Now it’s my turn to be the white knight. I’ll save the day, and then I can explain my subterfuge and we can forget about the rest of the world. Even if staying here with him means my death, I’d rather die by his side than live without him. Being devoured by him, filled with his heat hidden away in the caves sounds like a fine way to pass whatever remaining time I have left.
I would finally be living for myself—on my terms, driven by my own goals and ambitions. If love is the sum of those things, then so be it. I deserve it. I deserveEryon. His name thrums through my veins like a mantra, fueling me with a fierce determination. My gaze snaps back to him, trying to communicate with my eyes my true intentions.
I try to piece together a solution, shifting the invisible chessboard in my mind, searching for the elusive strategy that will save us. But the odds are daunting. Ahead of me stands one very enraged Yeti, and behind me looms one very dangerous man. The space between them feels like a no-man's-land, and I am the one caught in the crossfire.
A loud click breaks the silence, and I spin back to Ben to see him holding a gun, aimed straight at Eryon.
“I can’t imagine what the payout will be for this monsterplus the plant. You won’t be so fierce when you’re locked in a cage,snowman,” Ben sneers.
I don’t think, I just react.
Time plays out in slow motion as my boots dig deep through the layer of freshly fallen snow and crunch down into the gravel, propelling me towards Ben until I am launching myself at the outstretched weapon in a desperate attempt to shield my love. I'm already marked for death. Let Eryon have a second chance.
Above the pounding of my heart, I hear Sita scream as the gun recoils in Ben’s hand. I should be scared, terrified of being shot but instead, all I feel is a deep sense of calm in achieving what I had set out to do. For even if I die, Eryon will know that he is worth saving.
As something pierces my shoulder, time resumes its normal pace. I brace myself for excruciating pain and reach up to grab my shoulder. I pull my hand away expecting to see blood from a gunshot but instead, I pull out a dart. I try to bring it up to my face for a closer look but my arm falls limply to my side.
Sticky syrup floods my veins. My legs buckle, and I land hard on my knees, then fall to my side. I am completely paralyzed, helpless to do anything except watch the drama unfold around me.
For a second Ben looks shocked, almost as if he can’t believe he shot me. As if maybe, at one point, he really did love me.
“You’re the only monster here, Ben,” I want to scream, but I can barely force the whispered words past my lips as the fast-acting sedative courses through my body.
Fierce determination crosses his face, erasing any semblance of a human with feelings or morals, as he grabs for another dart. Before he can reload, the Yeti is on them. I watch in deep satisfaction as Eryon goes feral, swiping at the men with his great arms and knocking them over like bowling pins.
Red splatters the ground and the thick pelt of the Migoi, astartling contrast against a world of white. He picks each man up, breaking them like kindling and tossing them over the edge of the trail, down into the abyss.
Except for Ben, crawling away on all fours like the coward that he is. Eryon swipes him up but doesn’t kill him right away. Instead, he takes him in his massive hands, hoisting him into the air as if he weighs nothing. For a terrifying moment, the Yeti holds him there, staring deep into Ben’s eyes.
Then Eryon shatters the silence with a fierce roar, the sound ricocheting off the mountains and rumbling through the earth itself. The air vibrates with its fury, dislodging loose rocks to cascade down the jagged walls like rain.
Ben’s eyes go wide, the whites showing all around in a mask of terror. Without warning, the Migoi hurls him skyward, flinging him out into the abyss. His screams stretch out, growing fainter as he plummets into nothingness, the echoes haunting the mountain long after he’s vanished from sight.
I desperately want to move, to run to Eryon and reassure myself that he is okay. Tell him I love him and I am so, so sorry. But not only am I paralyzed, I feel my heart slowing, my breathing softening in reaction to a sedative dose for something much larger than me.
I give myself over to this soft world. At least I’ll die with the satisfaction that Ben got exactly what he deserved. I just wish I had the chance to tell Eryon that I love him.
Chapter
Seventeen
Time passes by in a series of polaroid pictures. Snapshots of light and movement, worried faces, being enveloped in heat and soft fur, the most delicious thing I’ve ever tasted poured into my mouth, and then—nothing.
Perhaps this is what death is. Simply nothing. If I’m dead, I may as well catch up on my rest withoutthe wind howling and the cold scrabbling at me like skeleton’s fingers. Although I doubt I would need sleep if I'm dead so that must mean…
I’m alive.
My eyes snap open on a sharp inhale, the smell of deep earth warm and familiar. A faint undercurrent of snow and pine tears at my heart. My Yeti.
I stretch like a cat, and the furs piled on me fall as I sit up to find myself naked. I reach up to my shoulder and explore with my fingertips, searching for any damage from my run in with the tranquilizer dart.
My skin is smooth and unblemished, not so much as a pinprick or even a bruise to mark where Ben shot me. In fact, as I swing my legs over the edge of the bed, I notice it—I feel amazing.
Carefully I stand, but my legs are sturdy and strong. I listen for the presence of anyone else, but all I hear is the quiet sound of the cave breathing.
Spying my pack leaning against the wall, I grab it and bring it next to the fire. Unable to recall the last time I ate, I root around, looking for a snack. Frustrated when I can’t find something quickly, I decide to dump the contents out.
As I dig to the bottom of the upended pile, my fingers brush something unfamiliar—a bundle of moss and bark, wrapped and bound with delicate vine. I didn’t pack this.
