By the midpoint, he'd shot up to my waist, but his muttered curses told me he'd underestimated how good I was--or overestimated how good he was--and it was clear he wasn't going to catch up in time. So I stopped.
Daniel leaned over and mouthed, "What are you doing?" Below, the others yelled, a cacophony of shouts and cheers and jeers. Rafe reached up, his bracelet hitting the rock with a ping. I glanced at it. A worn rawhide band with a cat's-eye stone. I could see his tattoo better, too, as he pulled himself up, and I recognized the symbol. A crow mother kachina. Hopi.
As he drew up alongside me, he cocked one brow.
"You really that kiss don't you?" he said.
"No, I just want to see what you can really do."
He smiled then, a blaze of a grin that made me forget I was hanging twenty feet above the ground.
"All right then," he said. "No holds barred. On my count?"
I nodded.
"One, two, three…"
We took off. I kept my face to the wall, throwing everything I had into the climb, certain I'd pull away to victory. But he stayed alongside me, his grunts and labored breathing telling me he was trying just as hard.
I struggled to concentrate, but all I could hear was his breathing. It was weirdly relaxing, like the ticking of a metronome, and I found myself moving faster, smoother, the rock seeming to glide under me, hands and feet finding the notches and grips automatically, like climbing a tree, that blissful feeling of going higher and higher, the earth and everything earthly vanishing below me, the air getting thinner, the world quieter as I pulled away until--
My hand hit the top ledge and I jolted out of it, and looked over to see Rafe beside me, sweat dripping down his face, eyes glowing, face glowing, his gaze locked on mine again, lips parting to say something--
A jerk on my harness made me look up sharply as Daniel adjusted the rope, preparing to let me belay down. The look on his face told me who'd won.
Daniel leaned over and mouthed, "What are you doing?" Below, the others yelled, a cacophony of shouts and cheers and jeers. Rafe reached up, his bracelet hitting the rock with a ping. I glanced at it. A worn rawhide band with a cat's-eye stone. I could see his tattoo better, too, as he pulled himself up, and I recognized the symbol. A crow mother kachina. Hopi.
As he drew up alongside me, he cocked one brow.
"You really that kiss don't you?" he said.
"No, I just want to see what you can really do."
He smiled then, a blaze of a grin that made me forget I was hanging twenty feet above the ground.
"All right then," he said. "No holds barred. On my count?"
I nodded.
"One, two, three…"
We took off. I kept my face to the wall, throwing everything I had into the climb, certain I'd pull away to victory. But he stayed alongside me, his grunts and labored breathing telling me he was trying just as hard.
I struggled to concentrate, but all I could hear was his breathing. It was weirdly relaxing, like the ticking of a metronome, and I found myself moving faster, smoother, the rock seeming to glide under me, hands and feet finding the notches and grips automatically, like climbing a tree, that blissful feeling of going higher and higher, the earth and everything earthly vanishing below me, the air getting thinner, the world quieter as I pulled away until--
My hand hit the top ledge and I jolted out of it, and looked over to see Rafe beside me, sweat dripping down his face, eyes glowing, face glowing, his gaze locked on mine again, lips parting to say something--
A jerk on my harness made me look up sharply as Daniel adjusted the rope, preparing to let me belay down. The look on his face told me who'd won.
( Kelley Armstrong )
[ The Gathering ]
www.QuoteSweet.com