11. Free falling
1012 Words
Maxson
I take my hand away from M, wrapping my arm around Sophia’s shoulders to hold her closer to me. I can pretend and say it’s because I want to make her feel secure here. But really, it’s because I can’t keep my hands off her.
She’s such a warm, compassionate partner in what could be a terrible time. She hasn’t complained about being here and tackles every day with hope. If we do ever get out of here, she’ll make an amazing leader.
We’ve been in here for so long I’ve lost count, but I feel like we’ve really gotten closer during it all. I can’t tell if it’s been days or weeks of just us two, so having someone here with us feels somewhat intrusive.
Still, I’m not about to say or do anything that might upset the one other being we’ve met in here. I can’t tell exactly what he is, but I’m too afraid to ask. I need to hold onto the hope that we’re going to get out of here if I don’t want to go crazy. And meeting M, who already seems to know what power we have, is a sign. He may not be the golden Adonis, but he’s the one shot I have. Besides, I’m not in any position to deny help right now.
“Let’s get moving. We don’t want anyone else to find us.”
“There’s more here?”
Her voice trembles as M starts walking us through the empty land. It seemed too good to be true that we were all alone.
“They’ve left you alone.”
“Why?”
M stops, and we almost collide with him as he turns around, his previously even voice much harsher, like a teacher scolding a student for not paying attention.
“Do you care why? Truly? Or do you want to keep moving so I can show you the way out? There’s a thinning here, and you need to exploit it to push yourself out. It’s how you got in, and it won’t stay open forever.”
Sophia goes to open her mouth, but I link her instead.
“Let’s just follow him before asking any other questions.
“I don’t trust him. Why won’t he show us his face?”
“Maybe he’s deformed. It’s not our place to judge.”
“You’re so sweet, Ax.”
“So, we’re set on Ax?”
“Yeah. Everyone calls you Maxson or Max. I want something special.”
“I love it.”
How can I not love it? It came out of her mouth so smoothly, and she could call me anything she wants.
I squeeze her shoulder once more before letting go and only hold her hand so we can walk faster and keep up with M. He doesn’t have the light illuminating his path like we do, and I don’t want to risk losing him if he leaves ours.
It seems like it’s been hours, and my legs are starting to get tired. But I can’t deny that the air around here feels different than anywhere we’ve been. It’s thinner, like there’s less oxygen, and we have to breathe harder just to survive.
I roll my shoulders, trying to relax, when suddenly M stops. He points down, and when we step closer and look over it, I realize it’s the edge of a cliff. We can’t see the ground, but I don’t want to find out how far down it goes.
“Shift and fly through together. Your dragons should be able to protect you.”
I look down again and feel Sophia grip my arm.
“Wait.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Do we trust this man? I mean, who knows what could be down there, waiting for us!”
“Whatever it is, we’ll handle it.”
She squeezes my hand, staring up at me as her lips part. Her chest moves rapidly as she breathes heavily. Her tongue darts out, wetting her lips, and I tear my eyes away to look up at her.
She looks down at the hole below, then back at me.
“What if we die?”
She shakes her head, looking down at the pit below us. But I can’t risk not getting through. I’m willing to try anything to get her out of here.
“I don’t want to die without…”
She trails off as her eyes come up to meet mine. I look down at her soft lips as she leaves her mouth slightly open. I can imagine what she’s going to say. The only intimacy we’ve had is holding hands. It’s not very romantic in here. But she’s my mate, and I haven’t even kissed her yet. We can’t die without at least a kiss.
So I lean over, gently lifting her chin. I’m relieved as she leans in, knowing I’ve made the right move as I start to close the distance between us. I don’t know why it took up until now to try this, but knowing we might not make it out together makes it necessary.
Before I can press my lips to hers, I feel a hand on my shoulder, shoving me over. My eyes snap open, and we stare at each other. Sophia’s eyes are wide as she looks behind me, our footing gone and the light growing brighter. I can feel M on my back as we fall, his voice booming around us. Did he push us? Really man?
“It’s closing! You have to shift!”
I let Avian take control, watching as Auriel's eyes replaced Sophia’s just in time to float through the white space that replaces the pure blackness we had before. Our bodies right themselves as we fly down faster, seeing nothing but whiteness.
I manage to glance behind me, no longer seeing M. I’m not sure if I’m relieved by that or if I feel bad that he sacrificed himself for us.
I guess I’ll have to decide when I see what happens to us.
- Writer
