When Stars Collide (Light in the Dark 2)

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 expec

t 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 guy.

“You guys look like you just escaped prison or something,” Jace comments.

He’s on my shit list now too.

“Hey—” Rae smacks Cade’s arm “—this is serious. They could’ve been hurt.”

That sobers my brother up real quick, because it’s true.