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He scrambled up, dislodging rocks and slipping in his haste. Stones tore at his hands and arms, but he didn’t care. Time was ticking away, and so were Kat’s chances of surviving. He had to act fast.
He grabbed the rocks and began throwing them down, rapidly widening the hole. The air that rushed out of the tunnel was thick and cold and filled with fear. Or maybe it was his own fear he could smell. His gut churned, and the thought that he might already be too late made his hands shake.
He kept working, shifting a rock, throwing it down, then grabbing another and repeating the process. Over and over, until his arms and back ached and sweat stung his eyes. Water lapped at the widened hole. He climbed a little higher and leaned into the damp darkness.
“Kat?”
His urgent whisper seemed to echo through the darkness. She didn’t answer. The steady rush of water was the only sound to be heard.
He swore and grabbed another rock, thrusting it past his feet. A tremor ran through the rocks, then the whole pile shifted and slipped forward, as if the pressure of the water behind it had became too much. He froze for a second, every muscle tensed as he listened to the groaning. The wall shifted again, this time more noticeably. It was going to collapse … He jumped down and ran like hell.
There was a rumble of sound, like that of an express train bearing down on him, then a surge of water and rock swept him off his feet. He hit the ground with a grunt and was sent tumbling forward, tossed and turned as easily as the boulders that rained around him.
He slithered into a cavern wall, pain blooming up his side. He cursed, but braced himself against the wall and rose. The wall of rock was all but gone, the water rushing down the other tunnel. He couldn’t see Kat anywhere.
Pushing away the rising sense of panic, he ran back to the wall and climbed over the few stones that remained. That was when he saw her. She was facedown in the remaining puddle of water, wedged up against the wall.
He grabbed her, pulled her onto dryer ground, and turned her over. She wasn’t breathing, and her lips were blue. Panic surged, and he took a deep breath, trying to calm down. He knew CPR. He’d done it successfully more than once.
Only this was the first time it had really mattered. This was the first time he was trying to save someone he cared about. He pushed her onto her side, then opened her mouth and checked for obstructions. None.
He began resuscitation. Fear was a knife digging deep into his heart. He didn’t want to lose her—not now, not like this. Not ever.
And that one thought filled him with as much fear as the thought of not being able to revive her. But he thrust the fear aside and concentrated on breathing for them both, on willing her back.
For what seemed like ages, nothing happened. He continued CPR and hung on to hope. Then she shuddered and coughed. Water spewed from her mouth. Relief surged, so strong it left him trembling. He thrust her onto her side, holding her while she vomited the rest of the water from her stomach.
“God,” she murmured. “I feel like I’ve been sitting in a freezer for a week.”
Her teeth were chattering so hard he could barely make out what she was saying. “Are you hurt anywhere else?”
She shook her head and coughed weakly. “What in hell happened to the magic barrier?”
“The
mara came down the tunnel not long after you’d left and took it down. She and the zombies moved the kids to higher ground.”
Her gaze met his. The fear still lingering in the green depths of her eyes stabbed through his heart. He ran his hand down her cheek and brushed a thumb across her cold lips. Lips he ached to kiss. “You up to walking?”
“I think so.”
“Good. We have to get you back to the cabin where it’s warm.”
“We can’t. Not until we get those two kids.”
He rose, then took her hand and pulled her upright. She hissed, and pain flitted through her pretty eyes. He wrapped his arms around her waist and held her close. She was wet and cold, and he wanted her so fiercely his whole body ached.
“You look like something the cat coughed up,” he said softly. “I don’t think rescuing anyone is really an option right now.”
A cheeky smile touched her lips. “So that’s a stake in your pocket and not an indication that you might be exaggerating just a little about how bad I look?”
He grinned. “It’s no stake, and I’m not exaggerating. And I think I’d want you no matter how horrible you looked.”
She raised an eyebrow. “The heat of the moon has a lot to answer for, huh?”
“Maybe.” But it wasn’t the moon surging through his veins right now. It was her presence. Her closeness. He brushed a kiss across her lips and resisted the temptation to do anything more. Now was definitely not the time.
He stepped away. “You’re shivering with cold and barely able to stand. There are at least three zombies guarding the kids, and the mara’s with them. I think it’s safer to wait until tonight.”
