Before I can even tense my muscles and move, the ship beneath me gives a final, shuddering groan, and the world drops out from under my feet.
I hear Dani scream, a high, piercing sound that cuts through the waterfall's roar like a knife. My stomach lurches, and my heart stops as the ship plummets away beneath me. The hull spins and cracks as it hurtles toward the churning water below.
"Rhyland!"
Fucking hell.
For a single, terrifying second, I'm hanging in midair, my fingers scrabbling uselessly against the slick rock as I start to fall. By some miracle of fate or sheer dumb luck, my hand finds a hold, a tiny outcropping of stone that bites into my palm.
I hang there, my arms straining and my fingers bleeding, as the ship crashes into the base of the falls with a sickening crunch of wood and metal. The sound echoes through the chasm like a death knell, a final, haunting reminder of how close we came to joining the wreckage below.
What the fuck was I thinking, letting us go over in the ship like that?
I find a foothold and pull myself up, "It's okay, I'm okay, baby," I pant, my voice ragged with exhaustion as I try to ease the panic I can feel thrumming through our bond. Dani lets out a shuddering breath, her fingers digging into my arm like she's afraid I'll disappear if she lets go.
Even as I try to reassure her and cling to her like a lifeline, I can't ignore the cold, creeping dread that's taking hold in my stomach. Because now that the immediatedanger has passed, now that we're no longer hanging off the edge of a fucking cliff, I'm starting to realize just how fucked we are.
I look around, my eyes straining to pierce the gloom, but all I can see is a yawning abyss of black water, the waterfall pounding down around us in a deafening roar. It's like being trapped in the heart of a fucking hurricane, the wind and the spray and the sheer, overwhelming power of it making it almost impossible to think straight.
"What do we do?" Dani shouts, her voice barely audible over the crashing water.
I grit my teeth, my mind racing as I devise a plan. I catch something that makes my heart skip a beat out of the corner of my eye. The cliff face to our right, which had seemed like a dead end just moments before, is starting to curve inward, the stone worn smooth by centuries of pounding water.
I tug on Dani's hand, jerking my head towards the narrow ledge, starting to take shape in the shadows. She nods, her eyes wide with understanding, and together, we begin to inch our way along the wall, our backs pressed flat against the slick stone as we baby-step through the spray.
It's slow going, each step a heart-stopping gamble as we test the rock beneath our feet, praying that it won't crumble away and send us plummeting into the abyss. We keep moving and pushing forward, our hands clasped so tightly.
Finally, after an eternity of gut-churning terror, I see it. A flat stretch of ground just behind the waterfall, a tiny oasis of safety amid the chaos.
I guide Dani towards it, my hand never leaving hers as we stumble and slip across the final few feet of treacherous stone. And then, at last, we're there, collapsing onto the blessedly solid ground in a tangle of shaking limbs and heaving lungs.
I pull Dani into my arms, burying my face in her damp hair as I hold her close. My heart is pounding with a clusterfuck of emotions—relief, gratitude, and a whole damn lot of others I can't even begin to put a name to.
Dani sits up and punches me in the chest. Hard. "What the actual fuck, Rhyland?" She shouts over the pounding water, her voice sharp with anger and disbelief.
I lay there, taking her fury like a man. I know I fucked up, and I'm kicking myself in the ass for my dumbass decision. She could have fucking died falling through that waterfall. "I'm sorry," I pant out, still trying to catch my breath. "I'm so fucking sorry, baby. I wasn't thinking."
"No shit, Captain Clueless!" Dani spats above me, swatting as I cover my head in a feeble attempt to defend myself. "That was really stupid, Rhyland. Like, epic levels of dumbassery."
I grab her hands and pull her down to my chest, meeting her fierce, molten gold eyes. They're filled with anger, frustration, and, beneath it all, an unwavering love that humbles me. I grip her hair, holding her gaze steady. "I know, baby. It was stupid and careless as fuck. I swear to god, it won't happen again."
"It better not," she grumbles, still glaring at me. "Or I'll kick your ass myself, you reckless bastard."
I miscalculated, plain and simple. I thought we weren't that far up, but those fucking caves and tunnels played tricks on my senses.
Not an excuse, just a cold hard fact.
Dani softens, collapsing onto my chest with a heavy sigh. I can feel her heart pounding against my own, the adrenaline still coursing through her veins. "I'm just glad we made it," she murmurs, her voice muffled against my skin. "But seriously, Rhyland, if you ever pull a stunt like that again, I will personally ensure that your dick falls off from lack of use. We clear?"
I wince at the threat, knowing full well she means every word. "Crystal fucking clear, Angel," I assure her, my hand rubbing soothing circles on her back. "I promise, no more dumbass stunts. From now on, it's safety first, all the way."
She nods, satisfied with my answer, and I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding. Crisis averted, for now at least. But fuck, if this little misadventure hasn't hammered home just how much I need to get my shit together. Dani deserves better than a mate who risks her life with careless decisions.
"Please tell me you didn't lose the key," I rasp, my voice muffled against her skin.
Dani pulls back, her eyes blazing with a fierce, unshakeable determination that catches my breath. "Got it," a triumphant grin spreads across her face as she pulls the box from her pocket.
I let out a breathless laugh, my head falling against the stone as the tension drains from my body. Thank fuck. I don't even want to think about what we would've had to do if that key had ended up at the bottom of the falls.
