Chapter 57


    Chapter 57- Crash Landing


    Ethan


    Jane is huddled in one corner of the basket as we plum met towards the ground, her eyes mped


    tightly shut as she holds on for dear life. At a certain point I had to cut the propane offpletely, the


    storm arrived too fast, and a gradual fall was too risky. Now we’re being batted around like a ping-pong


    ball trapped in some macabre game yed by the gods of thunder and lightning, and it’s only getting


    worse.


    When the nylon balloon tears, true fear slices through me for the first time. Up until then I was worried


    but optimistic: as long as the balloon was intact and we stayed in the basket, eventually we’d have to


    land. However one of those factors just got shredded, and the other was about to go right out the window


    with it. Still, I had to take the risk – for Jane’s sake if not my own.


    Wrapping one of the dangling bast ropes around my wrist, 1 begin climbing onto the edge of the


    basket, edging around to the side of the balloon that tore. Just then a terri fied but familiar voice reaches


    my ears, “Ethan, what are you doing?!”


    “I have to fix the tear!” I shout back.


    “It’s too dangerous!” Jane screams, crawling out of her corner and trying to cross over to me, as if she


    wants to pull me back inside.


    “I have to!” I call back, holding out a hand to stop her fran tic movement, “Just stay there and let me do


    this. There’s no other way.”


    To my immense relief she obeys, watching me with eyes as wide as dinner tes. Climbing up the


    rigging, it takes nearly all my strength to hold on as we careen through the air, but eventually I manage to


    reach the tear. Grasping one side of the nylon with one hand, I take a deep breath and let go of the ropes


    long enough to reach out and grab the other side of the ripped envelope.


    Bringing the two sides together, I quickly tie the shredded ends and loop my arms and legs through the


    ropes crisscross ing over the balloon, stabilizing myself as I prepare to ride out the rest of this disastrous


    flight. The base is more secure now, but I’m going to have to hold the sides of the tear to prevent it from


    ripping further at the top. Luckily these mountains are high enough that we aren’t far from the ground


    now, but we still have a crashnding to survive.


    Regret and fear for Jane pulses through me as I watch the mountains draw nearer, asionally


    illuminated by blinding shes of lightning. Thest thing I wanted was for her to be harmed. She has to


    survive this and not only because she means the world to me, but because if ites down to one of us,


    the pups need her far more than they need me suming they’re mine at all.


    as –


    Those minutes handing on the side of an out of control hot air balloon were among the longest of my life,


    but eventu ally we hit the ground like a ton of bricks, and I throw myself free of the balloon a second


    before the envelope hits the rocks, The basket is on it’s side, but I can see Jane still hud dled inside.


    Rushing to Jane, I pull her out of the basket and onto her feet, “Come here, let me look at you.” I


    murmur, checking over her small body, “Are you all right? Are you hurt?” But Jane isn’


    t responding, the moment I touched her shetched onto me like a little blonde strip of velcro, throwing


    her arms around my middle and sobbing into my chest.


    Sighing with relief and just a little bit of pride that she’s seeking me forfort, I return her hug and bury


    my head in her sweet-smelling hair. “Open your eyes, Janey.” I encourage her gently. “It’s over, we made


    it.”


    She shakes her head against my rain-drenched shirt, and I cuddle her closer. “It’s over little wolf, you’re


    safe.”


    Hershes gradually part, revealing tear-stained, red rimmed eyes as green as the forest around us.


    Looking hesi tantly around, she slowly turns her attention back to me. Pushing away from my embrace,


    she shes her hand to wards my bicep and I catch it reflexively, not allowing her swat tond. “What is


    wrong with you? How could you take me up in that thing!” She shouts furiously, “Are you crazy! We have


    kids!”


    “I’m sorry.” I profess sincerely, pulling her back into my arms, “I’m so sorry, I never would have done it if I


    thought there was a chance of a storm.”


    Jane’s face is buried in my chest, and she grumbles some thing indecipherable. I’m sure it was an


    usation of insult of some sort, but as long as she’s hugging me, I don’t care what names she wants to


    call me. I could dly do this all day. However when I finally push her away, deciding we’d better try to


    find some shelter, she’s not insulting me at all.


    “A-and y-you climbed o-out of the b-basket and I thought… I thought you were g-going to die and-” She


    sobs, staring at me with a look of abject betrayal, “what?”


    “Nothing.” | cover the sudden pang in my heart quickly, “T” m sorry I scared you, baby.”


    “You should be.” She sniffled, wiping her nose with the back of her hand. A red smear appears on her


    cheek then, and | catch her hand as carefully as I can. Angry red gashes dot her palms, and I spy a few


    shards of ss imbedded in her skin. The champagne sses must have broken. Tsking softly, I look


    around us for a suitable spot to wait out the storm and treat her wounds. To my surprise, I recognize the


    spot where we stand.


    “We’re not far from the temple.” | announce, ncing back at Jane. “Are you up for a little walk – I don’t


    think we’re going to find better shelter.”


    “Fine.” She informs me grumpily. “But I’m not doing any reminiscing, mister.”


    “Agreed.” | chuckle softly, leading her away into the trees.


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    “Ow!” Jane yelps, trying and failing to jerk her hand away from me. “Ow, ow, ow.”


    “Hush now,” | croon, using my extended ws like a pair of pincers to pull the ss from her ravaged


    palms. “I’m al most done.”


    We’re seated in an abandoned cave near the stone circle, shivering as rain continues to pour outside,


    but slowly drying out beside the fire I built. The temple’s priestesses live in the wilds around the altar, and


    I suspect the cave we currently in habit might have housed one of the Goddess’s mysterious servants


    once. It’s far too clean to be home to bears or other wildlife.


    Jane continues to fuss as I tend her wounds, I suspect more out of feeling sullen than actual pain. “Didn’t


    you birth quadruplets?” I tease after a moment, “this can’t be that bad.”


    “Actually this is worse.” Jane sniffs with a pout, “I had drugs for that.”


    “Oh I see.” I murmur sympathetically, wrapping her hand in a strip of damp fabric I tore from my shirt and


    kissing her palm before moving on to the other. I let my lips linger on her second hand a few moments


    too long, testing just how vul nerable she’s feeling. Jane lets me press a few lingering kisses to her wrist,


    then more as I make my way up her arm. Realiz ing she must have been very shaken if she was letting


    me take advantage this way, I pull back, feeling a sliver of guilt settle in my chest. I wouldn’t mind taking


    advantage further, but I feel badly for scaring her so much. “Okay sweetheart, I think we should shift and


    try to get some sleep.”


    Is it my imagination, or does she look disappointed?


    “It’s awfully cold.” She observes with a shiver. “Even with a fur coat.”


    I have to smother my smile, suddenly remembering how sneaky Jane used to be when we were dating.


    The pups defi nitely got their alpha personalities from their father – whether it’s me or Eric remains to be


    seen – but all their deviousness came directly from the little she-wolf in front of me. When Jane wants


    something she almost neveres out and asks for it, instead she schemes her way into making others


    offer it. I’d be willing to bet that my chosen mate wants a cuddle right now, but feels too proud or shy to


    ask for it.


    “Then I suppose we’ll have to snuggle for warmth.” I sug gest with a sigh.


    I know my suspicions were correct when I see a spark of triumph in her beautiful eyes. “Fine.” Jane


    mutters sulkily, “but don’t even think about trying anything.”


    “You have my word.” I vow, stripping off my clothes and shifting into my wolf. Curling up by the fire, I


    watch as Jane removes her soaked clothing one piece at a time, making ab solutely no attempt to hide


    herself from my view. With the near-death experience we just survived, I’m not surprised she’ s feeling


    the need to reaffirm her vitality with physical affec tion, but I know from experience that giving in now


    would be a mistake.


    I’m sure Jane would dly let me make love to her in this moment, but in the morning she would call it a


    mistake. Much better to keep her wanting, to leave her hot and bothered and hungry for more. So when


    she finally shifts and the sweet little blonde wolf curls up against me, I simply wrap my big body around


    her, and purr until she’s fast asleep. As disastrous as this date turned out to be – this round undoubtedly


    goes to