I was falling and then I wasn't.

A gasp fell from my lips when pain shot through my arm. Something had clasped my wrist to stop my fall. I blinked rapidly to clear the dirt from my eyes and glanced up. Obsidian had grabbed hold of my wrist. His eyes locked with mine for a second before he turned his head to glance over his shoulder.

Another scream fell from my lips when the ground started giving way beneath his feet too. He had caught me to stop my fall but now he was falling too. Dirt rained down on me, forcing me to close my eyes and turn my head away. My stomach rolled and bile rose in my throat. I was going to die and it was my own fault.

We jerked to a sudden stop, making pain shoot through my arm once again. Any second now it was going to be ripped from its socket. More dirt rained down on me for a few more seconds before it stopped. I slowly opened my eyes and wished I hadn't. I hung a few feet from the jagged rocks.

So fucking close.

A grunt from above me had my eyes snapping up. Obsidian was gripping a small ledge with one hand and his other was holding onto my wrist. My eyes dropped to the water again. He wouldn't be able to hold us up for any longer.

"Lara." I tilted my head back to stare up at him. "I'm going to lift you and I need you to grab onto my shoulders and hold on."

"W-what?" I shook my head. "I—"

"You can do it, Lara!"

My eyes dropped to the water again. What if I slipped? What if I couldn't grab hold of him fast enough?

"Look at me."

I sucked in a breath and looked up at him again. His eyes locked with mine and I saw the determination there. He wasn't going to let me fall. Swallowing, I reached up with my other hand and gripped his wrist. His lips twisted.

"It's not your day to die today."

"Neither is it yours," I told him.

"On three, okay?"

I nodded. Obsidian glanced up and stared at his hand gripping the edge. His chest expanded as he sucked in a deep breath. I clung to him when he started to raise his arm. It must be hell for him but all I could think about was that he wouldn't drop me.

"Lara!" Ethan's anguished voice distracted me for a few seconds.

"Wrap around me," Obsidian grunted.

I wrapped my legs around his and then gripped his shirt with the hand that had grabbed hold of his wrist. He lifted me a little higher until it was enough for me to grip his shoulders. The moment I had a good grip on him, he let go of my wrist and grabbed onto the ledge.

"Hook one arm under mine and the other over my shoulder and then link your fingers together. Think you can do that?"

I nodded and then realized that he couldn't see me. After muttering a soft reply, I scrapped the courage together to do as he ordered. My body started to shake as the fear inside me intensified. We were both going to die and it was my fault.

You're not going to die. It's not your day, remember? Everything's going to be fine.

I wanted t believe my own words. I squeezed my eyes closed and then did as he ordered. I had to move a little higher up his body so I could hook and arm over his shoulder to link my fingers together. I pulled my legs up and wrapped them around his hips. I felt bad knowing that he was holding both of our weights.

"I'm sorry," I whispered.

Obsidian didn't reply. He moved his hands a little further apart. I felt his muscles tense beneath me as he started pulling himself up. My hopes soared only to die down when the ledge cracked and we were falling again. My hands slipped but I managed to hold on.

Curses fell from his lips when he managed to stop our fall again. The sounds of the angry waves blocked out anything else he said. I pressed my face against his back when more dirt rained down on us.

I never even got to tell Silas and Ethan that I loved them. Maybe this was a sign.

"Lara? I need you to do something for me."

"W-what?"

He turned his head and started speaking. I had to strain my ears to hear what he was saying.

"I need you to move around me."

"Around you?"

"I need you in front of me so I can climb. If you slip then I'd be able to catch you. I can't catch you fast enough if you're on my back."

"I don't-"

"You can do it! We'll take it slow."

"O-okay." I can do it.

For him. For Silas, and for Ethan. Today wasn't my day.

It was a struggle. There was no easy way to go from hanging onto someone's back to crawling under his arms so I could cling to his chest instead. Obsidian had somehow managed to find something to stand on. I didn't dare look down to see if it was another ledge or not.

"You're doing great," he said when I managed to do as he ordered. "Now place your arms like you had before and wrap your legs around my waist as high as you can."

I was basically sitting on the man's lap. My eyes opened to look at him and I was shocked to find yellow cat-like eyes watching me.

"I'm not like you," he rasped. "My blood is mixed with Panther DNA."

I nodded and held on a little tighter. Obsidian glanced down and then up. I wished I knew what he was thinking. His head turned to the left and then to the right.

"It's bad, isn't it?" I questioned.

"Can you swim?"

I nodded. "But I'm not a very good swimmer."

"Well, it depends on how you look at things." He licked his lips and looked me in the eyes. "The ground is loose. I can try to climb but we might end up slipping. You're not a very strong swimmer so swimming isn't an option either."

"W-what if they throw us a rope?"

He shook his head. "Devrim would've realized how dangerous it is for them to move closer to the edge. If they move any closer to the edge then they could risk killing us."

A shudder raced down my spine. "What are we going to do?"

"Shh, just let me think, honey."

Let him think. I nodded, I could do that. I linked my fingers tighter together and pressed my face against his neck. Goose bumps broke out all over my skin. I was suddenly so cold.

"Lara?" My head snapped up. "Do you trust me?"

What is it with everyone asking me that lately? I hesitated and then nodded.

"Yes."

"I'm going to move fast. I need you to hold on to me. If you start to slip then you need to warn me. Okay?"

I nodded. I only had a chance to suck in a deep breath before we were moving. Panther. The man had panther DND. I tried to remember what I had learned about Panther's in high school, but I couldn't think. He wasn't climbing like I expected him to do. He was leaping.

"I think I'm going to be sick."

The man chuckled. He actually chuckled at me! I couldn't understand what he found so fucking funny. Panic hit when my fingers slipped when he landed hard. How was he managing to move like this anyway? How was he holding on?

"Two more leaps and then we'd be at the top."

"Would you hate me if I puke on you?"

His eyes shot to mine. Obsidian grimaced and then glanced up again. He sucked in a breath and that gave me enough time to tighten my arms and legs around him. His eyes locked with mine when he glanced down again.

"You still have a lot to live for, Lara. Don't give up on it."

I thought back to this morning. Ethan had kissed me awake and then the three of us had spend two hours making love before we got up and joined the others for breakfast.

"I won't."

"On three."

I sucked in a breath as he got into position. I'm never going near the edge of a cliff ever again. My stomach rolled when he leaped. It felt like we were airborne for longer this time. The sound of the waves disappeared and only the sound of the wind filled my ears. I made the mistake of opening my eyes.

"Oh god."

Obsidian wrapped his arms round me and turned seconds before we hit the ground. The air was knocked from my lungs. I tried to suck air into my lungs but panic tightened my chest. Hands grabbed me and then I was crushed against a hard chest.

Their scent instantly surrounded me. I almost lost them. My eyes snapped open when hand cupped my cheeks. I didn't care that I couldn't breathe. I smashed my lips onto his and kissed him like my life depended on it. When he forced my lips from his, I turned and grabbed Ethan's shirt to pull his lips down to mine. He made a sound that had wetness pooling between my legs.

"Lara," Silas muttered. "Sweetness."

Ethan broke the kiss when Silas pulled me away. He gripped my jaw and forced me to look at him.

"Are you okay?"

I nodded and then shook my head. Tears welled up in my eyes. "I'm sorry!"