MATED TO SERIES COLLECTION

64. LARA: LOOKING DEATH IN THE EYES

I was falling and then I wasn't.

A gasp fell from my lips when pain shot through my arm. Something had clasped my wrist to stop my fall. I blinked rapidly to clear the dirt from my eyes and glanced up. Obsidian had grabbed hold of my wrist. His eyes locked with mine for a second before he turned his head to glance over his shoulder.

Another scream fell from my lips when the ground started giving way beneath his feet too. He had caught me to stop my fall but now he was falling too. Dirt rained down on me, forcing me to close my eyes and turn my head away. My stomach rolled and bile rose in my throat. I was going to die and it was my own fault.

We jerked to a sudden stop, making pain shoot through my arm once again. Any second now it was going to be ripped from its socket. More dirt rained down on me for a few more seconds before it stopped. I slowly opened my eyes and wished I hadn't. I hung a few feet from the jagged rocks.

So fucking close.

A grunt from above me had my eyes snapping up. Obsidian was gripping a small ledge with one hand and his other was holding onto my wrist. My eyes dropped to the water again. He wouldn't be able to hold us up for any longer.

"Lara." I tilted my head back to stare up at him. "I'm going to lift you and I need you to grab onto my shoulders and hold on."

"W-what?" I shook my head. "I—"

"You can do it, Lara!"

My eyes dropped to the water again. What if I slipped? What if I couldn't grab hold of him fast enough?

"Look at me."

I sucked in a breath and looked up at him again. His eyes locked with mine and I saw the determination there. He wasn't going to let me fall. Swallowing, I reached up with my other hand and gripped his wrist. His lips twisted.

"It's not your day to die today."

"Neither is it yours," I told him.

"On three, okay?"

I nodded. Obsidian glanced up and stared at his hand gripping the edge. His chest expanded as he sucked in a deep breath. I clung to him when he started to raise his arm. It must be hell for him but all I could think about was that he wouldn't drop me.

"Lara!" Ethan's anguished voice distracted me for a few seconds.

"Wrap around me," Obsidian grunted.

I wrapped my legs around his and then gripped his shirt with the hand that had grabbed hold of his wrist. He lifted me a little higher until it was enough for me to grip his shoulders. The moment I had a good grip on him, he let go of my wrist and grabbed onto the ledge.

"Hook one arm under mine and the other over my shoulder and then link your fingers together. Think you can do that?"

I nodded and then realized that he couldn't see me. After muttering a soft reply, I scrapped the courage together to do as he ordered. My body started to shake as the fear inside me intensified. We were both going to die and it was my fault.

You're not going to die. It's not your day, remember? Everything's going to be fine.

I wanted t believe my own words. I squeezed my eyes closed and then did as he ordered. I had to move a little higher up his body so I could hook and arm over his shoulder to link my fingers together. I pulled my legs up and wrapped them around his hips. I felt bad knowing that he was holding both of our weights.

"I'm sorry," I whispered.

Obsidian didn't reply. He moved his hands a little further apart. I felt his muscles tense beneath me as he started pulling himself up. My hopes soared only to die down when the ledge cracked and we were falling again. My hands slipped but I managed to hold on.