sat off to one side, and Jason heard the whoops of laughter as the others slid down it.
As soon as he pushed off from the top, he sped around the bends far faster than he’d been expecting, and the slide shot him out at the bottom in a jumble of limbs.
“Alright?” Nathan’s strong hands helped him up of the floor, and Jason shook off the slight dizziness.
“Yeah, thanks.” He brushed the bits of dirt and leaves from his jeans and blew out a breath.
“Shit, that was quick.”
Nathan laughed. “At least you didn’t fly out of there and land face first.” He pointed to where Tasha was wiping blood off her cheek.
“You okay, Tash?” Jason started to walk over to her, but she waved him away.
“Yeah, I’m fine. It’s already healing. Come on,” she said, pointing ahead. “We need to catch up to Jenn.”
They jogged through the trees out into the clearing surrounding the next obstacle—the water one.
The rope was only accessible from up in the tree. Jason assumed one of the alphas had put it back there after Jenn’s team had gone through, judging by the scents around it. But there was no sign of them now.
Climbing the tree was easy enough, the space a little cramped when they got to where the rope was. Tasha reached for it first, eyeing the water with distaste. “Reckon you can swing across without ending up in that?” She shot Jason a glance, eyebrow raised.
He hummed, trying to gauge the distance. “Maybe if you let go at the right time, with enough momentum . . .”
She huffed and rolled her eyes. “Well, obviously.” Grabbing the rope with both hands, she backed up as far as she could go, then sprinted towards the edge and leapt. The rope attached to cables running above the trees, easily taking Tasha’s weight, and she soared through the air, letting go just before she reached the peak.
Holding his breath, he watched her fly towards the opposite side of the water and the safety of the artificial bank.
“Motherfuck—” Water swallowed her words, and she missed by inches and slid under the surface for a moment. Spluttering curses, Tasha swam over to the ladder off to one side and climbed out. She gave Jason a thumbs up and he motioned for Nathan to go next.
He ended up in the water, too.
As did Simon.
Jason took the rope, already resigned to ending up soaking wet.
He took his run up like the others, flew through the air, and let go.
As soon as the rope left his hands he knew he was in trouble. Instead of dropping feet first, he’d let go that little bit later or not stretched his legs out fast enough, and he was headed towards the bank arse first. And he realised, unlike the others, he was going to miss the water completely.
As the artificial bank rushed towards him, Jason managed to get his legs out in front of him, but he hit the solid surface too fast and at the wrong angle. The sickening crack rang out, accompanied by Jason’s cry.
Bollocks.
He came to a stop, chest rising and falling rapidly as he sucked in air.
Nathan was the first to reach him. “Shit, Jase. You okay?” He shot a quick glance down at Jason’s leg and winced. “Sorry. Stupid question.”
Careful not to move his leg, Jason flexed everything else, checking for damage. “It’s just my
leg.” He sighed in frustration. “For fuck’s sake.”
The rest of his team helped him down onto the ground, and a moment later Alpha Jones joined them.
He examined Jason’s leg, gently ripping away his trousers around the calf. “It’s not the first break I’ve seen on that particular obstacle.” He shot Jason a smile. “But possibly one of the more spectacular ones.”
“Thanks,” Jason grunted, biting back a hiss.
“It’s a clean break. Shouldn’t take long to heal once I set it.” He didn’t give Jason any time to prepare, just gripped his leg and quickly set the bone in the correct position.”
