Her Beast

Chapter 15: Dark pools

It was completely dark as they ran out into the night. The trees reached out, biting at their skin and tearing their clothes. Jaxson pulled on Zoey's hand, forcing her to run faster. Her eyes stayed trained on the ground in fear she would trip.

Jaxson suddenly reached behind her and held her up, bridal style. Zoey shrieked as Jaxson continued to fly through the trees.

"I can run! Let me down."

"No, you will slow us down."

Zoey heard snarls and something pounding against the soil of the forest. Panic surged through her, and her heart hammered in her chest. She clenched harder into Jaxson, looking for a sense of safety.
Jaxson began slowing down. He was unsure of where to go to escape the beasts that chased them. A whiff of water gave him an idea.

Zoey felt Jaxson pick up in speed. She was stunned by how fast this man could run—proving to her once more that he was not human.

She heard the sounds of running water before she could see it. Before Zoey knew it, she and the Beast stood at the edge of a cliff. They were peering down at the thundering roar of the waterfall crashing into the waters below.

Zoey gasped as a cool breeze blew droplets of water flew up onto her skin. She shivered, causing Jaxson to grip her tighter.

He could hear the snarls getting closer and knew they would be on them in a matter of seconds.

"Do you trust me, Zoey?"

She followed his gaze to the black pools below.

"No! Are you crazy? You could kill us!"

Zoey struggled to get out of his hold. Her panic bubbled up inside her and gripped her heart in an iron grip.

"Zoey! I need you to trust me." He pleaded with her.
She could hear whatever was following them get closer, and she realized this was their only chance at escaping.

Zoey looked up into the dark shadows of his eyes and nodded. Without another word, he walked to the cliff's edge and jumped. She gasped, feeling her stomach drop.

As they hit the water, Jaxson lost his hold on Zoey. The river ripped them apart.

The flowing water pushed them down, turning them around. Zoey clawed at the water, struggling to get to the top as her bag added weight. She also wasn't sure what direction the surface was. Her lungs screamed at her to take a breath.

Just as her vision darkened, she broke through the water's surface. She took a deep breath of the forest air, gulping down as much as possible.

Zoey remembered she wasn't the only one in the river. She looked around frantically for Jaxson.
"Jaxson!" She cried out, dunking her head back in the water, but it was too black to see anything. The river continued to pull her body downstream, but she fought against the current to try and find him.

"Oh, so you do care about me."

Zoey screamed, her body freezing in terror.
She turned to look behind her, glaring at the Beast as he stood chucking on the shore. He walked down the edge of the river as it continued to pull Zoey slowly down.

"You jerk. How could you do that to me? Especially at a time like this."

He shrugged, a big smirk pulling at his lips.
Zoey groaned and tried to swim to the edge, but she was never good at swimming or even that strong, for that matter.

"A little help would be nice."

Jaxson chucked again, climbing back into the bitter water. He grabbed ahold of Zoey, helping her out.
She shivered as the cool air bit at her wet skin. She could barely feel her fingers and toes.