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My mind races—a torrent of guilt, anger, and sorrow.
How did it come to this?
The pursuit of an intruder, a threat to my secrecy, has turned into a nightmare. I never intended for Tia to be in harm’s way, and now the consequences of my actions loom over me like a specter.
Frantically, I scan the rocky terrain below, hoping against hope to catch a glimpse of her. The world narrows to the edges of the cliff, the abyss mocking me with its emptiness. Suspended between dread and denial, I’m unwilling to accept the truth.
The echoes of Tia’s scream linger in the air, haunting me. As I kneel there, on the edge of a precipice, I grapple with a terrible realization that, despite my stubborn refusal to accept the marriage I was forced into, I care about Tia.
She’s wormed her way into my heart despite my determination to hate her family—and her by proxy.
I held a treasure in my hands, just as her father claimed.
She was mine for the span of one perfect moment.
And now she’s gone.
24
TIA
“Tia!”
Leo’s voice echoes from the cliff edge above, seeming to snap me out of my stunned state. Was I unconscious for a moment after hitting the cliff wall? The memory is fragmented, a blur of impact and disorientation.
I can’t seem to find the air to answer him. I hit the side of the cliff with such force that it knocked the wind out of me completely, and now I dangle upside down, the blood rushing to my head and making it nearly impossible to catch my breath.
By some twist of fate or the watchful eyes of a guardian angel, when I turned to the sound of Leo’s voice, my foot snagged in the roots of a long-dead tree. A tree that I see now, as it hangs over the edge of the cliff beside me.
I don’t know if Leo called my name during the chase because he knew about the cliff and wanted to warn me or if he was just determined to catch up to me. And right now, I’m not sure I care. Because the fact that he got me to turn probably saved my life.
Trying to orient myself, I glance at the world below my head and instantly feel as though I’m going to throw up. A wave of vertigo hits me with alarming force, making the world spin and dip in a dizzying dance. Fresh panic surges through me as I realize just how far beneath me solid ground is.
I must be suspended over a hundred feet in the air, with nothing but a few roots securing me to the crumbling rocks of the cliffside. Forcing my eyes away from the terrifying sight far below, I look up at the rotting tree roots.
My tennie-clad foot is thoroughly tangled in them. As I sway in the breeze, a small shower of pebbles crumble away from the wall, tumbling down on me and coating me with gray dust.
Agony throbs in my leg, and I bite down on my lip to stifle a cry. My ankle appears to be an unwilling sacrifice I exchanged for my life. It’s likely what took the brunt of my weight to stop me from plummeting to my death. And now it’s buckling under the strain of holding me.
Beyond the roots of the tree, an overhang obscures the top of the cliff, leaving me stranded in a suspended reality. I have no clue how far I fell. And I shudder at the uncertainty of what it might take to find my way to safety.
“Tia!” Leo’s voice is like a lifeline above.
His shout slices through my terror, and I can’t help but feel a surge of relief. He’s still looking for me. With a shaky voice, I call, “I’m down here!”
I hear shuffling, as if he’s trying to find me from where he stands, but I’m too well hidden.
“How secure are you?”
“I’m stuck. My foot got caught in a tree root, so I’m just… hanging. Upside down. Please help me, Leo,” I beg.
Tears sting my eyes as I realize it might be in his best interest to just leave me here to fall to my death. After all, he was likely chasing me with the intent to kill me in the first place. And the pause that follows makes me wonder if the same thought doesn’t cross his mind.
“Hold on. We’ll get you out of there.”
His tone is sincere, his concern real, and I try to breathe to calm myself. Maybe I’m letting my imagination get the best of me. Gritting my teeth, I try to ignore the pain in my leg. Blood pounds in my ears, making my head feel painfully heavy as it clouds my thoughts.
A moment later, a torrent of curses comes to me from above.
