Chapter 101
Dom barks surprised and I scream.
We drop.
The world tilts violently as Dominic twists midair. His fur suddenly leaving me. I panic, reach for it, but, snap, his form shifts. Arms slam around me, iron-tight, seatbelting me to his chest as he turns himself beneath me.
He hits first.
The impact is brutal.
The air punches out our lungs in a sharp, stolen gasp as we slam into earth and stone, bodies tangling hard at the bottom of the pit. Dirt and branches rain down around us, the sound echoing and hollow.
For a moment, there’s just the sound of our breathing, ragged, too loud in the enclosed dark.
“Shit,” Dominic finally mutters under his breath.
I blink hard, disoriented, the world slowly snapping back into focus.
I’m on his chest.
Pressed flush against him.
My palms splay instinctively against solid muscle, warmth flooding my senses. His heart is hammering beneath me, fast and strong, not panicked-protective.
He lifts his head, our faces inches apart.
Nose to nose. Covered in dirt.
My breath catches again, this time for a very different reason.
“You alright?” he asks immediately, voice low and tight.
I swallow. “I-I think so.”
He exhales, sharp with relief I don’t think he means to let slip.
“Dominic?” I say.
“Yeah?”
“Can you…” I pause, “Get me off of you?”
“Ah.” He blows his messy hair from his face. “Right.”
He slowly sits up with a groan, gently guiding me off him to my knees. He stands with a quick shake, dirt flying off of him, already looking up at the pit’s edge.
His hand meet the edge of the pit. “It’s high.”
Too high for me.
His hands move to his hip, eyes scanning, calculating. “I could get out alone.”
The words land heavier than they should.
Alone.
Everything feels cold again. “Ah…then you should,” I say stiff, trying to force confidence.
+25 Bonus
Because he’s right. The climb would be brutal even alone–claws, strength, sheer stubborn will–but he could do it. I know he could. He’d be gone for hours though to get help. And I’d be here.
Again. Back in the damn pit I fought so hard to avoid.
The cold was already creeping in, seeping through my ripped clothes.
“I’ll be fine,” I say quickly. “Seriously, you should go. Get help.”
He glance back at me.
“Yeah. No.”
“Dominic-”
“You won’t last the night.
I tilt my head to the stone. “You don’t know that.”
His jaw tightens. “Are we fighting again? This feels like a fight.”
“Not a fight,” I add. “Discussion.”
“Sure,” he said making his way back to me, stride long and powerful. “Let’s discuss how your ankle’s barely holding and you’re already shaking without me”
“I’m cold,” I snap. “That doesn’t mean I’m helpless.”
“You fell twice,” he says flatly, crouching slow infront of me, elbows to his knees. “Both meant for death. That’s already too
many.’
“Someone built this one,” I fire back. “So not my fault.”
“Still fell.”
“Well, I’m alive?”
“Thanks to me,” his voice softed. “And you’re healer do-hickys.”
My brow raised. “Bandage?”
“Never needed em,” He deadpanned. “Ellie, the point is-”
“Don’t use that tone.”
His brow laced. “What tone? This is my voice.”
“No,” I scoffed. “That’s the one I told you not the use. The one you use when you pretend to care.”
He leans in, so close I can feel his breath “You really think I’d go this far over a joke?”
My head turtles into my jacket, but my voice stays sharp. “I don’t know you, Dom. I don’t know why you’re here.”
It’s silent. For a but too long.
“Ouch,” he said after a moment, hand snapping in thought like he’s already decided. “Well I’m not spelling it out because you’re too dull to get it. I’m staying, end of point.”
I glare. “Did you just call me dull? It’s not my fault you’ve lied to me!”
“Are you done yelling?”
“It’s a discussion!”
3.2
Chapter 101
+25 Bonus
He give me a look like some stubborn dog, his sharp K9’s flickering in the moonlight.
“We’re done debating.”
“You don’t-”
“Yes, I do.” His voice drops. “I’m making the call Ellie. Hate me for it.”
I open my mouth to argue again when he suddenly stand.
Another shiver tears through me, harder this time.
He rubs a hand over his face, frustration cutting deep. “I’m not leaving you,” he says, looking up again. “But I can make this better.”
Before I can ask what he means, he steps back and shifts again–fur tearing through fabric as his form reshapes. He crouches, then leaps, claws biting into the dirt as he scrambles up the pit wall.
“Cover your face,” he calls down. “And get the matches ready.”
I do, just in time to avoid a shower of loose soil and pebbles raining down as he hauls himself out.
He’s coming back with wood. For a fire.
I lower my hands slowly, staring up at the dark circle of sky above me.
Once again, I find myself trapped.
With him.
Overnight.
Again.
Only this time, I’m not drugged, and there’s no one to open the gym door.
My hand slips into my bag for the matches.
This is going ot be a long night.
COIN BUNDLE: get more free bonus
Comments
Support
Share
