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“Catch me if you can, Madd,” I tease, pushing away from him and taking off running for the lift in a dead sprint.
I hear his laugh floating on the breeze as he follows after me, the heavy thud of his footsteps in the snow echoing behind me.
He catches me right when I get to the base of the lift, looping his arms around my waist and yanking me back into his chest. “What’d I tell you about running from me,” he growls in my ear, sending a shiver skittering up my spine.
“That you’ll always catch me,” I pant breathlessly.
“Damn right.” He lets me go, landing a sharp swat on my ass that makes me yelp.
I spin around, pinning him with a glare, but Madd just grins back at me with that blazing heat in his eyes that makes me melt every time.
He tips his head toward the lift. “Ready to take a ride, Dutch?”
“So ready,” I breathe.
He steps closer and slings an arm around my shoulders, walking me to the pickup point at the base of the lift.
My heart pounds as we stand side by side, watching over our shoulders as the next bench completes its descent, whirling around and coming up behind us. It moves closer until it’s nudging the backs of our calves, and I squeal as I flop down onto it beside Madd, our feet leaving the ground as it starts to take us up.
He scooches closer, throwing his arm over my shoulders again and tucking me into his side.
“So do you like it?” he asks, beaming down at me.
“I love it. And I loveyou.” I snuggle against him, blowing out a contented sigh as we’re lifted higher in the air, the snowy landscape of the forest in winter widening before our eyes. “Thank you for this. Best half birthday present ever.”
The lift continues its ascent as we sit together in blissful silence, taking in the view of the territory, the mountains, and beyond. It’s more gorgeous than I imagined, and I’m completely captivated by the scene. Everything about this moment is perfection…
Until the lift suddenly jerks, our bench coming to an abrupt halt. It swings on the cable and I’m pitched forward, my ass sliding off the seat and a scream tearing from my throat as I feel myself falling. Then I’m yanked up, strong hands wrapping around my arm and holding on tight.
“I’ve got you!” Madd yells, and I snap my head up, our eyes meeting as I dangle from his grasp over the thirty-foot drop. His own are rounded in terror, panic written all over his face.
“Madd!” I whimper.
“C’mon!” he grits out as he braces himself on the bench and starts to pull. “Grab on with your other hand!”
I reach up, fingers brushing the aluminum edge of the bench seat as he starts to haul me back onto it.
Then it suddenly jerks again, starting back up.
His hands slip.
And I’m falling…
My screams wake me up from the dream, the bedsheets sticking to my sweat-slick skin. My heart pounds, breath coming out in short pants as my adrenaline surges from the assault of memories.
I’ve dreamed about the accident before, but never likethat. The dream I just woke from was so vivid, like I was actually there, reliving every horrific moment again. I swear I can still feel the bite of the cold air on my skin and the ghost of Madd’s hands gripping onto my arm.
It felt like more than a dream.
A…vision?
My mom has had visions of the past- it stands to reason that if I did inherit her gift, I might have them too. And I had that dream about the wolves in Denver…
I climb out of bed and try to shake off the sick feeling curling in my gut, but reliving one of the worst moments of my life in such vivid detail has my stomach in knots. My forehead throbs, and I shudder a harsh breath as I trail my fingertips over the scar there, tracing it down to my temple.
At least it wasn’t the middle of the night this time. Daylight is spilling in through the cracks in the blinds as I glance over at the clock on the nightstand, realizing that I only beat my alarm by ten minutes. If I’d had that unsettling dream in the middle of the night, there’s no way I would’ve been able to get back to sleep. As it is, now I’ve just got a few extra minutes to get ready before training with the squad today.
It’s the first day of firearms training, and Lo and Avery suggested that I take part, too, since I’m angling to claim my spot as a squad leader. I have no idea how Madd’s going to feel about that, but I can’t find it in myself to care after the kiss-and-run incident on the roof yesterday. I’m done walking on eggshells around him after that nonsense.
