Morgan knelt and began to scoop the bugs out of the way, cringing at the sound of crunching as she wedged her way into the narrow tunnel. Not surprising, Katar didn’t insist on going first this time. Vines and roots filled the low passageway, forcing her to wiggle through the tiny opening.
Ryder caught her hips, easily pulling her free and setting her on her feet. “I’ll make a bigger opening for you to follow.”
He flexed his fingers, and his nails slowly stretched and hardened to sharp points. He began hacking away at the plants until he had enough room to wedge his broad shoulders through. By the time Morgan followed, her view was of his flexing ass.
The befuddling sight distracted her from the crushing claustrophobia of being in such a confined space. Knowing she couldn’t stretch out, couldn’t run, couldn’t do anything but inch forward constricted her chest until breathing became difficult. The tight space quickly became sweltering, intensifying the impression that there wasn’t enough air.
The vines became thorny, scratching and clawing at every inch of her, as if hungry for her blood. A creeping vine looped around her ankle, and she nearly fell flat on her face as it tightened when she tried to edge forward. She struggled to kick backwards and yank her leg free, but only ended up getting more tangled.
Her mind flashed back to being held immobile and shackled on the sacrificial altar as her blood slowly drained out of her. Her breathing sped up, her heart thudding erratically against her ribs as she struggled to free herself.
“Hold still.” Kincade grabbed her foot, his grip warm and reassuring, and she nearly kicked him in the face until she recognized his voice. Ever so slowly, he unknotted the tangle of vines while she struggled to get her breathing under control.
He patted her calf, the comforting gesture loosening the tight band around her chest that threatened to crush her.
“Thank you.”
“Anytime.”
When Morgan inched forward, the plants and roots around them thickened to the point where she could no longer see stone. Ryder’s destruction was the only sign of his passage, his feet barely visible. Loki, however, was having just as much difficulty, his feet becoming tangled and mired in the overgrowth until every step was a struggle.
She plucked him up, then sighed and shoved him down her shirt. “Sorry pup.” He wiggled around for a second, then settled in for the ride.
Without the hound as a distraction, the sense of her surroundings vanished as vertigo struck, leaving her feeling disconnected and her senses spinning. Morgan tried to avoid thinking about her greatest fear, not wanting it to manifest, but the more she tried to avoid the subject, the more it loomed in her mind.
While being strapped down hadn’t been fun, her worst fear hadn’t been dying…it was the thought of losing the men who were beginning to mean everything to her.
Needing to touch something solid before she lost her mind, she wiggled her hand between the roots, ignoring the way the bark scraped at her flesh. To her surprise, her hand burst through and touched air.
Not stone.
“Ryder!” With her free hand, Morgan lunged forward and grabbed his pant leg just as the vines around them began snapping. His body began to tip down, dragging her with him when she refused to release her hold.
Ryder managed to snag a couple of hanging vines as they tore free of the tunnel, the momentum sending them swinging through the air like an uncoordinated Tarzan. Only her weak grip on his pants kept her from plunging below. When the vines creaked ominously, she grabbed for the nearest one as it swung past, and released Ryder.
She flew through the air for a few seconds, free-falling, when the comforting touch of rope smacked her palm. She slid down a few feet before she could stop her momentum. She twisted the vine around her leg to help support her weight, then glanced up. Ryder was staring down at her, his expression hard.
“Can you climb?”
The hairs on the back of her neck rose, and Morgan peered down. A clear black glass surface reflected their images back at them, a small ripple disturbing the surface.
Water.
Only water didn’t ripple unless there was a current…or something moved under the surface.
When she glanced up, she saw the ceiling was covered with vines. The jagged hole where they exited was hardly discernable. Roots and vines began to sway. As more and more weight settled on the vegetation, the more the vines stretched to hold them.
“Stop!”
Unfortunately, the vegetation muffled her voice. The vines stretched ominously. When the strain proved too much, the vegetation snapped and bodies began to fall.
And her worst nightmare came to life.
Two soldiers hit the water with a heavy splash, snapping her out of her paralysis, and her resolve to save her men firmed.
No way in hell would anything happen to them on her watch.
She would not lose them to her irrational fear.
Not when she could stop it.
Morgan swung her legs, using her momentum to bring her closer, and Ryder followed her lead. She was on the backward swing when she saw Draven drop next, his arms flailing for purchase. He grabbed a vine, but the damned thing pulled free, sending him plunging down.
Ryder swung forward, grabbed one of his arms, using his momentum to swing Draven through the air…then released him! She watched in horror as Draven went flying, his body arrowing through the air to snag another vine.
As she swung away from them, she saw Kincade fall next. She grabbed another vine to alter her course, and they collided with a thump. Kincade grabbed for one of the vines, and they dangled together for a few seconds before she released her grip, and they spun away from each other.
A loud snap cracked through the cavern, and the entire ceiling seemed to collapse, hitting the surface of the blackish water with a splash. Ascher and a soldier were lucky enough to become tangled in the vines during their fall, only the soldier lost his purchase, slipping and ended up with a rope wrapped around his neck, his legs frantically kicking for purchase as he clawed at the vine as he was slowly strangled.
Ascher struggled to untangle himself, burning and snapping the vines, but by the time he fought his way free, the soldier had stopped struggling.
To her surprise, the vines remained on the surface of the lake instead of sinking. While it might provide a makeshift life raft, the tangled mess was like putting plastic wrap over the surface. Those underneath weren’t able to break through to breathe.
Katar and two of his soldiers remained on top of the vegetation, bitching and complaining. Ward landed only a few feet away, struggling to untangle himself as he began to sink below the surface.
Morgan scanned the area for Atlas but didn’t see him.
Nor did she see an exit of any kind.
“Morgan, don’t.” Draven was studying her from only a few yards away, his eyes narrowed, as if he knew what she was thinking.
Before the others could guess her intent and stop her, she released her hold on the vine, crossed her arms over her chest, and clamped her legs together. She plunged through the air, spearing through the tangle of vegetation and into the water.
The temperature was bitterly cold, and she fought against the need to gasp. The phoenix fluttered against her back, and the water around her warmed instantly. The strain of crawling, then swinging from vines, triggered a vicious ache in her shoulder where the newly carved sigil had been placed. Swimming only aggravated the pain building in her shoulder, limiting her movements.
Four more splashes hit the water next to her, and she quickly recognized the guys. She scowled, not happy to see them. If they got themselves killed trying to save her, she would never forgive them. As she peered through the dark liquid, she was surprised to see only one soldier frantically scratching at the vines for air.