Page 17 of Brutal Knight

I forced myself to keep moving.

Suddenly she began to fight me, and I knew she was panicked.

If I let her go, she would be carried out to sea and I couldn’t let that happen.

I fought against her, my arm a band of steel across her like Superman. I wouldn’t let her go.

Fighting her made me more tired, but we finally made it to the other side.

I shoved her up so that she was sitting, and she started coughing up water. I climbed out, slipping once as the water pulled at me. I finally made it out, and sat next to her, pounding her back.

Her cheeks had angry, red spots but when she finally caught her breath, she gushed out. “You saved me.”

Her eyes met mine and, even though the waves were still crashing against our feet, I couldn’t move. I was thunderstruck by the look of awe on her face. She repeated herself. “You saved me.”

My chest filled with pride and I felt taller, bigger, and stronger than I ever had before. A ferocity I’d never felt before came over me. “I’ll always save you,” I proclaimed.

She nodded, eyes wide as she stared at me. “Thank you!”

“You’re welcome.”

I wanted to kiss her again but the waves started crashing against us higher. I stood up. “Come on. We have to climb up.”

Neither one of us had shoes, and our clothes stuck to our wet bodies, but she easily followed me now. It took us several minutes to climb high enough to be safe. Then we sat, huddled together against the cave wall. Waiting, we watched in silence as the water rose higher and higher, waves crashing, and wind howling around us.

Tatiana shivered. It wasn’t that cold so I thought maybe she was just afraid.

I took off my shirt and pulled it over her head.

When she still didn't stop shaking, I pulled her inbetween my legs, then wrapped my arms around her, holding her close, trying to comfort her.

We stayed like that for a long time, with her head leaning back against my chest—trusting me.

I'd never had the trust of anyone like that before, especially someone who you could tell didn't give it easily.

I was quickly sliding deeper and deeper in my need to always be here for her, to do whatever it took to protect and keep her safe.

I suddenly hated that I lived in the United States and that she lived here; that I would only see her when I came to visit.

I planned and schemed, trying to figure out ways I could do it from my home.

By the time the tide was sucked back out of the cave, allowing us to easily swim back to the other side, night had fallen.

We stepped out of the cave, hand in hand, to see that the dark stormy sky had broken free of the clouds, allowing us a breathtaking view of the stars. We stopped to stare in awe. For a single moment in time, it was like we were the only people on the planet, and that we were stepping from the end of the earth and into the heavens.

As we stood there, a trail of tears fell across the sky—it was a bunch of falling stars. “Look!” I pointed at them.

She sucked in a breath. “Oh my god. They’re so beautiful.’

“Uh-huh,” I said, but I wasn’t looking at the stars.

As Tatiana watched them fall, her lips parted in amazement, I could only stare ather,myown littlepolva, in awe and wonder.

The whole world had fallen apart and yet, here we were together. On the very day that we’d met.

It was fate. Destiny had put us together.

In that very second, I vowed that, no matter what, I would always,always, keep her safe, no matter what happened.

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