He called her name into the bottomless expanse.“Meredith!”
“Silas?”Her voice was barely a whisper.
He searched the rocky edge.There—pale fingers gripping black stone.
“I can’t hold on.”
He didn’t hesitate.Scaling the rough surface, he found a tiny ledge only half the width of his body near her fingers.He gripped the wall with one hand and lowered himself, stretching to reach her.
“My legs aren’t working.He did something to me.”Her voice was hoarse, her eyes brimming with tears.
“Reach for my hand.”He could see her fingers slipping, her knuckles sickly white with the effort of hanging on.
“I can’t.”
“Goddess, help me,” he prayed, then repositioned his anchored hand on a rock closer to her.
At this angle, he might be able to reach her, but he’d never have the leverage to pull her back up.Still, he had to try.Digging his fingers in, he stretched himself out?—
—just as she lost her grip.She dropped, her arm brushing his fingertips until, by some miracle, his fist closed around her wrist.Her weight threatened the hold he had on the crater wall.
“You have to let me go and pull yourself up,” she sobbed, tears flowing.
“I can’t.”
“You can.If you let me go, you’ll be strong enough.You’ll survive.”
“I can’t.I can’t survive without you.I can’t do it alone.”
“Of course you can.You made it down here alone.You can climb up alone.”
“Not this.Life.I can’t do life alone.Not anymore.I need you, Meredith.”
“Silas…”
“I love you.I refuse to let Alex take one more person from me.Not you.Not this time.”
“Oh, Silas.”She dangled helplessly from his hand and glanced at the eclipsed moon.In moments the full moon would be fully exposed again.He would shift back and lose his grip.“I’m not sure we have a choice.”
“I’m not letting you go.We either both get out of this crater or we go down together.”
“Ahem,” Jason called from the edge above him.“No fucking way am I becoming alpha.Hang on, brother.Laina’s awake and checking the truck for some rope.”
“Hurry.This isn’t as easy as it looks.”A brown blur appeared behind Jason’s head.“Jason, look out!”
Jason turned, but what now appeared to be a giant eagle did not attack.She coasted around his head and swooped down the rocky side of the abyss.Before Silas could react, she’d swept Meredith into her talons and carried her to safety.Silas breathed a sigh of relief to see Meredith on solid ground.
Fingers aching and limbs trembling, he heaved his weight upward, perching on the tiny lip of stone to rest.He could do this.He could climb the rest of the way.Digging his fingers in, he tried not to think too much about how easily he could fall.Hand, hand, foot, foot.Repeat.
Jason reached for him, lying on his belly at the edge.“Just a few more feet, Silas.You’re almost there.”
Laina appeared at his side, reaching down for him as well.“No rope, but I found this.”
She dropped a hacked length of seat belt to him.Silas lifted himself another six inches and wrapped his hand in the black strap.
“I’ve got it!”Silas said.
Jason grabbed the strap and helped Laina pull.“Hang on, brother.We’ve got you.”
