Chapter Sixteen
If he was going to die, this was the way to go. Kari’s lips were soft and warm. She tasted like she smelled, of sunshine and lemons. Refreshing, invigorating. He felt like he had enough energy to run for hours. But he had nowhere to go. Just being beside him, she turned his life around.
The past several months, he had been slipping more and more into a funk that wouldn’t let him go. If not for his mission to take down a group of people who sold and abused others, he had no reason to get out of bed. He realized how much his family gave him purpose. He was born to protect and that’s what he’d die doing.
Suddenly, Kari pulled away. Her words didn’t register in his lust-hazed mind until after she was gone. She got what? Then he remembered the rocks and balance they were working with. Did she really think that contraption was the key out of this mess?
His head bumped against the ceiling. He hoped she was right. If not, it wouldn’t matter in a few minutes. If they died, it was his fault. He’d led her into this cave because he thought his shifter senses could get them out, could save them no matter the situation. Maybe he’d grown too dependent on his animal’s abilities, choosing to use them instead of his brain. Taking risks he shouldn’t, thinking he could get away before the danger became too great.
Maybe he could’ve, but his human mate was fragile. Bad injuries usually killed them. The delicate body didn’t repair itself fast enough. He would always have to remember that. He could rely on his instincts, but he needed to get back to the basics of work: using his brain.
He’d gotten cocky, figuring no one would be able to stop him with his abilities. How did he get caught in the first place? He was depending on his wolf’s sense of smell, but the bad guys used hunter’s scent block to keep him from smelling them. He’d walked right into their trap. Not thinking twice.
His head tipped back to keep his nose above water. If this was it, he wanted his last sight to be of his mate. He’d hold her through the last moments of their short time together. He sucked in a couple breathes to build oxygen in his bloodstream to last him longer underwater. His lungs filled with the last bit of air available. Then a section of rock let loose from the ceiling inches above and in front of him. He jerked his head back to keep his nose from getting bonked.
Access into an upper cavern just opened. He popped his head up through the opening. It was another small room, and it was water free. He gulped down another breath and went for his mate. He prayed she still had air.
He pushed off the ceiling, diving straight for the side where the bowls and rocks were. Her eyes were closed, mouth open. Bubbles trickled out of her mouth. He wrapped his hands around her head and pressed his mouth completely over hers. His tongue slid forward past her lips and her eyes popped open as he breathed oxygen-rich air into her body.
Another breath shared and she nodded she could make it. He took her hand, pushed off the rock and glided them to the hole in the ceiling. They burst through, both gasping in the musty room.
She clung to the edge of the opening. “Where did this hole come from?”
“The ceiling section fell into the water.” He wondered . . . “Did you balance the bowl?” he asked. He examined the edges of the hole and discovered two slots with wooden dowels in them. If he was a betting guy, he’d say the stone chunk that fell also had dual holes. By solving the problem with the bowls, the dowels slid back, releasing the escape route.
“It balanced a few seconds before you showed up. The final rocks had just settled and I—” she choked back a sob, “I was about to—” Her eyes squeezed shut and it was more than water dripping from her hair that ran down her cheeks. He wrapped an arm around her waist and muscled them out of the water, onto the rock floor above. He set her in his lap and scooted back to the wall. Then drew himself around her shaking body.
He held her tightly and gently rocked, whispering reaffirming words until her racking body had quieted to small shudders and hiccups. Hopefully, his body heat was enough to keep her from shivering and going into shock. He knew from experience she would suffer post-traumatic stress. How could you come within a breadth of dying and not be affected?
Fortunately for him, his wolf was able to keep him from dreaming. After so many years of barely escaping death and seeing all the atrocities men do to other men, his dreams became only nightmares waking him in the dead of night in a cold sweat. He didn’t sleep much anymore. Even his animal was having a rough time consoling his psyche. But now that he had his mate, she could help him through the difficult times. He once again looked forward to living.
He rubbed his hands up and down her arms, building friction to keep her warm and knowing he was there. She wasn’t alone. She never would be again. He had to figure a way to break the mate news to her. It’d be really nice if they got out of here without her hating him. First things first. He was going to hold her, right now, as long as she would let him.
After several minutes, she let out a deep breath and settled against him. His wolf, as he, was content with her there. When he’d embarked on the undercover assignment a year ago, his wolf was pissed at him. How would they ever find a mate if he was hiding his ass in a room, spying on men? Maybe that had been the reason he’d taken the job.
If he didn’t search for her, there was always the hope she was out there, waiting for him. If he searched and never found her, then knowing he’d never have true love would crushed him. Was that fucked up logic or what?
She asked, “Where do you think the water came from? That trap was well planned.”
He thought about her question. “I heard the river disappeared underground somewhere. Maybe we were close enough that when the rocks fell to block the door, it opened a small channel that flowed through the hole. How did you solve it? What were we doing wrong?”
She sighed and leaned more into him. “I didn’t understand what was going on until I applied math concepts. There were three different-sized bowls. Say the smallest held three pounds of rocks, the middle held four, and the big bowl on the scale needed five pounds. I had to come up with five pounds exactly; any more or less triggered a dump, and I had to fill the big bowl in two trips or it tipped again.”
That was confusing, he thought. “How do you get exactly five out of three and four?”
“I filled the four pound and dumped it into the big bowl. Then I filled the four again, but dumped it into the three bowl, leaving me with exactly one pound in the four bowl. I dumped that into the big bowl to make five exactly.”
“Holy shit, woman. That was brilliant. I would’ve never thought of that.”
She moved in his lap. He smelled a sweet shyness from her. She said, “You really think so?”
“Hell, yes, I know so. If you weren’t there, I would be floating belly-up right now,” he said.
“More like if I weren’t here, neither would you. It’s my fault we’re in this mess.”
He looked at her even though he knew she couldn’t see him in the darkness. “How do you get that idea?”
“I don’t know,” she said. “I just feel responsible for everything.”
He leaned her head to his lips and kissed her. “Don’t think that for one moment, beautiful. If not for you, I would be in a much worse place.” She breathed out and settled into him more.
“Do you think the guards are after us still?” she asked.
“Nah,” he replied, “I’m sure they’ve given us up for dead.”
“Have you?”
“You forget, I’m an ALFA, baby. No way I’ll ever give up on this, on you, on us.”