And then, in the belly of the beast, everything became still, and a peace like she’d never felt before descended. Time meant nothing, and for one endless second, she felt free.
Absolutely, wonderfully, free.
And then her body jerked to a halt.
The moment shattered. Something caught at her ankle. The ferocious hold felt as though it would shatter her bones. She tried to scream but only whimpered.
With arms flailing and fingers clawing at nothing, she felt the sky swing past her. The building rushed to join it. The earth was above her and then beneath her. One second, she was falling; the next, swinging up. Multicolored lights became streamers in the blackness.
The pressure released from her ankle, and she hit something solid.
Not the ground. Not the ground. Not the ground…
A strong arm wrapped around her, pressing her face into solid flesh, over a racing heart. She gasped for air. Each breath a desperate agony. Her nails dug deep. Clinging to whatever—whoever—had stopped her fall.
Solid.
Safe.
Secure.
Never let go.
“I’ve got you. I’ve got you,” the voice murmured.
Cold. So cold. Every muscle ached as she shook violently. She burrowed deeper into the warmth surrounding her. She couldn’t get close enough to feel truly safe.
“It’s okay, baby. It’s okay.” It was a whisper that penetrated the terror holding her mind hostage. “I’ve got you. It’s okay, princess. I’ve got you. I didn’t let you fall. You’re fine. You’re okay. I’ve got you.”
An arm held her tight as she wrapped herself around her rescuer. An immovable strength that held her together when she was crumbling apart. Shredded by terror. She could taste it. Smell it. Every breath she took was filled with rotten, fetid fear.
“You’re okay. Fuck, baby, stop crying. You’re okay. I’ve got you.”
The words cracked through the thick veil of terror that shrouded her.
>
“D-don’t c-curse.” She squeezed the words out through chattering teeth.
“I’ll never curse again if you stop crying.” An impossible ask. For both of them.
Keiko rubbed her face against Mace’s shirt, the smooth cotton soothing her. Slowly, she became aware that her hands were curled into the fabric. Her legs were wound around his waist as he held her tight. A mountain of a man, surrounding her with his strength.
“C-can’t stop s-shaking.”
He nuzzled her hair. “I know. Just stop crying. I can cope with the shaking.”
Impossibly, against all the odds, a smile broke through her tears. She bit her bottom lip in an attempt to keep her words in, but they came out anyway. “I fell.”
It was there in her mind. An unspoken accusation. He’d let her fall when he’d promised her she wouldn’t.
Of course, he heard the accusation she couldn’t quite voice. “Only a little bit, princess. Not more than a foot or two. I caught you. I told you I wouldn’t let you fall to the ground. I didn’t promise that you wouldn’t slip.”
She didn’t know why she did it—maybe because she didn’t have the words she needed. It just happened. She opened her mouth and bit him. Hard. Punishment for letting her fall—just a little bit.
“Hey! I saved you.”
“You let me fall.”