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My scream was swallowed by the rushing crash of rock and dust as the tunnel crumbled around us. I threw my arms up instinctively to cradle my head as my body dropped like a stone, debris thundering around me as my hip slammed into a slanted surface and I slid uncontrollably down into the darkness below. My feet hit solid ground a second later, the force sending me sprawling forwards, and an audible crack sounded as my right arm took the brunt of the fall. I cried out as pain shot through my wrist, pulling the injury into my chest and curling up into a tight ball as the last of the falling stone clattered around me.
“Cordelia!”
I groaned softly as everything fell still once more, dimly recognising the distant voice that called my name. Blinking fiercely to dislodge the dust from my eyes, I forced myself to slowly sit, gasping as the movement jolted my arm. Someone yelled my name again, the sound filtering down the narrow, jagged shaft that curved up and away from where I now sat. Panic thrummed down my bonds as they felt my pain from where they still stood in the original tunnel high above, the light that reached me now stretched and dim, leaving me mostly in shadow.
Only two bonds though, I realised with a start, the memory of Liam falling with me hitting me hard and fast. My bond with him was silent, and I pushed painfully to my knees as I frantically searched for any sign of him nearby, intuition still screaming at me to stay quiet even now.
Spotting a dark head poking out from a section of fallen rock, I held my injured arm close to my body as I began to awkwardly crawl across the rubble to get to him.
A sinister cackle made me freeze. Fighting the need to squeeze my eyes closed and hide, I slowly twisted my head towards the darker side of the space we had tumbled into, searching the gloom for the creature that had apparently tracked us down here. Heaving in a deep breath, I reached for my power, ready to cast another light orb to ward it away and give me a chance to get to Liam where he lay silent and vulnerable. The creature knew my defences now though, and a black, claw-tipped shadow wrapped around my ankle before I could move a finger to draw on my magic, yanking me deeper into the darkness with a shrill scream.
My reflexes kicked in without thought, a pulse of flame bursting from my good hand and arcing out into the darkness. I winced as the creature released a deafening screech, abruptly dropping my leg and halting my unwilling journey into the blackness.
Panting, I threw up my hand again and formed a ball of energy, surrounding myself in a circle of light. Pushing myself over, I rolled onto my belly with a grimace, gritting my teeth against the pain of my ankle and the throb in my arm as I restarted my crawl towards Liam. Sensing, rather than seeing, the creature approaching again, I threw another line of fire out behind me to deter it, swallowing down the desperate sob of terror that tried to overwhelm me.
My light flickered ominously as I cried out, my knee slicing open on a sharp edge and disrupting my focus, giving the creature its chance. My power winked out as it took control, darkness surrounding me as I felt razor-sharp claws slice smoothly into my gut. I screamed as my skin tore, hot blood soaking my shirt and skin as a horrifying, rasping laugh echoed in my ears.
Darkness pressed in, seeming to seep into every pore of my skin as I choked on the blood pushing up my throat. Hooking its claws deeper into my body, I grunted in pain as the thing that held me pulled me closer, its rank breath invading my lungs.
“DIE,” it hissed, sending hot tears of agony and fear running down my cheeks.
My heart stuttered in my chest as the cool touch of death began to creep over my skin, my thoughts fleeing to my mates nearby as my mind dimly acknowledged that, this time, I wouldn’t be waking up to find it was all a dream.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Noah
Istumbledbackasthe world violently shook, trying to catch my balance as a loud crack echoed around us. Zeke grabbed my arm and kept us both on our feet as the tunnel floor ahead crumbled away.
There was no time to do anything as we watched Liam and Cordelia fall. Her hair flew up as her body plummeted into the gaping hole that opened up under their feet, the sound of tumbling rocks drowning out her scream.
I felt it though. Her fear pounded down the bond as she disappeared in a cloud of dust.
“Cordy!”
Zeke ran forward as he yelled for her, grinding to a halt at the edge of the crack. Debris still rained down the shaft, the broken, unstable stone around the ledge forcing us to hang back.
My wolf pushed at the inside of my skin as he panicked, wanting to track our mate. Needing to protect her against whatever the hell that thing was. A shudder tracked down my spine as I searched the tunnel for any signs of the dark monster that had been set loose on us. The thing was horrifying, a creature made of evil and darkness. I was grateful that Cor’s glowing lights still hung above our heads to ward it off.
“We should shift,” I muttered. “We’re faster in wolf skin.”
Zeke shook his head as he stared down into the fissure. “It’s too narrow, we won’t fit. We need to climb down first.”
My wolf growled inside my mind, pushing harder for freedom, but I wrestled him back. Roughly five feet of tunnel floor had collapsed, but the gap narrowed as it arched down. There was no way our large wolves would squeeze through. Even if they somehow worked out how to climb.
The light from above dimly filled the shaft, pooling at the bottom before the rough passage disappeared into the shadows. There was no sign of Cor or Liam, though I could feel that she was awake and in pain.
“Cordelia!” Zeke called, making me frown.
“I’m not sure yelling is the best plan, dude,” I cautioned, instinct telling me that the creature was still nearby.
A spike of intense pain flooded down my mate bond, making my heart stutter in alarm.
“Cordelia!” Zeke shouted again, leaning out over the gap as he felt her pain too.
I clamped a hand on his shoulder as the pressure of his weight cracked the edge of the rock, a chunk falling away as I tugged him back to safety again.
“Shit,” he muttered, running a shaking hand over his face.
