Page 57 of Kiss of Embers

Just as quickly, we plunged back down. Struan grunted and then banked sharply, sending me sliding over his back. Alarmbolted through me as I grabbed at one of his horns. Wrapping my arms around it, I held on as he struggled against the wind.

But it didn’t work. Pressure built, and we continued to descend. Struan roared, flapping his wings. An answering roar echoed somewhere to my left. When I turned my head, Finn appeared to battle the same powerful current. And he was losing. Jaws stretching on another roar, he tossed his head. His wings beat the air, but he didn’t gain altitude.

Wind screamed. Struan wheeled in the air, his wings wide. Beneath me, his muscles bunched and strained as he fought the same invisible current.

My stomach pitched. Struan flapped his wings furiously, but he couldn’t seem to break free. We were going down, and it was all my fault. Now, I’d cost Struan and Finn their lives.

Finn roared as he went into a spiral, his tail whipping around and around. Struan’s answering roar was loud and anguished. His body lurched, and I slammed into a bone-colored horn. Pain exploded in my shoulder. My vision slid out of focus.

Just before the darkness swept me, I gave a broken sob. I’d only just met them. Had mere moments ago realized Finn and Struan were my destiny.

And now, our future was over before it had a chance to begin.

Everything was dark and quiet.If this was death, it wasn’t so bad. At least the wind was gone. Relief coursed through me, and I settled more deeply into the darkness that cradled me. Heat caressed my face.The moon.I’d know it anywhere.

Wait. If the moon was out there, I couldn’t be dead, right? The second the thought formed, pain shot through my skull. I winced, a strangled cry escaping me.

“Easy, lass,” a deep voice rumbled. “Try not to move.”

I tensed. Like the moon, that voice was familiar. I strained to hear it again, but other noises intruded. The soft chirp of insects. The distant trickle of water. Scents swirled too. Damp moss. Rich, wet earth.

And dark incense. Rich, fragrant pine. And over everything, the unmistakable bite of smoke.

I opened my eyes. Finn stared down at me, his brow furrowed. And I was definitely either dead or hallucinating because Struan’s head was attached to his shoulder.

“Weird,” I croaked.

Finn’s brow smoothed. “She’s talking. That’s good, right?”

Struan’s head sailed upward. As the world slid into focus, I realized his head was, in fact, still attached to his body. He’d simply knelt behind Finn, who was seated with me in his arms.

“It’s good,” Struan said, “but let’s get a look at her pupils.” He settled on one knee next to me, and he offered a reassuring smile as he slid a warm hand under my jaw. “Tilt your face toward me. There’s a good lass.” He pulled a smartphone from his pocket and thumbed the screen. Then he flipped the phone around and ran the beam of the flashlight across my field of vision.

My shoulder throbbed. More aches and pains joined the party, pain spreading through my body. I cleared my throat as Struan repeated the flashlight routine on my other eye. “We’re not dead.”

Finn’s chest rumbled against my side as he chuckled. “No. It takes a lot more than a tumble down a chasm to get rid of us, love.”

My cheeks heated at the endearment. He’d obviously meant it the same way he and Struan saidlass, but his accent made everything sound intimate.

“No concussion,” Struan announced, flicking off his flashlight. “But that gash on her head isn’t healing fast enough for my liking.”

“Her shoulder is dislocated,” Finn said. “I’ll take care of it.”

What? I struggled in his arms, trying to sit up. “Which shoulder?” My question ended in a groan as pain knifed down my arm. Nausea rushed me, and I collapsed backward.

“Thatone,” Finn said, giving me a stern look as he adjusted his arm behind me. “You wrenched it from the socket when you got tangled in the rope bridge. The pop was louder than the wind.”

Sweat beaded my forehead. If I’d had anything in my stomach, it would have decorated the jungle floor. “Okay,” I said weakly, memories of the chasm rushing back. I must have hit my head against the side of the cliff when the bridge fell.

Finn looked at Struan. “I’ll need your help for this.”

“Of course,” Struan said readily. He went to both knees, then reached a hand across me and grasped Finn’s shoulder. A hint of mischief danced in his blue eyes as he met my gaze. “Healing is a complicated gift. Finn and I are still a bit young to have mastered it. So we’ll combine our power. LikeCaptain Planet.”

Finn made a disgruntled sound. “No one knows what that is, Struan.”

“Yes, I do,” I breathed, my stomach fluttering as I held Struan’s stare. “I loved that cartoon.”

The mischief in his eyes grew. “They don’t make them like they used to.”