Page 5 of The Hidden Falling
“You’re okay,” I whisper gently, stroking my thumb on her arm. “Edward sent me.” Tears fill her eyes, and she visibly relaxes, taking a breath and releasing it slowly.
Until her eyes land on Josh.
She screams, thrashing in the male’s arms, freeing herself from our grips and staggering back on weak legs. “Stay away,” she orders shakily, putting a hand out in front of her as she steps backwards. Her dark hair is a mess of curls around her face as her panicked eyes flutter around from left to right.
“We’re not going to hurt you,” I tell her calmly, showing my hands in a gesture that is the ‘I’m harmless’ signal. “Josh, stay back,”I say down the link.
I could sense him creeping forward to the right of me, trying to get around the back of her without her noticing. But she does, her eyes constantly tracking his every move.
“She’s going to bolt, Rhea,”he murmurs back to me.
The Deadlands are no place for Sarah to run around blindly and alone.
“Sarah, Edward sent us to bring you to our home, in Eridian. We have been waiting for you to arrive here so we can take you there. You trust Edward, yes? Edward trusts us. We only want to help.”
She looks at me and then back at Josh, until finally her eyes meet the male who brought her here. “D-did you set me up?” Sarah trembles while she backs away further from us. “You said you would take me to someone who would help me.”
“No, of course not. They are here to help,” the male assures her.
“Then why is he here?” She points a trembling finger at Josh. “You told me a female ran the settlement. If that was true, he wouldn’t be here.”
“I came to ensure you and my Alpha get back home safely,” Josh tells her, looking her over with a curiosity I hadn’t seen from him before. “I won’t hurt you.”
“We must go Sarah, it’s not safe to be still for too long in The Deadlands. I run the settlement, it’s our home. Josh and some others came with me to keep us all safe and bring us back. The Deadlands are dangerous. This is for your safety as well as ours.”
She looks at all of us, shaking her head and continuing to back away. The cloaked male removes his hood, walking toward her as his light eyes plead with her to listen. “It’s alright, Sarah–”
Snap.
My head flies to the left where I spot a shadow moving through the trees. The darkness of the forest makes it impossible for me to see clearly what it is, but something is there.
I hear another snap, then a growl.
I stay still, breathing slowly as I carefully reach for the blade at my hip. I flick my eyes over the trees, scanning them to try and determine where the creature is. I move my left foot, turning my body at a snail’s pace so I can face whatever it is head on.
“Josh, you’re going to have to grab Sarah when this thing comes at us. Take her and go to Axel and Finn. The guys will help you,”I order him as I prepare myself.
“I’ll grab her, don’t worry. Just be careful,”he replies through the link, shifting slightly to get ready to run and grab Sarah by any means necessary.
I sense the male to my right, thankfully he is staying as still as us, knowing there is danger. I caught a glance of his face when he removed his hood. The dark, three dots within the upside down triangle in the center of forehead stood out against his pale skin, letting me know he’s an omega. Which means by nature, he’s not a fighter.
A deep, long growl sounds before me as the creature suddenly lunges out from between the trees. Its scaly skin is dark as night, and it’s coming straight for me.
Sarah screams, the shrill sound echoing around the space before I head for the creature.
We collide, slamming against each other and falling to the ground in a tangle of limbs. The bora lands on top of me, and I bring my blade up, striking deep in its shoulder. The bora shrieks, its jaw gaping open with the sound. Sharp, pointed teeth come for my face, and I move to the side, barely escaping them. I elbow the temple on its narrowed face, stunning it, while I lift my hips and buck it off of me, dragging the blade down its shoulder as it falls to the side. I roll away, coming to a stand. I steady my stance and bend my knees slightly, ready for the next attack as it gets to its feet and shakes its head. Blood pours from its shoulder, and it’s limping from the injury made when my blade sliced down its leg. Its head lowers and a menacing growl passes through its mouth. I growl right back.
The bora looks young. The sharp jagged spikes on its tail are smaller than a fully mature bora. With the realization that it’s just a babe, I have to wonder where the mother is.
I glance around quickly and realize that the others have got away and are headed back to Axel and Finn.
The bora lunges again, its strong hind legs making it a powerful one. I turn my body at the last second to avoid being hit. I bring my blade up, slicing along its side as it rushes past me. I spin to see it land on the ground, its legs folding underneath itself from its injuries. The young bora gets unsteadily to its feet and lifts its head back, letting out a screeching wail.
I cringe, covering my ears with my hands while stepping back to create more distance between us. The sound stops suddenly, and the bora’s bone-colored eyes stare at me, waiting. Growls erupt around me, and I freeze. Shit. Its mother and family were closer than I realized.
Time to go. Now!
I pivot and run at full speed straight ahead, dashing through the dead trees and jumping over large rocks. I check my surroundings as I run, making sure the boras are all still behind me. The last thing I need is for them to ambush me from all sides. A ragged branch slices deep across the top of my arm and I hiss at the sharp pain, feeling blood trickle down. I keep going, not needing to look behind me to know they’re gaining on me. I can hear their panting breaths and growls getting closer.
