CHAPTER 4
Saar scrambled down the side of the precipice. Bits of rock skittered under his boots as he half-slid, half-ran down the mountain. His chest tight, he glanced toward the once-spunky Ursus female. Sprawled against the large boulders, her twisted, broken body lay motionless.
“Goddess, Alora, please let her live.” His prayer was but a whisper, caught in the swirl of wind raging around him.
On the ground at last, he clambered over the boulders, the sharp edges digging into his palms. A wave crashed against the large reef. Spray rained down on him, drenching him in an instant. The salty tang of seawater coated the back of his throat.
Saar reached her, his gaze raking over her body. Forcing down the fear that threatened to overwhelm him, he used his warrior training to assess her injuries, to determine the best course of action.
She lay on her back on a flat portion of rock, her hips wrenched to one side, her shoulders the other. Her face was away from him, covered by the thick wrap of her braid. There was no blood that he could see. A choked breath heaved from his throat.
He knelt at her side, his knee resting next to her thigh. The carved likeness of a bear’s head dangled from her neck on a small woven chain. He placed his finger alongside her throat, between the chain’s fine links. Beneath his fingertip, her pulse beat.
Relief skittered over his nerves.
With a gentleness he didn’t fully understand, he moved her long, thick braid away from her face. The soft, fine strands teased the pads on his fingers. A bit of golden material intertwined between the locks was a beautiful addition.
He focused his attention on her features. Dark lashes, lush and full, graced her cheeks. Soft and smooth, her unblemished skin was a shade darker than his. Her lips, oh, those plump, puckered lips, begged for his kiss.
“You’re not my enemy.” The words tumbled from his lips. Speaking them aloud reaffirmed his belief that she couldn’t be his opponent. Yet…she’d fought with the Gossum, fought against him.
A rush of heat ran from his chest down his arms.
Friend or foe?
She was an enigma, and he had to know the answer.
“Kaelyn, wake up.” He gently shook her shoulder.
She didn’t stir.
Another wave crashed against the boulders. Water trickled over his boots and around her body.
The tide was coming.
He didn’t have much time. If he didn’t move her, she’d drown.
There was no time to worry about broken bones. With great care, he slid one arm under her knees and another under her shoulders then cradled her against his chest. Her braid whacked his collar bone before landing in the space between them. Its softness teased the skin on his bicep, and he wanted to unravel the fine tresses, see the long strands free from their bondage.
Another wave brought more water, this time rising half way up his calf.
The waves now covered the small bit of beach he’d crossed before climbing the rocks. The other direction was no better.
He’d have to scale the cliff.
It would be treacherous, but it was either that or swim to the beach with her in his arms and hope the tide didn’t drag them out to sea.
He stood, pulling her tighter against him.
“You! Stop!” The wind whipped the words, swirling them around Saar’s head.
He glanced in either direction, but saw no one.
The hair at his nape rose.
He slowly raised his head and peered toward the cliff’s top. Perched on the edge was a tall male. He had shoulder-length brown hair that blew in the wind. With eyes to match, the resemblance to Kaelyn was unmistakable. Kin…
“Let her go,” the male rasped.
Saar’s inner beast growled. A possessiveness he didn’t understand ripped through him. “No. She’s mine.” The words melded into his chest, setting up home as if she belonged to him. Confusion swirled in his mind, but there was no way he’d give her up, not now.
He glanced at her. “Guess we’re going for a swim.”
Before he could change his mind, he ran across the boulders as fast as safety allowed. At the end, he jumped, holding on to Kaelyn for dear life.
Saar landed in the water feet first. His boots hit the sand. The pull of the surf tugged him backward. He fought to maintain his balance, clutching his precious cargo against his chest.
She didn’t stir.
A tendril of fear snaked into his mind. How bad were her injuries? What if she never woke up? I have to get her to Gaetan. The old Haelen would heal her.
The ocean’s mind-numbing cold seeped into his muscles, slowing him down, but he slogged through the swells until he was close enough to run along the shore. Increasing his pace, he emerged onto the beach.
Movement out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. The male on the bluff ran down the same slope Saar had taken earlier. He hefted a mace twice the size of Kaelyn’s.
There wasn’t much time.
“Rin, open a portal.” Using his mental connection to the gateway, Saar called to the little Jixie that manned the Keep’s Portal Navigation Center.
“I hear ya, Saar. Homing in on yer location. What…what are ya doin’ on the beach?” Rin tsked. “Locked in. Opening in five, four…”
Not far away, a mist coalesced near a stream that poured over a small waterfall into the ocean. The fog swirled into a ball, faster and faster. An opening appeared in the middle. The walls of the Keep appeared on the other side, and Rin stood over the Porte Stanen and the sunstones that ignited the portal.
With Kaelyn in his arms, Saar ran toward home, safety, and hopefully, answers.