Page 35 of Shadowed Bond

Then the ground gives, and we’re falling. I barely manage to shield her, wrapping my arms around her as we hit the floor on impact, just as the first heavy piece slams into my shoulder.

Pain explodes across my back, but I hold her tighter.

Another huge boulder slams into my back, but I keep my arms locked, my body covering hers, my power screaming through my skull. We remain there in that position until everything stops moving. Only then does she look up at me, her hand still fisting my shirt. Her eyes locked on mine.

I rest my forearm on the ground above her head, protecting her from anything that gets past my barrier.

The rumbling around us subsides, but I can’t move; my head is spinning, my power feels like it’s sinking through my hands, and Charlotte is looking up at me as if she can see every thought I am trying not to have.

The rubble shifts above us, and I brace harder, my arm beside her head trembling once before I force it steady.

“You protected me…” she murmurs, more to herself than me, and I hate the way she says it, like it means something more than basic fucking survival.

“As the one in charge, that’s my duty,” I say despite the weight of rock on my back.

“You’re not in charge,” she whispers, releasing my shirt and locking her arm around my neck instead, and I feel her power – weak but there – and then the weight is being lifted off my back, and I realise she’s lifting away the rocks, each one making the ground shake as it falls to the ground.

Her eyes sharpen. “Can you move?” she asks quietly. When I don’t answer, she speaks again. “Ares?”

“I’m fine,” I mutter, trying to push past whatever was crushing my legs. One glance around shows we are surrounded by rocks. There’s no water, just a steady drip from somewhere above.

The tunnel has sealed around us, and with a sinking stomach, I realise we are trapped.

Fuck.

But right now I can’t let that cloud my mind. I focus on Charlotte instead; she’s still beneath me, removing the rocks that are piled high above my barrier. My wolf is at the forefront of my mind, protective of the she-wolf beneath me. I let out a growl as I keep my barrier holding the weight of the rocks.

“Almost there,” she murmurs, her power glowing faintly as she removes more of the large boulders that are crushing me. Then she falters and coughs. I freeze when the coppery smell of blood reaches my nose, and I look down sharply to see blood trickling from the corner of her mouth.

“Charlotte?” I ask, my eyes sharpening as her eyelids flutter weakly. “Are you hurt?”

“No.”

Liar.

“Stay with me, Princess,” I mutter, gritting my teeth as I force my barrier to push off the rest of the rocks with one large snarl that rings through the air. “Fuck!” I hiss in pain.

“Ares?” she asks, her voice weaker now, but still determined.

Her eyes hold mine for a fleeting moment, soft grey rimmed with long lashes, and despite everything – despite the cave-in and the poisoned water and the darkness pressing around us – her arms remain locked around me, like she has no intention of letting go.

I try to move, but there are still rocks trapping my fucking legs.

“I’ll get us outta here. Just hold on, stay with me,” I say.

“I’m here,” she whispers.

Breaking Free

Charlotte

My eyes snap open, my heart hammering, as I look around the darkness. Did I black out?

I can feel the warm weight of Ares above me, the heat of his body far too close. His warm breath fans my neck in a way that makes goosebumps rise on my arms.

“Did I black out?” I ask hoarsely as I try to move, but every small brush makes me touch him, and I feel his arms tense at my side; his forehead is resting on the ground, and I realise the collapsed stone has trapped us.

“Don’t move,” Ares growls roughly, his tone making me still.