Chapter 148

“I thought,” a low rough voice murmurs right against my ear, “I told you to stay put.”

The wave of relief that crashes through me at the sound of Eli’s voice is so intense that my knees actually buckle. I turn in his arms and throw mine around his neck, holding on tighter than I probably should.

“I was about five seconds away from coming back for you.” I murmur into his chest, still feeling my body shaking. “I heard the shots and then nothing. I thought… I thought…”

“I know,” he says quietly, placing a hand at the small of my back and pulling me closer. “I’m okay. We’re okay.”

We stay like that for a long moment, just breathing, the adrenaline still surging through both of us. When we finally pull apart, our faces are only inches away. His eyes search mine in the dim light filtering through the trees, and I can feel my pulse still racing, though now for an entirely different reason.

“I thought I’d never see you again,” I whisper, feeling my body relax