’t let it end like this. She wouldn’t let Victor take this from her. Her love for Ranger, for the men, for the babies inside her fueled her every move. She would make it. She had to make it.
A voice shouted in the darkness, startling her. “Emma! Move!”
Liam’s voice.
She couldn’t believe it was him, couldn’t believe they had found her in the nick of time, like always. Hope surged, and for a moment, she was too stunned to react. A second beam of light flared as Liam came into view.
