But his eyes were wide and wild, and his grip was biting. “Sam,” he said, voice hoarse. “I’m going with you.”
I leaned forward and kissed him fiercely. “That’s not how this works,” I mumbled against his lips as another roar echoed through the forest. “You gotta trust me, okay?”
“I trust you with my life,” he said, pressing his forehead against mine. “But I don’t trust you with your own.”
I ignored how much that hurt. I could deal with it later if I wasn’t being slowly digested in a large stomach. “Well, you gotta try,” I said, “because that’s what I need you to do. I need you to go.” I shoved my pack into his hands.
He took it but didn’t step back. “You don’t have to do this!”
I grinned rakishly at him. “Of course I do. I’m Sam of Wilds.”
“Don’t,” he begged. “Please, just wait. We’ll figure this—”
The forest floor lurched, knocking us apart. I landed on my back, staring up at the gray sky, rain falling on my face. It took a moment for my head to clear before I pushed myself up. I was near the edge of the creek, water splashing up and onto my hands. Ryan had fallen back toward the others. He was on his knees next to Gary and Tiggy. He started to rise, and I could see the determined set of his jaw. Once he was on his feet, he was going to come for me, like he always would.
Would he? the voice whispered. Would he always come for you? Humanity is such a strange thing to be afflicted with.
I looked toward the cliff edge.
Then back at Ryan.
Then toward the cliff again.
And decided to do the stupidest thing I’d ever done, regardless of what I’d just said to Ryan.
The problem with me having stupid ideas was that I tended to broadcast them on my face even before I spoke them aloud. Gary had said it was a manic expression, like I’d gone suddenly and unequivocally mad, and that it wasn’t very attractive on me. I’d glared at him. He’d licked my face.
So that must have been the look on my face when the idea hit me, and I could see Gary’s eyes widen, and Ryan shouted my name, but this was the only way. I had to get them to leave before it came.
“Kevin!” I bellowed. “Catch me!”
And without looking to make sure he’d heard, I ran along the creek as it started to break apart, toward the edge of the cliff. I had the forethought to send up a quick prayer to the gods that the drop was as far as I hoped it would be; otherwise Kevin wouldn’t be able to get to me in time. Either the fall would be short and I would die as soon as I hit the ground, or it’d be too short, and I’d land face-first in the mud and be really pissed off at myself.
I didn’t hesitate as I reached the edge of the cliff.
I jumped.
There was a brief moment when I hung suspended in the air, arms and legs cartwheeling, throat squeezing tightly as a scream rose through me, that I realized there was a reason people tried to plan ahead. It was to avoid moments exactly like this.
The drop was much, much bigger than I thought it would be.
In fact, I wouldn’t have been surprised if it was the biggest waterfall in all of Verania.
Birds flew below me.
Birds.
“Oh fuck,” I said weakly.
Then I started to fall.
Water splashed against my face as the wind roared in my ears. I started to gather my magic, sure I was going to die, trying to think of something, anything I could do to stop the inevitable death, all the while cursing myself for actually jumping off a fucking cliff to make sure my brave idiot of a boyfriend didn’t try to stand in front of me, all dashing and immaculate, while the biggest dragon in the world bore down upon us.
Ryan was right. I had stupid ideas.
It was not the best revelation to have while falling.
I had time for life to begin to flash before my eyes (and wasn’t that a disappointing thing to see, that I hadn’t done at least half of the sexual things I’d wanted to do to Ryan—why, oh why had I not thought to get one of those sex swings like Mama had at the Tilted Cross? It would have been glorious), and I thought lightning was beginning to arc from my fingertips to do what, I didn’t know, when there was a flash beside me, and claws circled around me, jerking me up upward, cutting off my manly screaming and knocking the breath from my chest.