Of Life and Death: [A Dark Academia Paranormal Romance]

Chapter 27

EMMA

Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit.

Shit!

We leap across another tree, legs pounding down on hard gravel. Rylan still hasn't left my hand, his strong grip steering me relentlessly.

"Don't let them get away!" A guard yells.

When I stumble over the uneven ground, Rylan catches me, wrapping a large hand around my bicep. He hauls me to my feet easily, pushing me in front of him. My breaths tear out of me and the wind whips my face punishingly, sending hair and the scent of evergreens into my nose. Gnarled branches lie low, preventing our desperate escape.

"Wha--" My gasp is torn when Rylan nudges me in a different direction. The sound of water slapping against boulders become evident.

When we get to the raging stream, he shrugs off his bag, throwing it into the river. The practice dummy follows soon after. He spins on me, motioning for my bag.  My eyes widen. "My pho--"

His voice is unyielding. "Emma. Now."

A stab of frustration. When figs crack in the distance, I thrust the bag into his waiting hand. 

"What are you doing?" I ask in surprise, watching him force his shirt over his head.

"Saving our asses," comes his irritated grunt.

My mouth dries when he goes completely shirtless.

Ropes of muscle coil around his taut torso. A light scattering of dark hair dusts the broad expanse of his chest, those wide shoulders tapering down to a lean waist. Through the moonlight, perspiration glistens along the hard ridges of his abs. Unable to speak, my eyes trail back up to his face.

Past his hard jaw and razor sharp cheekbones, I still when I see the fire burning within his eyes. He's watching me watch him. When the whites of his eyes start to bleed to red, we hear a rain of heavy footfalls headed fast in our direction. "F*ck," he mutters. His large shoulders flex once and when black wings arch from his back, I stumble away.

He seizes my wrist and soon I'm clasped to his heated chest. My gasp is caught in my throat when he takes a powerful leap and we're launched into the air. Wind rushes past my ears. I crane my neck around, seeing the party of guards now. I pale.

They haven't caught sight of us yet. If they only look up...

Rylan is aware of this so he doesn't fly any farther, disappearing behind a large canopy of trees. He eases us onto the top of a tree, cramming our weight into a hiding spot filled of congested branches. He finds a comfortable position, rolling on his back... And placing me right on top of him.

I am by no means a small woman. 

But, next to him, I feel so tiny.