He maneuvered her until she was stretched out on her stomach. The soft fur begged her to snuggle into it, but she ignored the seduction of its warmth, straining to push the ten-ton weight of her body onto her elbows. She gritted her teeth as her arms wobbled, dropping her onto her stomach again, driving the breath from her. The bowl seemed to whirl as her eyes lost their focus, and the world around her started to fade.
Someone called her name a couple of times, but the voice was far away, as though she was hearing it from underwater. She floated facedown…in a pool of something soft…water?…surrounded…engulfed…sinking down…down. She struggled to swim, trying to free her arms, which were pinned beneath her.
“Kyndal.”
The voice grew to a shout.
“Kyndal!”
She was rolled over and jerked into a sitting position. An arm supported her back. Hot lips touched hers and then her mouth flooded with liquid. She swallowed. The lips left for a second; then they were back, filling her mouth again with coolness. She didn’t swallow immediately, letting the moisture soothe the parched tissue inside her jaws and along the sides of her tongue instead, relishing the texture and clean, sweet taste.
The water felt exquisite, sliding down her dry throat, cold enough to make its presence known as it passed between her collarbones and into her chest.
The voice called her name over and over, commanding her to respond, reeling her in like a fish on a line.
It took a few moments for her heavy limbs to respond to the demands from her brain. Once they did, she fought her way to the surface and broke through with a gasp and a cough, forcing her eyes to open. Cloudy at first, they finally cleared, and she saw Chance’s contorted face.
She’d seen that look one other time. The day Hank died.
“Hold me.” Hardly more than a whisper, her voice waved the magic wand that relaxed his face. He clutched her tightly to him.
“Did you…get water?” she croaked. “Shouldn’t’ve drunk it all.”
His fingers moved softly through her hair. “I’ll get some next time. It’s a slow drip, so it’ll take a while.”
She let her gaze wander about the strange room while the water found its way into her system. “What’s this place?”
His chest heaved as he took several long, deep breaths. “I think it was for Native American ceremonies.” He focused the flashlight beam on various drawings that obviously represented male and female characters coupling. “Probably performed fertility rites here.”
The thought of other people who’d been here brought hope back into her heart. “They didn’t get in the way we did. There’s a way out from here.”
“Was,” Chance corrected. He drew another long breath and pointed to the crevice they entered through. “There’s been a cave-in out there.”
“Oh.” She swallowed her disappointment, noticing how dry her throat was already. She couldn’t give in to despair now. The chance to stay alive more than ever lay in keeping their wits about them. “Nice place…to wait…for rescue. Warm. Cozy. Running water.” She leaned back to give him a smile of reassurance.
He didn’t say anything, but the grim set of Chance’s mouth spoke volumes.
* * *
“IF ANYTHING’S HAPPENED to her, I’ll never forgive myself.” Jaci turned away from the sight of Emily and Bill Brennan’s grief-filled expressions and leaned her forehead against Bart’s chest. How could they stand there not touching at a time like this? Bart’s strong arms around her were the only thing keeping her from collapsing. “I pushed her into this. She wasn’t going to go, but I insisted. And then I let four days go by before I did anything.”
Bart’s chin rested protectively on top of her head, increasing the weight of his words. “Stop blaming yourself. I’m the one who told you to quit calling her.” She felt him swallow. “I think they’re going to take Chesney with them.”
That made sense. The dog had been running around wildly since Jaci and the Brennans showed up at Chance’s house that afternoon. When Sheriff Blaine arrived a few minutes later, Chesney led him to the depression in the ground behind the garage.
Jaci shuddered, remembering how much it looked like an old grave.
Sheriff Blaine said it was a sinkhole that collapsed a long time ago. Although the cave was a quarter mile from the house, he’d said that its caverns might run all the way to the house and beyond.
“Here comes the sheriff.” Bart gave her a kiss before she turned to