Page 39 of Escaping my Dragon

“Me, too.” Which was why I hollered, “Okay, guys, time to head out.”

The roaring of the gushing water drowned out my voice. I couldn’t capture the attention of my crew.

“Warm up in the chopper while I go get them.” Noah strode in their direction, and, as I watched his confident stride, desire stirred. I’d have to make the most of our last hours when we got back to the station, assuming he didn’t get pulled away by duty.

You can’t leave.

The voice, inside my head, had me frowning and turning. The mountain caught my gaze and held it, for I recognized this view from my dream.

This was the spot.

I glanced at my feet and the solid ice underneath them. Ice strong enough to hold the weight of a helicopter. It wouldn’t suddenly crack because of my one hundred and fifty pounds. Still, discomfited, I went to pivot, only to suddenly find myself flung to the ground. The sudden quake gave no warning and proved to be the most violent thus far. The groan of ice heaving and cracking had me glancing around, mouth and eyes wide. Water from the lake underneath bubbled through newly formed fissures, but of more concern, the quake had yet to stop, and the hunk of ice I lay on rocked.

Get off of it before it dumps you in the lake. My inner voice, known as self-preservation, screamed at me.

I scrabbled to my feet and drunkenly raced to get off it even as the piece began to tilt.

Like a contestant on a game show where contestants competed in ridiculous obstacle courses, I raced up the angling piece of ice and leapt from it. I landed hard but had no reprieve as the hunk under my hands and knees bobbled.

Up I got, running again, deafened by creaks and the groan of ice separating, the rumble of stone as the mountain reacted to the quake. So much noise, I couldn’t even hear myself panting, but I did hear the roar of the helicopter as its motor engaged.

Having hit the edge of the lake, where the ground still trembled but didn’t threaten to dump me in glacial waters, I took a moment to whirl and seek out the chopper. My heart stopped. My dumb ass had run in the opposite direction of the heli and making it back would require me risking my life navigating the unstable and rocking ice chunks.

Too dangerous, and I didn’t have enough time. The chopper swayed as its landing spot destabilized, and I saw water sloshing over a ski. It rose abruptly and my glance followed its path, staring at the windows where I could see Vernon and Joslyn’s faces pressed, probably looking for me.

I waved my arms, hopping up and down. “I’m here!”

And then I suddenly wasn’t.

The ground underfoot turned out to not be so solid, and, like in my dream, it cracked open and I fell.

However, unlike my nightmare, when I hit the bottom, I lost consciousness.

Chapter Twelve

I should have never brought Velma to Blood Falls. Blame my desire for a few more moments with her before duty dragged me away and circumstance removed her from proximity.

My selfishness might have killed her.

Soon as the quaking began, a more violent shaking than anything I’d experienced thus far, I sprinted in Velma’s direction only to see her racing away from me. I mean, I could see why. The lake’s partially frozen surface became unstable and Velma nearly got tossed into the water as the ice heaved. However, in saving herself from drowning and hypothermia, she also got further from the helicopter, our only means out of the area.

A chopper that was suddenly sitting on unstable ice.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

Seeing the impending disaster, I veered direction, aiming for my machine, throwing myself inside to get the rotors going. Joslyn and Vernon arrived moments later, huffing from exertion and flung themselves in the back. Before they’d even strapped in, I pulled the controls to get us rising, just in time, as the ice underneath the heli’s runners fully fractured.

“Holy shit, that was close,” Joslyn panted. “Where’s Velma?”

“Across the lake,” I spat out through gritted teeth. “I’m going to see if we can pick her up.” I angled the chopper so I could look in the direction I’d last seen her in and my heart sank at the horrific sight.

The lake’s frozen surface had split into chunks that bobbed and sloshed the iron rich water, splashing red all over, and rousing my PTSD because the whole area looked like a massacre occurred.

“I see her!” Joslyn yelled just as I noticed Velma standing on solid ground and not drowned because of my carelessness.

As if worried she’d not been spotted, Velma jumped up and down and waved her arms. The last thing she did before the ground under her feet swallowed her.

Disbelief had me blinking as if it could change what I’d seen. It didn’t.