We hit the falling steel table mid-air, the dark wind screaming past my ears as we plunged straight into the open utility shaft.
Ethan’s arms locked around my ribs like heavy iron bars. He didn't just hold me—he used his own legs to lock around my hips, shifting his position in mid-fall so his back faced the darkness below. He turned his entire body into a shield, taking the brutal, bone-crushing brunt of every piece of falling concrete that chased us down the chute.
"I've got you!" he roared, the sound buried under the deafening rumble of collapsing metal.
We slammed three floors down into a flooded subterranean catacomb. The impact hit like a brick wall, knocking every drop of air straight out of my lungs. Freezing black water swallowed us whole, dragging us down into total darkness.
