Jess dropped his gun and launched himself at Abigail as she slid through the floor. At first, he was sure she'd fallen to her death right before his eyes. That thought hit him a lot harder than it should have. The pain was indescribable.
But somehow, against all odds, he felt warmth in his palm and a weight on his arm that made his spirits soar with relief.
He'd caught her....
Looking over the side of the hole, he saw her panicked face staring up at him, and that was the most beautiful thing he'd seen in over a century.
She was alive.
Abigail's heart thumped wildly as she swung in a precarious arc. The only thing that kept her from crashing onto the marble floor ten feet below was one hand.
And it belonged to her enemy.
"I gotcha." Sundown's grip tightened on her hand in a silent promise that he wouldn't let go.
She locked both her hands around his and hoped he wasn't holding a grudge against her for anything. "Please don't drop me."
He actually winked at her. "Not on your life." He pulled her up slowly, taking care not to scrape her against the jagged edges of the floor where pieces of wood waited to impale her.
In that moment, she could kiss him for his fast reflexes that had saved her life, and for the care he was taking to pull her up and not hurt her.
But her relief didn't last long. As soon as her head popped through the hole, something grabbed her leg from below and yanked her hard enough to take her back through it.
Sundown's eyes widened.
I'm going to die. She was sure of it as the pressure on her legs increased with a determination that said it wouldn't relent until she was a stain on the floor below.
Yet somehow Sundown maintained his firm grip on her hands. He pulled her up again.
Again, something jerked her down. She kicked her legs and struck nothing. Yet there was no denying that some invisible force had her by her ankles.
If only she could look down to see what it was. "What's going on?"
"I don't know. I don't see anything. I just wish whatever it is that it'd let go." His face turned bright red as he held on to her with a determination that said he really did care whether she lived or died.
Abigail blinked back tears from the pain of being the rope in a tug-of-war that would mean her life if Sundown lost.
He growled as the muscles in his arms bulged from the strain. She stared into his eyes, which were dark with conviction, and used those as her lifeline.
"Thank you," she whispered to him.
Inclining his head to her, Jess felt his grip slipping. Whatever had her was increasing its pressure to the point he knew it was only a matter of time before she fell from his hands.
He'd failed to keep his promise to her mother. The last thing he wanted was to see her die, too. I can't let go....
What choice did he have?
The answer came from somewhere deep inside him. A forgotten prayer his mother had taught him from the cradle to use whenever things were too hard and he wanted to give up.
Aike aniya trumuli gerou sunari.... Those words whispered through his mind. I am White Buffalo and I will not be stopped. Yeah, okay, so it sounded better in her language than in English. Still, it echoed and he felt an inner strength rising with every syllable as he continued silently chanting it. Our people never met an enemy they couldn't defeat. Their blood flows inside of you, penyo. You are my pride and my gift to the Elders who watch over us. Listen to them when you're weak and they will help you. Always. He heard his mother's voice as clearly as if she sat beside him.
He saw the fear in Abigail's eyes as she realized her hands were slipping.
"Aike aniya trumuli gerou sunari!"
Abigail gasped at his angry words and the bright flash of red that shone through his pupils an instant before he jerked her up through the floor so fast, she barely realized she'd moved. He gathered her in his arms and hugged her close, as if he was as thankful she was alive as she was.
Even though she hated him, she was too grateful to shove him away. Instead, she reveled in the sensation of his hard body pressing against hers. She clung to him while she shook from relief and tried to squelch the fear that the invisible force would grab her again and take her back into the hole. Her blood rushed thick through her veins as she buried her face in his neck and inhaled the warm scent of his skin.