…and she could swear that the beast roared her name.
She was about to be devoured. Never would she see him again, the man she had grown to love.
“Charles!”
The footsteps approached, and she whimpered in fear. Then they stopped. She caught her breath, then heard a cry, filled with anguish.
The cry of a man.
She tilted her head back, straining to see the top of the ridge.
“Wh-who’s there?”
She heard a gasp and held her breath as a shape moved above her. Then a face appeared.
A face she knew and loved.
“Charles? Is that you?”
His eyes widened, then he blinked, slowly, and parted his lips as he reached toward her.
“O-Olivia.”
Sweet heaven!Had he spoken? His voice, though strained as if he were in agony, was raw and deep, reverberating through her bones.
“Nicola pushed me,” she said. “I-I caught hold of her, a-and she…” She caught her breath as her body spasmed with cold and he raised his hand.
“Shh…”
“I don’t know how much longer I can hold on,” she said. “I can hardly feel my hands. I—No!”
She broke off as he swung his legs over the edge.
“Charles, it’s too dangerous! You’ll fall.”
But he ignored her pleas and climbed down, moving his big body slowly over the rocks. His foot dislodged a rock, and Olivia screamed as he slid toward her. The rock rattled past her, and she held her breath until she heard a splash far below. Charles was now almost within reach, clinging to the side of the ravine. Then, slowly, he extended an arm toward her.
She glanced toward the river below. It was barely visible, save for the occasional cold glint of reflected moonlight in the dark swirls as it continued to rage over the rocks, bubbling and roaring.
“I-I can’t move,” she said. “If I let go, I’ll fall.”
He shifted closer until his hand almost touched hers. Fear coiled around her body like a rope, paralyzing her.
Then her husband drew in a deep breath, his eyes gleaming in the darkness, and spoke in a soft whisper.
“Trust me.”
Slowly she uncurled one hand from the branch. Her body weight shifted, and her foot slipped. She cried out, fighting to regain her foothold, but found nothing but air beneath her feet. But the hand that took hers held it in a firm, strong grip, his huge fingers curling around her wrist. Then he pulled her up until she was close enough to circle her free arm around his neck.
“Charles!” she sobbed, glancing toward the top of the cliff. “Y-you won’t be able to climb back up—it’s too steep. Why risk your life forme?”
His eyes darkened and she shivered at the flicker of anger in them. He glanced about and gestured toward the fissure, then, slowly, he climbed upward, moving one limb at a time, testing each hold before committing to the movement, while she clung to him. At length they reached the fissure, and he pushed her inside, where she fell back. No longer clinging on for her life, she surrendered to exhaustion. Her body began to tremble violently, and her teeth chattered with the cold.
“I-I’m sorry,” she said. “I didn’t mean to cause such trouble. I—”
“Shh…”
He placed a finger on her lips, before leaning forward and brushing his mouth against hers. Then he removed his jacket and placed it about her shoulders.
