AVERY

Eliza tensed and darted a glance over her shoulder at our commander. Her brow furrowed and she began climbing, her movements quick and efficient. Some of my worry abated. Maybe she truly was just tired and not sick.

"Almost there." I reached down so my arm was dangling over the edge.

She ignored my outstretched hand despite her ragged breaths and heaved herself over the top. She lay flat, panting, and was effectively hidden from our commander's appraising eyes.

Wyatt continued to watch us from the ground, nodding in satisfaction that we'd done the climb. He had no idea that Eliza looked as white as snow.

I jerked my chin toward the boulder field we now had to scramble over. "Once we're across that, we're back on even ground."

She sat upright, grimacing. "Let's go."

I stayed at her side as we traversed the rough terrain, but as before, with Wyatt watching, Eliza seemed determined.

Once back in the woods, the trail climbed steeply upward again, but at least we reached the top not long later. However, it soon became apparent that going down wasn't much easier than going up. The terrain was so steep that several times we had to get down on our butts to shimmy off rock ledges or grab onto trees to stop ourselves from going too fast.

I helped Eliza when I could, and now that Wyatt was out of sight again, she let me.

"We must almost be to the river," I told Eliza when the sound of rushing water reached us. "Do you hear that? We're almost done."

Her head dipped, letting me know she'd heard me, but she didn't respond.

The whooshing sound of the fast-moving river grew louder the more we descended.

"We're almost there," I said.

A few minutes later, we emerged from the trees.

"It's moving really fast." Eliza scanned the broad band of river.

She was right. The water raged here. Frothy white caps and swirling eddies filled my view.

"We can start to cross using those large boulders." I pointed to the rocks jutting out of the water. "And then we can finish crossing on that felled tree."

Eliza leaned against a smooth boulder, her eyes closing. I wasn't even sure if she'd heard me.

I cast an anxious glance over my shoulder to see if Wyatt was near, but he was nowhere to be found, obviously giving us room since he thought we were doing fine.

I stepped closer to her. "If you're not feeling good, Eliza, we should wait here for—"

"I'm fine!" she snapped and abruptly straightened. "Let's go."

But when she tried to pass me, I stopped her and laid a palm against her forehead. I gasped. "You're burning up!"

She took an unsteady step away, and another ragged breath escaped her. "I shall be fine. I can get to the end. I am just a bit unwell today."

"Eliza, you're sick. We should tell Major—"

She grabbed my hand, her grip surprisingly strong. "No! I have to get through this, Avery. I cannot get kicked out of training!"

I softened my tone. "They won't kick you out of training for being sick one day."

"But I've been sick all week," she whispered, her eyelids dipping down. "I've been trying to hide it, but it's been getting worse, and if I miss too many days, they'll kick me out for sure. Please, Avery. Please don't tell him. I just need to get through this and then I shall have the weekend to recover."

The desperation in her tone silenced me. I knew she was in no shape to be out here, but who was I to tell her what to do, especially when I felt the same about being at the SF. Failing training wasn't an option. Period.

"Okay, then how about I go first, and I'll let you know the best place to put your feet. Deal?"

She nodded. "Deal."

I squeezed her hand again before stepping onto a large rock sticking up from the river. Frothy water gushed around it, and when I put all of my weight on my foot, I nearly slipped. Holding my arms out for balance, I called to Eliza, "Be careful. Don't jump too fast, or you might slip."

I waited on each rock until she was safely on the one behind me. We made our way slowly across the river as the deafening roar of the constant rushing water swirled around us. A few times, I reached a hand out to her, helping to keep her steady.

At the center of the river, the felled tree waited. While the rotting wood had a pungent scent, it looked much easier to traverse than the slick rocks behind us.

"We're almost there." I squeezed Eliza's hand again. "This looks more secure than the rocks, so just take your time and we'll get to the other side." Eliza nodded grimly before we started crossing it. Beneath our feet the river churned, reminding me of whirlpools made in a bathtub. I had no idea

how deep the river was, but I couldn't see the bottom. "Almost there."

When I didn't hear her reply, I peeked over my shoulder.

Eliza stood immobile on the tree, a hand on her forehead. Alarmed, I shuffled my feet, turning to face her as she swayed slightly to the left.

"Eliza!" I lunged for her, but she tipped to the side.

Her eyes opened in awareness just as she plunged into the river.

The second she broke through the water, she shrieked and gasped. "Avery!"

I grabbed for her but already the river was pulling her away. "Eliza!"

"Help!"

I dove in.

The moment I hit the water, my breath caught. Its icy temperature seized my lungs, but I managed to gulp in a shallow breath before kicking toward Eliza.

She clung to a protruding branch from the fallen tree, but she was a few yards downstream. Cold water pushed into me, trying to force me under, but I kicked as hard as I could until I reached her.

"Keep pulling along the branch until you can grab the tree!" I yelled to her over the deafening river.

Fear filled her eyes as she struggled to move against the current.

I managed to keep my hold on a soggy branch as I reached around her with my other arm. "Pull yourself up!" I scanned the trees for Wyatt, hoping he'd appear, but I still didn't see him. "Come on, Eliza! Pull!" I pushed her butt as hard as I could while the water barreled into my face.

I coughed and sputtered. Icy water rushed into my mouth and matted my hair to my eyes. Kicking harder, I pushed closer to the surface and shoved Eliza with everything I had.

She lurched toward the tree, coughing uncontrollably, but managed to grab onto it and pull herself back up.

I kicked again and tried to follow her, but the water shoved against me. "I can't reach it!" I yelled to her.

"Grab a hold of me!" She lay down on the tree and extended her arm.

I kicked furiously and reached toward her outstretched hand. Her fingers were only inches away.

"Just a little farther, Avery!"

My fingers brushed hers, then the branch I was holding snapped.

I screamed just as water rushed over my face. The whitewater sucked me down, blinding me and shoving me into its frigid depths. I thrashed and kicked, trying to break through the surface, but its overpowering current only pulled me farther and deeper downstream.

Several times, I knocked against the bottom of the riverbed. Smooth rocks and coarse sand grazed my skin. I tried to turn, to push off from the bottom, but the harder I kicked, the more my lungs burned.

You have to get to the surface!

I kicked harder, my arms clawing, but just as my hand broke through the water, my body collided with a rock, and I was sucked back down again.

No!

The violent force of the water swirled me down in its unyielding icy realm. My lungs burned, panic seizing me.

I'm going to die.

My limbs grew sluggish. The dark, cold water wrapped around me, welcoming me to its unforgiving depths.

I sank again, blackness beginning to descend over my vision, when a strong arm suddenly encircled my waist.

A rush of magical power barreled around me, and then I shot through the surface.

The second my face broke free, I gasped for breath while sputtering and clawing.

"Avery, it's me! I got you! Don't fight me!"

It took a second before I recognized Wyatt's voice. Water still rushed over my head and threatened to pull me down again, but Wyatt swam toward the shore, cutting through the water despite the powerful current.

I clung to him while I coughed and struggled to breathe.

The bottom of the riverbed suddenly brushed against my soaked hiking shoes, and then Wyatt was carrying me in his arms up the bank.

I shivered and shook. Terror still coiled within me. I'd almost drowned.

I'd been seconds away from death.

If Wyatt hadn't jumped in after me, I'd be dead.

Wyatt laid me against the river bank, his eyes burning like molten emeralds as he looked me over. "Are you hurt? Is anything broken?"

I shook my head, my teeth chattering uncontrollably. "No. I'm . . . I'm okay. But Eliza? Is she—"

"She's fine. I got her off that felled tree before I dove in after you." Wyatt breathed heavily. His T-shirt was soaked and clinging to his strong frame.

I glanced down, my jaw dropping when I saw that I was in a similar state. My shirt stuck to my skin, my breasts clearly visible through the fabric. My cargo pants felt like they weighed twenty pounds, and my shoes felt like concrete blocks.

Wyatt took in my soaked clothes, but his chin abruptly jutted up when he saw my breasts.

"I . . . I . . . don't know how to thank you," I stammered. My teeth wouldn't stop chattering, so I gritted them together to stop my shivering.

Wyatt shook his head, his brow furrowing. "What the hell happened?" he growled. "I came out of the forest to see Eliza reaching for you as she lay on that log and then you went under."

My teeth snapped again. "She fell off the log, and I went in after her, but after I got her up, the branch I'd been holding snapped—"

"You jumped in after her?" "She fell, and I didn't—"

"You never go in after someone unless you're also secure. Otherwise you both could have drowned!"

A flush crept up my neck. "I'm sorry. I didn't know—" I snapped my mouth shut when another shiver hit me.

A low growl emitted from him before he snarled, "You're freezing." He pulled me against him, and his warm body covered mine. His calloused hands ran roughly up and down my limbs, as he used his large body and the friction from his palms to warm me.

For a moment, I closed my eyes, letting myself revel in the feel of him pushed against me and his blissful heat permeating my limbs.

After a few minutes, his hands slowed. "You're sure you're not hurt?"

I shook my head. "No. I don't think so. Just . . . uh . . . shaken up. I didn't think I was going to survive that."

His arms tightened. "I didn't know if I would get to you in time." "But you did." I gave him what I hoped was a reassuring smile.

He pulled back, just enough to see my face better. Light rimmed his irises, the same light that I'd seen when he'd been watching me have dinner with Nicholas in the cafeteria.

He lifted a finger, his expression impossible to read, as he brushed a wet strand of hair from my face.

I closed my eyes, relishing his touch, as an entirely new feeling made me shiver.

But as soon as that electric tingle shot to my toes, Wyatt lunged off me. Gasping, I opened my eyes to see him standing two yards up the bank.

His jaw worked, his face dark. "We should head back. Eliza's not well."

My lips parted, as shame flowed over me. Did I really just bask in my commander's arms while my friend is sick, feverish, and alone on the riverbank?

"You're right. Of course." I pushed against the bank, my limbs still shaky, but when he reached out to steady me, I shook my head. "I'm fine.

I'll follow you."

His hand hovered in mid-air for a moment before he lowered it. "Stay close. You drifted pretty far downstream, so we'll have to hack our way through the brush to get back to the trail."

I nodded.

Wyatt forged our way through the tangled bushes and trees along the river's edge, while I followed closely behind him. Exhaustion made the trek difficult, and I couldn't get images of the icy river and Wyatt's strong arms out of my mind.

One thing I knew? If he hadn't found me when he did, I would be dead.