Page 86 of The Delver
Just as her body threatened to give out, just as her strength was about to fail, Urkot broke free. Water churned as he grabbed hold of her and kicked off the stone. They shot upward like a rocket.
Breaking the surface, they took in loud breaths that echoed within the chamber. Coughing and gasping for air to fill her needy lungs, Callie clutched Urkot’s neck as he swam toward the shallow water. Her entire body trembled.
I almost lost him. I almost lost him.
Tears spilled down her cheeks.
When he reached the shallows, Urkot’s legs wobbled and gave out. Water splashed around them as his hindquarters dropped. He sat, chest heaving, and banded his other arms around Callie, holding her to him.
“Callie,” he rasped, nuzzling her hair. “My mate, mynyleea. Are you okay?”
Was she okay? Wassheokay?
Callie jerked back and caught his face between her hands, meeting his gaze. “Me? What aboutyou? You almost fucking drowned, Urkot!”
Narrowing his eyes, he growled and slid his hand into her hair at the back of her head, grasping it. “So did you! You should not risk yourself like that, Callie.”
“I got your spider butt out, didn’t I?”
“Yes.” He pressed his headcrest to her forehead and closed his eyes. A shudder wracked him. “You will not risk yourself again.”
“Don’t tell me what to do,” she said, gentling her voice.
“I am bossy.”
“You are. Doesn’t mean I have to listen.”
Urkot let out a long, low, rumbling growl, but he followed it with two quiet words. “Thank you.”
They sat there for a time, simply holding each other and breathing each other in as their hearts calmed. The water rippled around them, lapping against their bodies and the nearby stone, its soothing sounds accompanied by the occasional drip from above.
Despite the cold, despite the fading terror and adrenaline, despite everything, this cavern was tranquil. But Callie recognized that it was only possible because they were both alive, because they were holding each other.
She refused to contemplate what could’ve happened. Refused to think about what it would do to her if she lost Urkot.
“We must go,” Urkot said. “The spiritstriders caught our scents. They know something is in their tunnels, and they will hunt.”
“Okay.”
Callie adjusted her stiff legs, letting them drop until her boots touched solid stone. She released Urkot and stepped back. Her eyes immediately went to his hindquarters. Once more, something clamped around her heart in a viselike grip. Deep scrapes on his hindquarters and upper legs oozed blood. A small whimper escaped her as she attempted to hold in her tears.
He slowly rose, his body language making every ache and pain he must’ve felt apparent, and twisted to glance back at his hindquarters. Tentatively, he gave his back half a wiggle. “Too much spider butt?”
Callie looked up at him. His eyes were on her, his mandibles lifted in a smile. A smile for her. To reassure her that he was okay, that his spirit wasn’t broken, that it wasn’t even cracked.
I love him.
I fucking love this spider man.
It was a realization that had snuck up on her, that had caught her completely off guard. But it had been there the whole time, hadn’t it? The friendship they’d formed had always been deeper than it seemed on the surface. He’d cared for her from the very beginning. He’d constantly gone out of his way to ensure she was safe and comfortable, had always taken the time to make her smile and laugh when she was down, and even though she never appreciated it in the moment, he’d been there when she’d needed a little kick in the ass to get moving—like when he’d dumped water on her face to wake her up during their journey to Kaldarak.
But he’d always been there.
Until he wasn’t. Because he’d left for Takarahl with Rekosh and Telok, and he’d been gone a whole month. And though she’d kept company with her friends, she’d always felt like something was missing. Likesomeonewas missing.
It’d been him.
And I almost lost him.
