The screams of the falling Savage alerted some of the others to his presence. They turned toward him as Asher and Vicky joined the fight. From behind him, grunts sounded as Logan and Saber worked to take out the other Savages.
“Willow!” Vicky screamed when three Savages leapt onto her sister.
Willow’s arms swung up, and her hand beat against the face of a Savage who held her in a headlock. She choked and wheezed before it cut off her air supply and no further sound emerged. She clawed at its flesh, hoping to tear out an eye or grasp an ear, but as the burning in her lungs increased, she couldn’t find anything to grab.
Then her fingers slid over its open mouth. When Willow’s fingers slid into its mouth, it bit down, but its fangs didn’t pierce her flesh. Its jaw dislocated when she pulled it over her head and loosened its grip enough that she could inhale.
Slamming the monster into the ground, she punched it in the chest and broke through its ribcage until her fingers enclosed on its heart, and she yanked it free. She was about to shove the still-beating organ down the thing’s throat when hands grasped her arms and jerked them back.
Declan shoved Savages out of his way but didn’t avoid the punch one launched to the side of his face. Stars danced before his eyes as Willow turned over, planted her feet on the ground, and thrust up with her hips to dislodge the Savage on top of her. Before more could capture her, she scrambled away from them.
When the Savage that hit him swung at him again, Declan caught its fist and shoved the monster back. He didn’t have time to kill the thing as Willow staggered to her feet. When her eyes met his again, an overwhelming need to get to her, touch her, and make sure she was okay rushed through him.
Willow only had seconds to take in Declan charging toward her before another Savage was trying to drag her down. Somewhere along the way, she lost her stake and didn’t have the time to retrieve another.
The Savage sank its fingers into her hair and yanked her head back. Willow spun toward it, and lowering her shoulder, she rammed into his breastplate. She realized too late the Savage had attacked her from the waterfall side, and they were only inches away from the cliff.
No,shewas only inches from it; the Savage was already out of ground and still holding her hair.
A chunk of hair tore from her scalp when Willow yanked her head back to free herself of the Savage’s hold, but it was already too late. Even as its hand slipped from her hair, she was falling forward. She tried to throw herself backward, but open air was already battering her body as she plunged over the side.
Chapter Thirteen
“No!”Declan bellowed when Willow teetered on the edge.
Shoving aside the Savages between him and her, he sprinted forward as she plunged over the side. A sound that reminded him he was part demon erupted when another Savage stepped in his way.
Declan swung out and grasped the side of the creature’s head. He squeezed until its skull caved beneath his palm, but he didn’t stop to finish the job as he took three more strides and followed Willow over the edge.
The air buffeting Willow tore at her hair and clothes; the water blurred her vision as she plunged toward the river, but she didn’t close her eyes. She desperately didnotwant to see the water and rocks rushing toward her, but she couldn’t look away.
The Savage who’d fallen over before her stared at her with wide, horrified eyes. Its mouth was parted in a perfect O as it seemed to fall in slow motion while everything sped past her. She was flying, and it was terrifying and exhilarating and everything she’dneverwanted in her life.
She was giving herself over to fate when arms enveloped her, and she turned her head to meet Declan’s silvery eyes.Oh no. Why?
But she saw the why in his steely gaze. He was not going to let her go through this alone anymore. For the first time since all this started, she almost sobbed.
She wasn’t alone; he was here, and they would get through this together. She shouldn’t be so sure of that given all the turmoil of the past three days, but he would be with her from now on.
The wind and thunderous crash of the water tore Declan’s words away when he shouted something at her. Willow strained to hear him as the Savage vanished into the thicker spray closest to the river. It was almost over. This was going to hurt.
Declan was pulling up on her, twisting her into an upright position, so they were headed feet first into whatever awaited them below. Willow held her breath, and her hands clenched on Declan’s arms as the plume swallowed them. His muscles bunched around her as he braced for impact, but she couldn’t see him anymore.
Then her feet crashed into the water, and the impact jarred her body, but her bones didn’t splinter apart, and they somehow managed to avoid landing on any rocks. Having already experienced the cold of the river, she’d believed the frigid temperature wouldn’t shock her. However, the icy chill locked her breath in her lungs, stole the feeling from her body, and encased her bones like a parasite creeping in to take over her system.
Declan’s legs kicking against hers jarred her out of her paralysis. When she kicked her feet in time with his, Willow discovered her newly healed ankle wasn’t thrilled about hitting the water. She might have fractured it again, but that was something to deal with when she was free of the water. Until then, she had to suck up the shooting pain stabbing her foot with every kick.
They were sucked under as the waterfall pounded down on them, pushing them deeper into the water. Her lungs burned; she was desperate for air, but the second her mouth opened, it would be over.
Declan kept his arms locked around Willow as he kicked against the waterfall trapping them beneath its powerful assault. When he opened his eyes, all he saw was white water. He couldn’t even see Willow pinned against his chest. Her kicking became more frantic as fire worked its way through his lungs.
He closed his eyes against the water as a twinge of pain emanated from her before she buried it and kicked again. His fingers tightened on her when he realized she was injured, but he couldn’t do anything about it while they were trapped underwater.
The punishing assault of the waterfall eased as they made their way out from beneath it. He opened his eyes again to reveal sun filtering through the surface of the rushing water. The allure of air just inches above propelled him faster. He was about to break through the surface when something crashed onto him.
The powerful blow ripped him backward and tore his arms away from Willow. Her fingers scrabbled over his flesh as she tried to keep hold of him, but the current pulled her away. Whatever had hit him was gone. However, the damage was done as the waterfall sucked him under it once more.
Like a cork exploding out of a bottle of champagne, Willow broke through the surface. When she gasped in air, she got a mouthful of water and hair with it, but the burning in her lungs eased as oxygen once again filled them.
