Page 7 of Whispers of Ruin
Kaylia held her hands over her head as the dozen or so creatures gave one last huffing breath and turned away. Their feet thudded against the ground and vibrated the white sea as they retreated up the hill and into the jungle.
Once they were gone, Kaylia’s shoulders sagged a little, but she kept her hands over her head as she struggled to move through the thick, white goo. Releasing the shadows cloaking him, Brokk revealed himself as he swung back over her.
Kaylia squeaked and leaned away from him before righting herself. While doing so, she sank deeper into the muck.
“How long have you been there?” she demanded.
“Not long. Are you okay?”
“I’m alive; how about you?”
“Same.”
“Where did those things go?”
“Back up the hill.”
“Good. They were assholes.”
Brokk chuckled as the vine slowed its swinging. “They were.”
“What about the others?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t seen or heard any of them, and in the end, those creatures were all focused on you. One or two of them might have gotten away, but I think they’re all dead. We can look after we get you out of there.”
He scooted further down the vine and ensured his legs were latched securely around it before releasing it. He fell, so he was bent backward, and his arms dangled over his head.
His pack shifted so it pressed against the back of his head and shoulders but remained secured to him. Kaylia stretched her fingers toward him, but the second she moved, the substance tugged at her, pulling her further down.
A small whimper escaped before she suppressed it and stubbornly lifted her chin. Her fingers strained toward him, and he stretched further until he bent his back into an angle it did not appreciate.
Frustration filled him as their fingertips brushed a few times, but he couldn’t connect more than that. Gritting his teeth, he strained further until something cracked in his back, but he refused to lose her.
CHAPTERTEN
Their fingers brushed…so close.An electric thrill ran through him at the sensation of her skin. It was unexpected and unfamiliar, but it shot from his fingers to his toes.
He stretched a little further, pushing his body to the limit.Almost there. Almost there.Only centimeters away, he could almost feel her skin again and the reaction it incited in him.
Another skim of fingers, his muscles ached from being pushed to their limits, but just when he thought this would never work, they closed the distance enough for her fingers to grasp his broken hand.
Brokk didn’t make a sound as his bones scraped together and shifted beneath her hand. If she knew she was hurting him, she might let go, and he’d never get his hands on her again.
The muscles in his arm strained as he managed to pull her up enough to reach her with his other hand. Finally getting a good grip, he clasped her arm in both of his and groaned as he worked to pull her from the mire. The more he pulled, the more it sucked at her until her arm slipped a little.
“It’s not letting go,” she whispered.
The fear in her pewter eyes did something strange to him. Heloathedher distress and would do anything to ease it, but the more he pulled at her, the more the white sea tried to drag her into its thick depths.
Brokk’s shoulder felt like it was about to rip free of its joint as he strained to pull her up while that shit tugged at her, nearly ripping her free of his hold.
He was half vampire and half dark fae; neither species possessed the strength of a lycan, but they were far from weak. He should have been able to free her but was failing.
Her fingers bit into his arm and raked through his skin, but he didn’t feel it. Her lower lip trembled when she met his gaze, and the desperation in them caused his fangs to lengthen as helpless fury filled him.
He understood why those monsters hadn’t followed her into this. They knew better.
“What about a spell?” he inquired through his teeth.
