AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Probably. Okay, I’m going to check out this cave.
Good luck.
She entered, and I kept a lookout, ready to rush to her aid if needed. A minute later, she came out shaking her head. Well, she hadn’t found Chris, but she hadn’t been eaten alive by anything either.
We checked in with Grace and the others as we plodded on. Sylee wasn’t doing as well as we’d hoped. They’d found a cave to wait in. The babies were doing well.
My stomach had begun to grumble hours ago. Now, the sun had begun to set. Sophie and I met up and decided to search together in the dark. We’d need to take cover in a cave soon since we couldn’t see in the darkness.
I lifted my nose into the air as the breeze blew. Sophie followed my action and looked at me.
“Is that blood?” She sniffed again. “I wouldn’t have noticed it before, but since becoming a blood-drinking Elemental, I’ve noticed the scent of blood is stronger.”
Another sniff later, Sophie moaned. What was that about? It was metallic and not at all appealing. Not like Adam’s was.
“Doesn’t that smell good?” Her eyes popped open. “Chris!”
When she darted forward, I reached out and grabbed her arm. Her eyes were wild when she looked back at me.
“Slow down, Sophie. Let’s take this slow and check out the situation. For all we know, Chris is in danger and needs us to keep our heads on.”
Sophie nodded and breathed in a few calming breaths. “Okay, let’s do this smart and safe.”
With a nod, we moved forward. Around a bend and an outcropping of rock we had to shimmy around without falling—most terrifying moment of my life—we found a cave. Blood, fresh blood, left a trail of drops into the cave.
The inside of the cavern was dark. Someone breathed heavily.
“If you’re here to kill me, just get it over with.” Chris sounded weak and in pain. His groan didn’t improve his image in my mind.
“Chris?” Sophie’s voice broke, and she moved forward, slowly since she couldn’t see her mate.
“Sophie? What are you doing here? You shouldn’t be walking around the Ridge. It’s dangerous. The beasts will find us.” Chris was a mixture of relieved and angry.
“Well, I can just leave you here bleeding to death if that’s what you want.” Sophie wouldn’t do that, but she’d made her point to him.
Light appeared further into the cave. When we moved closer, my mouth dropped open with a popping sound. Chris sat at the back with lightning flashing between his hands so fast the movement made me dizzy.
The man looked horrible. His clothes were shredded and bloody, and dark circles were under his eyes.
“Here, let me give you some energy.” Sophie knelt down to hug him. “Do you think you could jump us to the other girls? Or out of the Ridge?”
Chris looked between Sophie and I. “I could take us out, but I’m not sure I could take Brynn with us.”
Sophie’s hopeful look fell. “Okay, well, we’ll get out of here in the morning then.”
Chris shook his head. “No, Sophie, you need to get out now. Those beasts will be here any minute.”
Great. Just great.
“Okay, Sophie, give Chris energy and get him out of here. We’ll tell the other girls to get out of the Ridge as soon as they can. I’ll be right behind you.” Chris and Sophie both opened their mouths to object, but I held up my hands. “We can’t afford to lose you, Chris, and I can get out of here.”
“Adam will kill me if something happens to you.” Chris looked resigned. “The last time I allowed one of you girls to leave without me, Jazz was taken prisoner and almost killed by Vampires.”
Well, that wasn’t a pleasant thought when I was trying to be brave.
“Doesn’t matter. Get out of here, and I’ll be out in a bit.”
Chris sighed. “You need to leave now, then. This will be bright, and the smell will be alerting the creatures to our location. I need you far away when we go.”
