Page 112 of Deviant Illusions

But he’s breathless and he grits his teeth as he pulls me into his chest, closer to the metal bar. I cling to him, my fingers clawing into his shirt as my knees sink into the mud. All the while he brushes my hair out of my face and whispers, “You’re okay, you’re okay.”

He cups my face in both hands, forcing me to look up at him as he rushes out, “I love you, Delilah. I’ve loved you since I was six years old and you changed my life so many times that I’ve lost count. I love you so fucking much that I destroyed myself because I couldn’t have you.”

“I remember,” I whisper back.

I want to tell him everything so he knows too in case I forget again, but he ignores me.

“There’s steps on the cliff,” he urges. “Grab the bar, follow it.”

On one side is Helene’s house towering above everything, the other is dark. No lights apart from the small reflectors. The darkness is comforting. We’ll be able to hide in it to stop them finding us.

I nod and kiss him with the little air I have left.

I don’t deepen the kiss. It’s a promise that we’ll be okay, and I repeat, “I remember. Everything.”

The rain slows the trickle of the excess water cutting through the mud to flow down into the raging waters. We have time now. It’ll be easier to maneuver Kane without the rain pelting us.

His voice is clearer too as he strokes my back. “Move quickly, before it starts again.”

He walks on his knees through the small ledge we’ve found ourselves on, tilting to the side and resting his back against the hard edge of stone.

I slowly crawl forward and stretch to reach the ice-cold bar. It’s slick from the rain, making it harder to get a solid grip, but he grabs my waist to lift me closer.

“That’s it, koukla mou,” he says as I wrap one hand around the metal. “Put your feet on the sides so you don’t fall.”

I do what he says and my shoulders burn from supporting my weight. My wrist doesn’t fare any better as it twinges, nearly cracking at having to take the strain. The rocks are worse, scraping my sore feet as I shuffle along to make space for him.

But Kane doesn’t follow me. He falls back and closes his eyes as presses his hand to the wound on his leg. Stretching my hand out, I hopefully ask, “Kane?” The wind picks up and the wet lace of my dress sticks to my legs as I tighten my fingers around the bar. “Take my hand, baby.”

Red. It’s all I can see as he opens his eyes with another wobbly fucking smile. “Find a house and call Ruby.”

“I don’t have her number.”

“Noctem,” he says, ragged. “Ask for Niko. He’ll get you…to your…sisters.”

The wind gets stronger, swinging my body like a sail. I have to grab the bar with both hands as I lose my footing. My chin slams into the stone as I drop and blood fills my mouth.

“Delilah!”

But I manage to remain hanging on as another deafening crack sounds above us.

Kane slips, with the earth tumbling beneath him.

Everything else blurs.

Everything other than his wide eyes as he stretches his arms out, clawing at the mud sliding out under him.

To Be Continued…