Page 67 of Echos and Empires
Her grip on the leash tightened, her knuckles white with the effort of holding back her fears. Each step toward the cave seemed to amplify her sense of vulnerability, the space around her vast and unwelcoming. She glanced down at Ranger, wishing she could mirror his nonchalance, wishing she didn’t feel so small against the enormity of the unknown.
“You’re sure William and the others are here already?” Her voice sounded fragile, even to her own ears, but she had to ask, needed to hear them say it again.
“Positive,” Liam replied, pushing his glasses up with the back of his hand. “And when we get to him, he’ll probably apologize a hundred times over for making us lose everything.” It wasn’t like Liam, but she swore she heard an edge of annoyance.
The thought of William, just out of reach, twisted in her chest. She had to believe they found him safe and unharmed, unlikely as that was based on the way Chris and Bash responded. Still, the cave loomed ahead, a chasm of uncertainty that threatened to engulf those hopes. She blinked hard, fighting the sensation of being swallowed by it all.
“It won’t be like on the mainland, Em,” Alex said, reading the unspoken dread on her face. “We’re all here, and we won’t let anything happen to you.” His eyes held hers, fierce and unyielding.
She nodded, swallowing back the lump of doubt in her throat. His reassurance settled some of the storm inside her, but still, the darkness pressed in from all sides, thick and tangible. She focused on Ranger’s tugging excitement, drawing strength from his eager trust that things would be okay.
Liam and Alex moved in closer, surrounding her in a buffer of warmth and familiarity. The sense of being on the brinkof something terrifying receded slightly, replaced by the steady beat of footsteps beside her. Emma could almost feel the rhythm of their hearts matching her own, syncing together like always, like they were meant to.
“Got enough supplies to last us a month in there,” Liam said with a grin, his words like a bridge to something normal, all traces of his annoyance gone. “Food, blankets, even some of that awful beer Chris loves. We’re gonna be fine.”
Emma wanted to believe him. She wanted to let go of the fear twisting inside her, wanted to give herself over to the promise of what lay ahead. She drew in a shaky breath, forcing a smile. “Guess we’ll be throwing a cave party, then.”
“Damn right,” Alex said, his smirk lighting up the gloom. “And you’re the guest of honor.”
Ranger tugged harder, his anticipation infectious, and Emma allowed herself to be pulled forward, inch by inch, toward the ominous entrance. She kept her focus on the bright red of Ranger’s collar, a splash of certainty against the murk. It would be okay. It had to be.
The wind shifted, sending another icy chill through her. It carried with it all the fears she couldn’t quite shake, possibilities that had haunted her since William disappeared. Her mind flitted to him again, conjuring worst-case scenarios she couldn’t bear to finish. She forced herself to look straight ahead instead, eyes locked on the yawning darkness.
Ranger gave another excited bark, snapping her back from the edge of despair. He looked at her expectantly, tongue lolling, as if to say it was time to move, to leap into the unknown and drag it into the light. Something inside her shifted, aligning with Ranger’s unshakable belief that this was an adventure, not a descent.
“I thought we were keeping up with him pretty well,” Liam said, nodding to the leash.
“We are,” Emma replied, trying to fill her voice with conviction. She glanced at Liam, his hopeful smile a balm against the worry she couldn’t entirely hide. “I mean, we will.”
Alex’s gaze stayed on her, a mix of challenge and reassurance. “All together, Emma. Like always.”
She bit her lip, tasting the salt of tears she hadn’t realized fell. “Like always.” Emma followed Ranger into the cave’s shadowy maw, where fear and hope collided, where the truth waited.
The shadows in the cave shifted, and Emma’s heart quickened at a flicker of movement ahead. She blinked, afraid to believe, but there he was—William, waiting for her with the ghosts of anxiety hovering in his eyes.
Joy surged through her, unspooling the tight coil of fear in her stomach. Her breath hitched, and she raced forward, catching Chris and Bash first, pulling them close in a breathless, tearful embrace. Relief poured through her like light into the cave, banishing the darkness she’d been carrying. And then she was in William’s arms, his lips warm against hers, his presence so vivid it took her breath away. Emma pulled back, eyes wet and searching, her voice a tangle of emotion.
“Will,” she choked out, desperate to anchor him in this moment, desperate to make him real again.
She squeezed her eyes shut for a heartbeat, willing away the last of her disbelief, and opened them to find William still there. A burst of energy sent her flying towards him, but the need to touch Chris and Bash pulled her in a zigzag path. They were solid, waiting, steady where her world felt fluid. She wrapped them into a wild hug, her arms barely reaching around their combined bulk. The scent of them filled her lungs, anchoring her more firmly in reality with each breath.
“I knew you’d make it,” Chris said, his voice rough and sure. “Just like I knew we’d save this knucklehead without killing too many people.”
Emma buried her face against Chris’s chest, drinking in the certainty of his words. It settled like warmth into her bones, replacing the icy fear that had clamped over her. Bash’s grip was solid, grounding her further, and a soft sob escaped her before she could stop it.
“I’m not thrilled you let her come with us. Innocence could’ve been faked. I don’t like that she only has Alex for care now.” Bash murmured, the edge of his beard tickling her forehead. He held her tightly, as if he could imprint the promise onto her skin.
“I resent that.” Alex called from somewhere at the front of the cave.
“It’ll all work out, Bash. We just have way less time to get everything going. I’m not bedridden and I don’t think I needed all the checkups they were doing, anyway. It’ll be fine.” She wasn’t certain if she wasn’t comforting Bash, or herself, but she knew one thing—there’s no way she would’ve let three of them go alone.
The reality of them safe and here, burned away the last tendrils of panic. She was whole again, and she couldn’t hold still for another second. She pivoted towards William before her mind had time to catch up.
She reached him in a single breath, her lips capturing his with an urgency that said everything she couldn’t. The kiss was desperate, a claim and a plea and a promise all tangled together. Her fingers found their way into his hair, pulling him closer, closer, as if she feared he might vanish if she let go.
“Emma,” he breathed against her mouth, his voice frayed with the same need she felt.
His hands were on her back, tracing lines that reminded her of her own skin, her own body. It felt like waking from a long, terrible dream, every part of him snapping into focus as if she was seeing him for the first time all over again.
