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“Climb faster!”Riven shouts, and I scramble upward, panic making my movements clumsy.

Orthrus charges across the chamber with terrifying speed. When it reaches the base of our wall, it rears up, slamming against the rock, making the entire chamber shudder from the force of its weight.

My foot slips, and for a heart-stopping moment, I’m dangling from one hand, the other flailing in the air.

“Sapphire!” Riven lunges down, catching me around the waist. His arm locks around me like steel, and he hauls me up, pressing me against the wall, his body caging mine as he stabilizes us both on the narrow ledge.

“I’ve got you,” he says, his voice hoarse, as if he’s a second away from breaking. “I’ve always got you.”

Our faces are only an inch apart, and despite thedanger—despite everything—my heart races for reasons that have nothing to do with fear.

His hand moves to cup my face, thumb brushing across my bottom lip in a gesture so tender it makes my chest ache.

“Don’t you dare fall,” he whispers fiercely, leaning into me as if he’s trying to make sure I’m solid andhere.“I need you too much for you to fall.”

Below us, Orthrus slams against the wall again, the impact sending tremors through the stone. Tiny rocks rain down around us, but Riven doesn’t flinch, doesn’t look away from my eyes.

“I’m not going anywhere,” I promise, my hand covering his where it rests against my cheek.

Something passes between us—something deeper than words, more powerful than the magic flowing through our veins. But then Riven’s expression shifts, his jaw setting with renewed determination.

“We need to move,” he says, reluctantly pulling back.

“Lead the way,” I tell him, and he guides me higher, our climb quickly becoming a synchronized dance.

When I falter, his hand is there. When loose rocks threaten to give way beneath my feet, his ice reinforces my footholds. There’s a harmony in our movements, as if we’ve tapped into an invisible force that’s guiding us, anchoring us, and whispering that no matter what happens, we’re never truly apart.

We’re twenty feet up when Orthrus makes another desperate lunge, its jaws snapping just feet below us. The hot, sulfurous breath washes over my legs, making me climb faster, adrenaline surging through my veins.

“Almost there,” Riven encourages, reaching the wider part of the ledge just below our escape route. He pulls himself up, then turns to help me, lifting me with supernatural strength to join him on the narrow shelf.

Breathless and dizzy from adrenaline, I cling to him, feeling the wild beat of his heart matching mine. And for a moment, we just stand there, breathing hard, pressed together by the narrowness of the ledge.

“Look at that,” he says softly, one hand coming up to brush a strand of hair from my face. “Even covered in volcanic dust and running for our lives, you’re still the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”

“Flirting now?” I tease. “Really?”

His lips quirk into that half-smile that never fails to make my heart skip. “Is there a better time?”

“I can think of a few,” I say with a bitter laugh, unable to help smiling back.

Riven’s eyes soften, his hand moving to rest against the side of my neck, his thumb tracing my pulse point. “When we get out of here,” he says, low and certain, “I’m going to spend days showing you exactly how much I love you.”

The promise in his voice sends a shiver down my spine that has nothing to do with fear. “Is that so?”

“Oh yes, Starlight,” he murmurs, leaning close, his lips brushing my ear. “In excruciating detail.”

My breath catches, but before I can respond, another violent impact from below yanks both of us back to the present.

Orthrus has resumed ramming the wall, each hit making the ledge beneath our feet tremble with warning of potential collapse.

“Later.” I squeeze his hand, turning toward the crack that leads to freedom. It’s just wide enough for us to slip through one at a time.

“You first,” Riven insists, positioning himself between me and the drop below.

I start to argue, but the determined set of his jaw tells me it’s pointless. He won’t budge—not when it comes to my safety.

“Fine,” I relent, “but you’re right behind me.”