Falling Sky [Haven Ranch 3]

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 2

Emry couldn't remember ever being so cold in his entire life. He was a dingo shifter for f**k’s sake. Shifters didn't get cold, but I guess laying in ten feet of snow might do that to anyone. The snow was falling and Emry was trying to get his bearings. Trying to remember what in the hell happened.

"Emry! Sky! Call out if you hear me!" Hardy yelled.

Emry did his best to sit up, shouting out, "Here! I'm over here!"

Seeing Hardy rushing towards him looking sexy as ever had Emry's c**k start to harden, cold or not. Hell, Hardy always made Emry hard. With his six-foot height, two hundred pounds of pure muscles and that long black hair with blond streaks rippling through the air, would have any man or woman feeling needy and lustful. However, it was his golden eyes that could draw a person in like a moth to a flame and Emry could feel his wings fluttering. The problem with that was,

when the moth goes too close to that flame, it usually burns up and dies. Right about now, Emry was feeling the singe.

Hardy dropped down, and started rubbing Emry's arms, causing familiar tingles to run

throughout Emry's body, "We need to find Sky and a warm spot to huddle down until we can figure out what the hell is going on."

Emry snorted as he pushed off Hardy and stood up, "I think it's quite obvious what's going on.

We're being punished because we suck as mates."

Hardy stood up, "Emry, I know things have been difficult, but I'm trying. Sky just...he just..."

"This isn't all about Sky, Hardy. You play a big role in all this as well." Emry replied as he lifted his head yelling, "Sky! Sky!"

Emry heard a faint sound to his left and started rushing that way. Hardy followed, saying, "I don't know what to do, Emry. I try talking to him and he finds a reason to hate anything and everything I say. He keeps putting himself in situations that could get him killed. I'm just trying to keep him safe."

"You are trying to do what everyone in his life has done to him, Hardy." Emry replied, then yelled out, "Sky! Sky!"

Another faint sound came from a few yards ahead. Emry made his way towards it. Hardy

grabbed him by the arm, saying, "What are you talking about, Emry? I have only tried to keep him safe."

Shaking his head, Emry replied, "No, you tell him what to do, when to do it, and how to get it done. You don't ask him his thoughts on the subject. you just give him an order and expect him to blindly follow. That is exactly what he went through for the first eighteen years of his life.

Now he has true independence, and I don't know if you noticed this or not, but he is taking that by the reigns and racing to the finish line. Now, you can either start hearing Sky out, or we are

seriously going to lose our mate, if we haven't already. I don't know about you, but I seriously want Sky in my life."

"Emry! Emry! Help!" Sky yelled out.

Emry looked up and saw Sky dangling from a branch by his shirt. A slight wind blew and the

branch bobbed up and down, making Sky slip down an inch, "Emry, I'm going to fall!"

"No, Sky. I swear you're going to be all right. I'm coming up there. Just be still, baby." Emry yelled out.

Just as Emry went to climb, Hardy said, "Let me shift. It will be easier to get to him, and I can bring him down."

Nodding, Emry yelled up, "Hardy's going to shift and get you down, Sky. Just stay still and everything will be fine."

Sky stammered fearfully, "Yeah...okay...uh, no problem."

When Hardy didn't shift, Emry became anxious, "What in the hell, Hardy? Sky needs to get down from there now! Shift already."

Hardy ground his teeth, hissing, "I am trying! I can't f*****g shift!"

"What in the hell do you mean, you can't shift? I've seen you do it hundreds, if not thousands, of times." Emry argued.

Looking at Emry in frustration, Hardy replied, "I'm telling you, it's not working."

Emry heard something that sounded like a cracking noise and looked at where Sky was hanging.

The joint of the limb at the trunk was giving out. Between the weight of the snow and Sky and the wind bouncing it up and down, the f*****g thing was cracking.

"What the hell is taking Hardy so long? I don't think this limb is going to hold out much longer."

Sky asked.

Not wanting to lie to his mate, Emry settled on only the truth, "Hardy can't shift."

"What? Are you serious? He can't or he won't?" Sky yelled down.

Hardy growled, then shouted, "Honestly Sky, do you think I would let my mate hang there until a damn branch broke so he could fall to his death? Seriously? I can't f*****g shift! It has to do with Selene somehow."

Sky gasped, "She said we needed to step away from our safe zone and learn what it was going to be like if we didn't mate. Maybe part of that is taking our animals. I mean, the prophecy did say if my brothers and I didn't come together with our mates then the paranormal world would cease to exist."

Emry started climbing, "We can think about that all later. I'm coming up to get you."

"I'll go." Hardy said firmly.

Shaking his head, Emry replied, "No, you need to stay down here in case something happens. I may need to swing him down to you. Now, boost me to that first branch."

Hardy sighed, but bent down and cupped his hands. The snow was coming down harder so that

when Emry stepped into Hardy’s hand stirrup and looked up, he got an eye full of snowflakes.

Not being deterred from his goal, Emry climbed until he was almost to the branch Sky was

hanging on, "Hey there, handsome, fancy seeing you here."

"I just thought I'd hang around for a while and see the sights." Sky said with nervous laughter.

The branch Sky was on started to sway when another small breeze flowed through and Emry

could hear the branch cracking more than it already was. Sky slid down another inch and rapidly gasped and shut his eyes tight.

"It's going to be okay, baby, I'm gonna get you down from there, and when I do, you, me, and our stubborn ass mate are going to find a nice warm and cozy place, then talk everything out so we can come together as we were meant to be." Emry said as he looked for a place he could place his foot.

Sky slowly opened his eyes, whispering, "I don't know if we can fix this, Emry. I really like you.

I do, but Hardy and I may be long past our ability to come together."

Emry saw a smaller branch and hoped it would be enough to hold his weight so he could get to Sky and hopefully get the branch off of the man's shirt. Wanting to keep Sky calm, he figured talking was the best way to go, "Well now, I know that Hardy comes across brash and even rude sometimes, but honestly Sky, he only thinks he is keeping you safe. I'm not saying I agree with his tactics, but I know he is a good man. I've seen it, and if you ever get a chance to really watch him with the people in Haven, you'll see it, too."

While he had talked, Emry had made his way until he was practically doing a split on two

branches. He slowly took Sky's body in a little hug.

"Then why is he so mean to me, Emry? If he's so good to everyone out there, why is he always yelling at me?" Sky whispered as he rapidly closed his eyes again when Emry started working his shirt free from the branch.

"Fear. I think Hardy cares so much for you, he fears something happening to you." Emry softly said as he almost worked Sky's shirt free.

The branch swayed up and down more and more, and Emry could see he didn't have long before

the damn thing broke off, "Sky, I need you to wrap your arms around my neck. I almost have your shirt free, but this branch looks like it is ready to snap any minute."

"I don't want you to get hurt, Emry." Sky said with fear in his tone.

Emry gave Sky a smile of reassurance that he wasn't quite feeling, saying, "If you fall to your death, I would be worse than hurt, now come on. Wrap that beautiful body around mine."

Sky giggled, "Somehow, in my dreams I saw that request being made under different

circumstances."

Emry gave Sky a big smile, "Me too, now cuddle up before this branch breaks."

"What the hell is going on up there? Stop the chitter chatter and get him down from there, now!"

Hardy shouted from below.

Sky yelled out, "He's asking me out on a date, don't ruin the moment."

Emry could hear Hardy's low growl and knew this was going to get bad, real quick, and they

didn't have time for an argument, "Sky, stop talking and start cuddling."

Sky reached out but couldn't quite get to Emry. He tried again, but still Sky couldn't get a good hold. Emry tried to lean forward and the branches he was on began to move, almost causing

Emry to fall. Bracing himself on the upper branch, Emry regained his footing.

"I can't reach you, Emry." Sky cried as the branch cracked a little more and Sky slid further down.

Emry reached forward and the limb he was stepping on started shaking. Sky sniffled, then said,

"Emry, just go. I can't get to you and I don't want you getting killed, too."

"Hell no!" Emry growled.

"What the hell is the hold up? Get our mate down from there before you both get killed!" Hardy shouted.

"You know what, we're doing the best we can. I'm kind of in a predicament here and you yelling at us isn't helping matters." Sky shouted.

Emry sighed, then hollered, "The branch he's on is breaking. The one I'm on isn't stable enough for me to move any closer and Sky can't reach me to grab on so I can get him down."

"Have him swing towards you. when he gets close enough, grab him." Hardy replied.

"Are you crazy?" Sky yelled out.

Emry sighed, "He's right, Sky. It's the only way. Just swing forward and I'll grab you with one arm and hold on to the top branch with the other."

Sky looked at Emry wide-eyed and Emry whispered, "I swear, I won't let you fall. You just have to trust me on this."

Sky looked away for a second, "I don't do that so well, you know?"

"What's that?" Emry asked.

"Trust." Sky whispered.

The tree began to sway and Emry thought it must be another gust of wind, until he heard Hardy saying, "Well, that is something we both need to work on. Maybe right now is the best time for us to do that?"