Chapter 14

She didn’t remember picking up the rock, she didn’t even realize she’d crushed it into Lucas’ skull, but when he pitched forward onto Jon she cried out. Blind with tears and shock she pushed him off of Jon and felt the acid in her empty belly roil with horror.

With shaking fingers she cupped Jon’s angular jaw. The bristles of his beard felt right, and the lingering warmth of his skin calmed her. “Jon?” she whispered brokenly.

A cold hand covered hers and the grip was gentle, but firm. “I’m not going anywhere,” he said groggily.

She smoothed the dirt from his face, and pressed her forehead to his chest. “I thought I’d lost you.”

His fingers gripped hers, his blue eyes pleading through the pain. “You’ve got to get to the Ranger, Cam.”

She shook her head, the sobs strangling her. “I’m not leaving you.”

He tried to lift his head, but only winced. “I’m only going to hold you back. Go! I’ll be okay, I promise.”

“No,” she whispered brokenly. She glanced over her shoulder at Lucas’ still body. Dear God, had she killed him?

“Cam, look at me.”

She couldn’t look away from Lucas. She turned away from Jon and crawled toward him. Could it really be over? Had she killed him? Maybe they would be okay.

“Cam!” Jon yelled into the wind.

Lucas rolled over, shaking his head as if to clear it. She scrambled back, crab walking her way back to Jon. She caught sight of Jon from the corner of her eye. Saw him broken and bleeding because of her. Adrenaline surged as she pushed herself to her feet, dragging herself off the ground with a boulder that cut out of the path.

She ran. It was the only thing she could think to do. She ran toward the Ranger’s hut and the light that could be her salvation once more. Lead him away, Cam. Lead him away from Jon.

She could feel him behind her. She could hear the crashing of his footsteps and the crunch of snow beneath his feet. Over it all she could hear her heartbeat like a drum in her head. It pushed her forward; it drove her on as the light bounced in her blurred vision. The snow swirled and the wind howled its winter song with relentless fury but still she ran.

“Cameron!” His voice was too clear. Too close. She tripped on the roots of the blasted trees that kept her weaving up the path. She felt the rush of his body and the free fall as they went off the side.

She didn’t even have enough breath to scream as they rolled down the side. Rocks, and brush, tree limbs and dirt all tore her to pieces as she and Lucas took a one way ticket from top to bottom. The time it took to climb to the path was eaten up in mere seconds as they landed hard at the base of the incline.

She thought she knew pain before, but there was nothing in the world to even correlate with the sheer, white hot pain that her entire body felt. She couldn’t even pinpoint the pain, it was everywhere and nowhere. It was light and heat, cold and darkness.

She craned her neck and through the blurred vision she saw him crawling to her. Even now, broken and bruised beyond comprehension he still came for her. He would always come for her. He’d told her that. And there was the truth of it, so complete and so relentless.

She screamed at him, wild howls of pain and hate all coming out as the fates slugged at her yet again. She dragged herself off the ground and put one foot in front of her. She wouldn’t go quietly now. Oh no.

She stood over him, the madness still gripped him, even as she loomed over him and she couldn’t stop herself. She kicked him. The glancing blow of her sneaker hitting him in the head knocked her already unsteady self to the ground. Rocks and sand sifted beneath her. “I’ll die before I go back with you Lucas.”

He crawled over her and she pushed back, feeling the ice give way to the shoreline as he advanced and she shrank back. Her muscles screamed as fear and exhaustion started to beat her down.

The bite of the water’s edge felt like fire it was so cold. He hunched over her and dragged her into the water and she went under.