“Fantastic,” he said with a broad smile. He looked up at the waning sunlight overhead. “And not a moment too soon. Let’s head back.”
“Definitely,” she said, running her fingers over the necklace one more time before tucking it safely into her pocket.
Turning around to head back toward the ropes, she let herself breathe a sigh of relief.
They’d done it. They’d actually done it. She couldn’t quite believe it.
Curtis would be able to go home. She’d be able to start her business on Monday without worrying about trying to help him.
And, well… she had allkindsof things she wanted to talk to Ethan about. Including his rope-tying prowess.
So really, it wasquitedisappointing, she thought vaguely, that the ledge seemed to be shifting beneath her feet. Crumbling, even.
Collapsing.
She turned her head to look at Ethan, her mouth open but no words emerging, her hand reaching out for him but not quite making it.
She thought she could hear him screaming her name, but it was hard to tell. Everything was suddenly very hazy. All she could see was his horrified face.
Ethan,she thought, as the world gave way beneath her.
Ethan, please save me.
Chapter 13
“CHLOE!!”
At the same time as Ethan screamed out her name, the pegasus let out a shriek that went beyond actual words, the sound echoing in Ethan’s head.
He watched in gut-churning horror as Chloe’s eyes widened, her mouth opening in a silent plea, her arm reaching out toward him. She teetered for the briefest of split seconds – before the ledge beneath her crumbled completely.
Ethan lunged for her, but it was too late – she was too far away, having been several steps ahead of him.
But he didn’t hesitate. Not even for a second.
And for once, he and the pegasus were in total accord.
He was leaping off the ledge before Chloe had even disappeared from sight, angling himself downward in an attempt to intercept her as she tumbled through the air, positioning his body in such a way as to be as aerodynamic as possible.
Shifter reflexes were an extraordinary thing, and the power of the mate bond even more so. He’d moved so fast that his outstretched fingers were able to hook in under the rope around her waist, pulling her in close to his body.
If there was one thing that the pegasus knew, it was how to move through the air in ways that humans could never comprehend. He rotated his body so that he was beneath her, holding her tight.
“I’ve got you,” he whispered into Chloe’s ear. “I’ve got you.”
We will take the impact for her,the pegasus hissed, with a tone of pure determination that he’d never heard from it before.We shall give up our lives, if necessary.
While Ethan hoped it wouldn’t come tothat, he had to admit that things weren’t looking great. He’d caught the glimmer of water at the bottom of the gorge when he’d leapt off the ledge, but he had no idea how deep it was. And even if they survived the fall, he had no idea how they’d manage to get out of the gorge.
First things first,he told himself.Let’s just survive the landing. Everything else is just unnecessary noise.
A faint whisper from Chloe caught his ear, barely audible in the rush of wind, and it took him a moment to put the sounds together.
I love you.
His heart leapt into his throat.
It can’t end like this. It can’t.
