Enslaved by Elisabeth Naughton Page B

pushed away from boulders with his feet to keep them from smacking into them again. “ Skata , it’s another waterfall.”
    Dread filled Maelea’s chest. They’d been lucky to survive what they’d already come through. With the amount of rocks here and the rapids, they’d never make it through another sharp drop.
    She frantically scanned the new cave they’d moved into. It was nearly pitch-black—only a few glowing stones were spaced unevenly on the bottom of the river. She squinted, tried to make out their surroundings. The ceiling was higher. A small shelf ran along the edge of the water. Not much, but enough that maybe, if they could reach it, they could get out of this water before they went over that waterfall. “Look. Over there.”
    His head swiveled in the direction she pointed, and she watched his eyes grow wide like hers.
    Daylight. Coming from the ceiling far off to the right.
    “Come on!” He was already dragging her in that direction. “Swim hard!”
    She thought her legs might fall off from the effort it took to swim against the current. Her arms ached, and her chest was so cold it was hard to draw air, but when she reached the ledge, when she realized daylight was only ten feet above, up a jagged hill they could easily climb, hope and a resurgence of energy spurred her on.
    Gryphon hauled himself out of the water, dropped the sword at his feet, and turned to reach for her. Her hand slid into his. She braced her boots against the rocks along the edge and tightened every muscle, helping him as best she could. “Come on,” he said. “We’re almost there.”
    She could barely believe it. In a few minutes they’d be out of this cave. And even though they’d shared that crazy, never-should-have-happened kiss, she was thankful she’d be free from him as well. Because that darkness inside him, those handsome good looks, and the way he felt so deliciously perfect against her skin? They were all a temptation she didn’t need. Not if she was going to get to Olympus. Not if she wanted to stay alive.
    She levered herself up. Grunted at the effort. Halfway out of the river, with her torso perched on the rocks and her legs still dangling in the frigid liquid, a hiss echoed in the darkness.

Chapter Seven
    Crouched by the side of the river, with water dripping from his body and both hands wrapped around Maelea’s arms to haul her out, Gryphon froze. He didn’t have to turn, because he knew what was behind him. The only question was where. And how many.
    Maelea must have read his mind, because her gaze strayed over his right shoulder, and her eyes grew even wider.
    Okay, that meant more than one. Their luck was not improving. He squeezed her hand to get her attention. When her fear-filled eyes darted back to his, he glanced down at the rocks, silently telling her not to make any quick moves when he let go.
    The tiniest nod of her head was all the confirmation he needed. At his back, another hiss echoed, followed by the clicking of dozens of nails against stone.
    He let go of her, grasped the sword, and swiveled, arcing out before the first kobalos could attack. A shriek sounded as he caught one across the chest, followed by another series of hisses and growls as they charged.
    He swung out with the blade, kicked and knocked one creature into another. A grunt sounded as they went down. It was darker in here, with very little light coming through from above, and he wasn’t sure how many he took down, but when Maelea screamed at his back, he knew the longer they lingered, the more would arrive.
    “Grab on to me!”
    She’d climbed all the way out of the water already. Her fingers grasped the back of his shirt. She grunted as he continued to fight and move forward, drawing them closer to the light. Her grip tightened on his shirt, and she nearly lost her balance before righting herself. Bones cracking against rock echoed in the darkness along with more grunts and hisses, and the feel of Maelea slipping. She