Looking up, he saw Scorpio's determined grimace as he held tight to the whip he'd used to catch Dev before he'd fallen too deep to be saved. "Hold tight, Bear."
Even though his wrist and forearm were bleeding and burning, Dev wrapped one hand around the coarse, braided leather and grabbed tight with the other. He wasn't about to let go.
Sam came running. He saw the panic in her eyes that warmed him. Until the ground started shifting under Scorpio's feet. Gasping, Sam jumped back out of habit.
Ah, shit...
He heard the sound of the hounds screaming after they fell into the pits and were consumed.
Sam wanted to cry as fear ripped through her. She had to do something. Closing her eyes, she reached deep into her powers to pull Dev up. Because he had his own powers and he was a living organism, it wasn't as easy to lift him as it had been with the rock. It took a lot more power and she wasn't used to it.
"Ay Dios," Scorpio breathed as his feet started slipping. "I can't hold him."
The ground under Scorpio crumbled, sending dirt all over Dev. Sam wanted to scream as she saw images of Dev dying in the flames.
There was nothing she could do.
Out of nowhere, Fang shot forward. He knocked Scorpio sideways so hard that it cleared the shattering ground. But the jolt caused Scorpio to let loose the whip.
"Dev!" she screamed.
Ethon dove at the pit.
Sam couldn't breathe as she closed her eyes. But she couldn't be blind to Dev's suffering. He was in this because of her.
I've killed him.
Her premonition came back tenfold as bile rose in her throat. Tears scalded her eyes.
"Damn, Bear...what did you eat? How much do you weigh? Ever heard of Weight Watchers? Dude, diet is not a four-letter word for someone who weighs in at a solid freakin' ton."
She forced herself to look while Ethon continued berating Dev. To her complete shock, he had the whip and was trying to pull him up.
Fang and Scorpion grabbed Ethon by the waist and added their power to his.
She bit into her knuckle so hard, it bled. Please, please, please...
For the first time in centuries, she felt like the gods were on her side as they hauled him up.
Dev slung his leg over the edge. Ethon grabbed him by the shirt and hauled him clear of the ravine. Then all of the men sprawled out on the ground.
Ethon let out a sinister laugh. "I think I need a vacation."
Fang groaned. "I need a new backbone that doesn't feel like someone did a two-step down it with steel-plated razor cleats."
Scorpion sucked his breath in sharply between his teeth. "I need a belleza well tutored in massage."
Dev rubbed his bleeding wrist. "I'm going with Scorpion. Except my bonita is unfortunately intangible at the moment, which doesn't do me any good."
Everyone went silent as they became aware of the fact that Dev had just proclaimed her his. Publicly. Sam was stunned by his words.
"Oh, c'mon, people," Ethon said in a mocking tone. "We're all adults. Not like we didn't know what was going on between them. You know Dev isn't risking his jewels 'cause she plays a mean game of pool, for Zeus's sake."
Fang turned his head to pin Ethon with a gimlet stare. "That explains Dev. I'm here to keep his sister from beating on me if I let him get hurt. Neither of those explain why you two are signed up for this."
Ethon scoffed. "Mine's simple. Brain damage."
Scorpion shook his head. "I just like to kill things."
Ethon rolled over and pushed himself to his feet. "But not dogs."
"Si. No dogs."
"Why?" Sam asked.
Scorpio didn't answer as he flipped straight up into a fighting stance.
Dev got up and helped Fang to his feet. "You think there's a rhythm to when the ground breaks on us or not?"
Sam shook her head. "It's random."
Ethon wiped at the blood on his forearm. "At least it got rid of our four-legged piranha problem."
Yeah, but Sam wasn't so sure it was a good sign. She glanced around the overexposed landscape. It had such a weird orang-ish hue to everything. It looked like hell had been superimposed over New Orleans. She could see the street that had surrounded their circle. Only instead of a road, it was a burned-out hole. A blistering wind swept against them, making her hair sting her cheeks as it slapped against her face. Weird that she could feel that when she could feel nothing else.
The men were on their feet now, moving toward the bank where water boiled against a dark purple shore. She had an overwhelming urge to hum a spooky tune. But she didn't think the guys would appreciate it. Plus, they were a little jumpy and on edge as all of them waited for the next attack.
A whistle rent the air.
Dev reached out toward her instinctively. It was an action that made her heart catch. But she wasn't the one in danger.
He was.
And all she wanted to do was wrap her body around his and shield him from harm. If only she could.
Fang turned around looking for the source. "What is that sound?"
Scorpio tucked his whip back around his waist and pulled out his swords again. "Is it just me or does that sound like wings?"
Sam fell quiet to listen.