When Stars Collide (Light in the Dark #2) - Micalea Smeltzer Page 0,65

flip-flops.” Wait. I lift my foot and look. “Fuck, I lost my shoes.”

“I’ll carry you piggy-back,” he says.

I lift a brow. “For how long? We have no idea how far we’re going to have to walk.” I cover my face in my hands. “This is unbelievable.”

Remember when I was worried about mud? Yeah, I’d take the mud over a hike through the woods barefoot with wild animals.

We take a few more minutes to catch our breath before we stand and start making our way down the river. I walk as far as I can, until the ground turns into sharp rocks and twigs and then I hop on Xander’s back and he carries me like I’m no lighter than a backpack. Thank God he wore sneakers.

The sun beats down on us, and soon, despite our bath in the frigid water, we’re hot and dripping with sweat.

“How long have we been walking?”

“One minute longer since the last time you asked me,” he quips.

“Ugh,” I groan. “It feels like forever.”

I swear time is passing at a snail’s pace and the worst part is we don’t know if we’re even heading in the right direction.

“I kind of want to punch you in the face for this,” I tell him. “But I also kind of want to kiss you, because it’s very sweet of you to carry my heavy ass.”

He chuckles. “I’ll take the kiss over the punch any day—and you’re not heavy.”

“Yeah, you won’t be saying that in ten minutes when your arms give out.”

We grow quiet and a few minutes pass before I say, “What was that? Was that a bear?” I listen again. “What if it’s a werewolf?”

He snorts. “Werewolves are fictional, and I doubt it’s a bear.”

My voice grows shrill. “But we’re near the river, and don’t bears love rivers?”

“I don’t know,” he answers.

“Oh, great. We survived the waterfall and swim just to get mauled by a bear. I did not expect today to turn into an episode of Survivor.”

“We’re going to be fine,” he says.

“You don’t even know if we’re going the right way!”

He grunts. “It’s not like there’s someone I can ask for directions.”

“Yeah, and you’re a guy, so even if there was, you wouldn’t.”

He sighs and mutters, “You’re probably right.”

Fifteen minutes pass and he sets me down to take a break. I stretch my legs as best I can, but without shoes, I’m scared I’m going to step on a poisonous frog or something.

Are there even poisonous frogs in Colorado?

Xander sits down and leans his back against a tree. He tilts his head toward the sky and breathes out heavily. It’s obvious this is wearing on him more than he lets on.

He stands up a few minutes later and motions for me to hop on his back again.

I feel like he walks ten miles more before we start to hear shouts.

“People!” I cry. “I hear people!”

Suddenly, I feel like I’m starring in a survivalist movie and a helicopter is going to swoop down low and a ladder is going to fall from the open door, and then we’ll climb up into freedom.

The shouts grow louder and more distinguishable and I pick up on our names.

“Over here!” I yell. “We’re over here!”

Footsteps pound toward us and a group of what looks like park rangers emerge through the trees.

“Oh, thank God,” I mutter.

Xander sets me down and the park rangers fuss over us, making sure we’re unharmed. When they learn that we’re okay they’re quick to give us each a bottle of water, which we gulp down gratefully. Unfortunately, they don’t have a pair of shoes I can use, so I hop on Xander’s back again. One of the rangers offered to carry me but Xander went all alpha and wouldn’t let him. I kept expecting him to pound on his chest like Tarzan.

The rangers guide us through the woods and back to where we need to be. It ends up being another twenty-minute walk.

Cade spots us first, where he and the rest of our friends sit at a picnic table, and the idiot starts laughing. Not just a little chuckle, either. Oh no, this is the kind of laughter that keels you over at the stomach and makes tears spring to your eyes.

“Cade Paul!” I yell, using his middle name since I know he hates it. “Stop laughing!”

The idiot only laughs harder. He deserves a swift kick to the shin for that.

Xander sets me down and stretches his arms. They must feel like Jell-O at this point. Poor