Page 37 of Possess Me
“Is there a way to get to the beach?” I pressed. Beach. There was barely a shoreline, disappearing the moment the tide came in, which was what it was actively doing. Fuck me. This was risky as hell. I cursed under my breath in Russian, furious with both myself and with the beautiful woman for risking our lives for an animal. Somehow, I knew I’d never be able to stop her at this point. Maybe I should admire her for her obvious conviction.
Instead, I wanted to toss her over my lap, spanking her into submission for her ridiculous act, brave as it was. She could get herself killed.
He pointed down the path. “It’s dangerous. Rocks. But there is an access. You need to watch out. The tide is coming in.”
She didn’t bother waiting, taking off running toward where he’d pointed. I reached her just as she ripped off her sandals, tossing them aside.
“You can’t do this,” I said as I moved in front of her.
“Just try and stop me.” Her eyes flashed, daring me. I’d be damned if her brazen attitude didn’t turn me on.
“Let me go down first.”
“You listen to me. I will help this baby. Come with me if you want, but you’re not stopping me.” She threw me a look that said she meant business before moving to the rocky path. It was apparent nothing was going to keep her from following through with her determination.
Grumbling under my breath, I yanked off my shoes as she’d done, determined to keep her from killing herself. Goddamn, this woman was hardheaded.
She was agile and quick, stepping carefully yet not wasting any time.
“Be careful,” I called.
Only her deep hiss was given as a response. I glanced up to the railing, noticing several people were watching us. What the fuck was I doing? I might enjoy outdoor sports, including a neighborhood game of softball, but rock climbing wasn’t in my repertoire.
The fact she was making decent time annoyed the hell out of me. I glanced at the ocean waters. The tide was coming in quickly.
As another horrible whine floated from the shore, I gritted my teeth. Seconds later, I was able to better see what we were dealing with.
A net. A matted mound of fur was encased in what appeared to be a fisherman’s net, struggling then unable to continue fighting. I couldn’t believe the animal was alive after being tossed against the rocks. At least with the higher surf, the blunt impact had been lessened. Still, I knew better than to think the poor creature would survive his or her injuries.
There was no actual bottom step, just a drop-off that appeared to be a couple of feet. That didn’t stop Fallon. She jumped off, pitched forward when her foot hit a rock, but she righted herself within a split second.
Cheers from the crowd above continued irritating me, but if she registered their approval or the sound, I wouldn’t know. The woman was completely concentrated on freeing the animal.
“Help me!” she called as she ripped at the net. “You’re much stronger.”
She tossed that out like it was a bad thing.
I lunged forward, dropping down to within a foot of where she was struggling to bring the animal from the surf.
“The baby is stuck. You need to help me.” She was fighting with the rope, tearing at it with everything she had. “Please.”
“Hold on.” I tumbled forward, reaching into my pocket for the Swiss Army knife I always carried.
As she peered up at me, I could see tears in her eyes. The whine from the animal was pitiful, but not nearly as much as her expression.
“Okay, just hold on. We can do this.” The rope was digging into the animal’s side. I’d need to be very careful. As soon as I began to cut a portion of the rope, the creature began to flail.
“Shush, baby. We’re here to help you. It’s going to be okay,” she said softly as she stuck her fingers through one of the holes, trying to stroke the animal.
I continued cutting, hating the angle, but at least the blade was sharp.
When I began making some headway, her body began to rock.
“Please hurry.”
Goddamn, her voice was pitiful. If this creature died because I wasn’t fast enough, she’d never forgive me. Somehow her welfare and that of the animal had become important to me.
“You need to help me.”
