Page 40 of Knot Your Sugar Rush (Starling Grove #2)

Chapter forty

Cam

T he dust tastes like old pennies. Metallic and bitter, coating the back of my throat so thick I can barely swallow. Every breath is a scrape of grit and fear.

“We’ve got you, Jamie!” Theo’s voice cuts through the chaos, close and sharp, but the rest is a blur — the groan of wood under too much weight, Dane’s strained curses, the muffled scrape of Jamie trying to move under the wreckage, a mumble I think I almost make out of “leave me.” I ignore him.

My arms ache. My hands are locked tight around Jamie’s wrist, the pulse under my fingertips a frantic flutter that’s keeping me from falling apart. If I can feel it, he’s still here.

The floor shivers again, a deep, rolling tremor that jolts through my knees and into my spine. Somewhere above, something shifts and falls with a bone-deep thud . I flinch, my grip almost slipping.

“Don’t let go!” Theo’s there, suddenly, on the other side, wedged into the wreckage like he’s part of it. His eyes meet mine, dust-streaked and fierce. His hand covers mine, reinforcing the grip. “We’ve got him. We’ve got him.”

I want to believe him. I want to believe any of us are strong enough to hold up an entire building with our bare hands.

Dane’s still braced against the wall behind us, sweat and dust streaming down his temples. His shoulders bunch with the effort, his boots slipping against the uneven floor. “If you’re gonna move him, do it now! ”

I pull. Theo pulls. Jamie shifts a fraction — enough for hope to flare sharp in my chest. But then the beam pinning him groans, sinking lower, and his sharp intake of breath cuts right through me.

“Stop—stop!” I gasp. “We’ll tear him—”

Theo’s jaw locks. “One more—”

The building makes the decision for us.

The sound is deafening — the long, slow crack of surrender.

The air rushes hot and heavy around us, the walls shudder, and something big drops just behind Dane with a slam that rattles my teeth.

My vision tunnels until there’s nothing but Jamie’s arm in my hands, the rough drag of his skin under my fingers, the desperate burn in my lungs.

“Cam—” Jamie’s voice is strained, half-swallowed by the noise, but it’s enough. I tighten my hold, leaning back with everything I have.

Theo shifts, wedges his shoulder in deeper, and Dane roars — the sound of someone pushing past what’s possible. The wreckage moves. Not much, but enough.

“Pull!”

I do.

And then Jamie’s free.

We collapse backward in a tangle, all three of us, the world still shaking in my ears.

Jamie’s chest heaves against mine, his breath hot with dust, his heartbeat a frantic hammer under my cheek.

Dane is beside us in an instant, pulling us up, dragging us out of the building, and I don’t let go of Jamie.

We tumble outside, covered in dust, and fall on the safety of grass and ferns.

For a moment, I just hold on to Jamie, trembling so hard I can barely get words out. “You’re okay,” I whisper, half to him, half to myself. “You’re okay.”

Theo’s laugh is wild and shaky beside us, the kind of sound that’s more relief than humor. Dane’s whole body sagging as if something invisible has been holding him upright this whole time.

Jamie sits up slowly, groaning, and I grab his face in both hands, brushing dust from his lashes. “Are you hurt? Tell me you’re not hurt.”

He gives me a crooked grin, the stubborn kind that’s probably meant to make me feel better. “Takes more than a collapsing building to get rid of me.” His voice is rough but steady, and that does more for my pounding heart than any reassurance could.

Theo’s already scanning him from head to toe, muttering under his breath about checking for bruised ribs and concussions. Dane drops to one knee beside us, one large hand braced on Jamie’s shoulder. “Next time you want to play hero, maybe give us a little warning first.”

Jamie smirks, then winces, clutching at his side. “Noted.”

The four of us just stay there, pressed shoulder to shoulder, breathing each other in. I can feel Jamie’s warmth through my clothes, Theo’s steady presence at my back, Dane’s grounding hand on my arm.

It hits me — the way the adrenaline melts into exhaustion, how my body shakes even though the danger has passed. How my chest feels too tight and too full all at once.

I lean into the alphas around me. “Don’t you dare scare me like that again, Jamie.”

His answering whisper is rough but sure. “I’ll try.”

When we finally stand, it’s together. No one is letting go until we absolutely have to.

The wreckage looms behind us, dangerous and still settling, but we’re alive. All of us.

And right now, that’s everything.