Page 115 of Wraithwound

“Lena, please!”

She wasn’t sure her legs would carry her that far without his assistance, but the pleading in his voice strengthened her resolve. Cross ripped his hand from hers, and she stumbled but didn’t fall. Lena ran, hoping she’d be able to calculate the distance correctly through the fatigue.

An explosion went off behind her, and she stumbled once more, fighting the steep incline of the mountain. EverGods, she couldn’t remember what her count had been. She guessed, taking a couple more steps before she was yanked back by the strap of her pack.

She hit the ground and groaned, rolling onto her side.

“There’s a section of the mountain missing here,” Cross panted as he helped her up. “I know you’re tired, but we’re not done yet. We have to move. When I tell you to, I need you to jump.”

“What?” Lena rested her hands on her knees, gulping down air.

“We’ll take a running start. Jump like your life depends on it. Count down from three,” he instructed.

Lena pumped her arms and legs, channeling her energy into explosive momentum.

“Three, two, one—” The last word turned into a scream as the ground disappeared from beneath her feet.

Chapter

Sixty-Two

Their fall ended so abruptly that Lena’s arm was almost ripped from its socket as it took the brunt of her weight when she jerked to a stop. She hung suspended in the air, her only tether to life the iron grip Cross had on her hand.

“I have a hold on a ledge above us. I’m going to lift you up.” Cross grunted with effort, as he pulled her up, connecting her hand with the ledge above.

She gripped the rock with trembling hands, ignoring the pain in her shoulder and neck. Using what felt like a tree root, she pulled herself up and then collapsed on the hard ground beneath. Cross collapsed next to her a moment later.

“What was that?” Lena panted, barely able to form words.

“The tree roots turned into hundreds of those insects, and the stumps . . . I don’t know what those things were, but they had fangs and clawed limbs,” Cross said.

“And then we jumped off a ledge but up the mountain?” she asked a little more clearly now that her breathing had evened out.

“We jumped across a fissure in the mountain side, aiming for a ledge below. We must climb up and out of the fissure to continue up the mountain, but we’re safe for now.”

Lena wasn’t sure why she did it, but she reached for him. The heat of his hand sunk into hers as their palms met, and she would have been happy with that. But he didn’t stop there.

“I remember,” Cross said as he placed her hand on his chest and then covered it with his.

Emotion clogged her throat as she focused on the rise and fall of his chest and the strong beat of his heart. The comfort it brought her was almost overwhelming, and she had to blink away the tears that threatened to spill out.

She wasn’t sure how long they lay there, unmoving, but she didn’t pull her hand away until her stomach grumbled loudly enough to make itself known. Cross huffed a laugh and gently moved her hand before sitting up.

“I guess now is as good a time as any to eat,” he said.

They shared a small meal of dried fruits and cheese. Despite the heat, Lena found she had a little more energy after eating.

“So, of all the monsters you’ve faced, it’s the segmented insects that haunt your nightmares?”

“There’s just something unnatural about them. They’ve always creeped me out, even when I was a kid.” He shuddered again, and Lena laughed. Cross went still next to her.

“What?” she asked stiffening.

“I don’t think I’ve ever heard you laugh before,” he said, something like awe in his voice.

“I haven’t had much reason to laugh lately,” she admitted.

“What about before all of this?” he asked, a gentle curiosity in his voice.