Page 31 of Venom Island
Enrique purrs, his rumble loud and demanding as the air ripples around us. I try to press myself into him even more, determined to have that soothing vibration follow me to my death.
Because I have no doubt I’m about to die.
Wolves can endure a lot, but we just jumped out of a jet. There’s no way we’ll be able to survive this fall. We’ll shatter upon landing. Break into a thousand pieces.
But if I have to die, at least it’s like this—in the arms of the first caring Alpha I’ve ever met.
A morbid acceptance. However, I’ve always known I would die a horrible, painful death. I’m just happy not to be alone.
I relax into his embrace, thankful for his power, his tenderness, the few moments of peace he gave me. “You’re a good Alpha,” I tell him, uncertain of whether or not he can actually hear me over the roaring wind. “Thank you for showing me that some Alphas can be kind.”
A vision of what could have been forms behind my eyes, providing me with a destiny I would have craved in another life. A destiny involving Enrique. Choosing him as my mate. Being claimed by him. Bearing his pups.
It’s a dream.
A fantasy I know will never happen.
But it’s a nice vision to entertain on the way to my?—
His arms shift and everything jolts, eliciting a scream from me as our free fall momentarily jerks upward. And suddenly we’re coasting through the air, not free-falling. I blink against his chest, confused by the varied sensation, my stomach rolling in response.
“This is going to be a rough landing,” Enrique rumbles against my ear. “But I still have you, tesoro. Just don’t let go of me, okay?”
I have no intention of ever letting go of him, so I just cling to him tighter and revel in his purr. It’s soothing. Hypnotic. Almost tranquil.
I can hear his heart thudding beneath it all, the steady rhythm one I strive to match. His presence is calming, his strength reassuring.
The rush of air seems to quiet, perhaps because I’m so utterly focused on Enrique that I can’t hear anything else.
Then athudrumbles through us both, followed by Enrique jolting forward into a run.
I startle, confused by the jarring change in sensation. One moment, I felt like I was floating. And now… now everything is bumpy once more.
Enrique releases a string of profanity, his purr dying beneath his words. “I have to set you down, pequeño tesoro.”
I clutch his shoulders, not wanting to leave him, but he’s already unfastening the straps around me.
“But I need to get this thing off of me, and I can’t do that with you in my arms,” he tells me as he tries to untangle my arms from his neck.
A whimper escapes me as he succeeds in overpowering my strength, my wolf curling up inside me in terror.
Except my feet don’t touch air; they touch something soft. Somethinggrainy.
Sand, I realize, glancing downward in a startled blink.What…?
I look around, my mind slowly deciphering the vision before me.
Gentle waves.
White sand.
Nearly full moon.
Stars.
Animal whispers taunt my ears, causing me to turn toward the junglelike village behind us. I frown at the buildings, all decorated in overgrown weeds and other wildlife.
“Where are we?” I whisper, confused and alarmed and partly… relieved. Because we survived. My focus shifts to Enrique where he’s untangling himself from a series of cords.A parachute, I realize, some of the last however many minutes—orhours—starting to make sense.
