Coveted by Stacey Brutger Page A

name.” Her fingers and toes hurt as her
weight sagged on them, the cold making them feel brittle as she hauled herself ever
upward.
    She heard a snort,
then a reply. “Aiden.”
    She looked behind them.
“Shit. You have less than twenty feet between you and those dogs. Get off the
ground!”
    She reached for
another ledge without prompting. She heard rocks tumble as he lunged upward, heaving
himself up by his fingertips. Envy made her grit her teeth.
    Then there was a deep
rumble. Shayla twisted around and saw Lassie race toward the dogs.
    “Lassie, no!”
    Shayla frantically
searched for a way down, but the path she’d taken had vanished completely.
    The vicious sounds of
dogs fighting assaulted her ears.
    “No, you don’t.”
Aiden stepped over and pinned her to the wall, leaving her nowhere to go.
    “They’ll kill him.”
    “And you dying with
him will gain us nothing. He’s buying us time. Look.” Aiden eased away from
her. “He’s holding his own, but there are too many for him to hold back. The
dogs are hunting us, not him.”
    Twice the size of the
dogs, Lassie tore into them. A distraction that ended too quickly. Two dogs
circled around Lassie and raced toward them.
    She didn’t need to be
prompted and scrambled to get out of reach.
    The beasts leapt
higher than should have been possible. The large one snapped at her ledge, clawing
at the ridge as if he would follow her up the cliff.
    Panicked at the sight
of the slobbering hounds bearing down on her, she kicked out. And knocked the
one paw away. The movement unbalanced her, and she teetered precariously. Her
grip on the slick rocks slipped. She would’ve tumbled into their waiting jaws
if Aiden hadn’t reached over to steady her. He pushed her higher, waiting for
her to reach for the next hold, his arms shaking under the strain.
    “I got it.”
    A growl came below
her. The menace curled into her brain and froze her to the spot.
    That did not sound like
any dog she’d ever heard.
    Unable not to steal a
peek at what was chasing them, she twisted her head and discovered the sound had
come from Aiden. A little unnerved, she glanced down and saw the same hound had
managed to sink its teeth into his leg. “Aiden—”
    “Get your ass moving,
woman, or I swear I’ll leave you hanging from to the side of the cliff.”
    Shayla clamped her
mouth shut, detesting him in that moment despite knowing that he was correct. If
she climbed down to help, she’d be the easier meal. There was nothing she could
do to help him.
    Or was there?
    She eyed the loose
rocks, then picked one up and pitched it at the dog.
    The beast yipped as
it smacked his muzzle and he lost his hold, plummeting into the darkness. Aiden
scaled up the sheer face like it was stairs, giving her a hard look.
    Of course, a thank
you was too much to ask.
    Shayla ignored the
beastly man and began her own trek. True to his word, Aiden followed her
closely, sometimes even placing her feet when she slipped. By the time she
reached the top, her arms wouldn’t stop shaking. Wind whipped past, plucking at
her like prying fingers.
    She glanced up at the
slick edge, and shook her head in defeat. “I can’t make that. My strength is
shot.” A touch of vertigo tilted the world around her. She clung to the wall,
rocks cutting into her frozen fingers and knees. Sand shifted under her grip,
and her fingertips tingled under the strain.
    Without sparing her a
glance, Aiden passed her, effortlessly pulling himself over the ledge and
disappearing. If she weren’t so tired, she’d hate him for that casual strength.
    A heartbeat passed,
then two, and Shayla realized he wasn’t coming back. Anger gave her strength.
She gained another foot before her limbs trembled under the strain. Exhaustion
flooded her. If she moved another inch, she feared her grip would fail
altogether.
    Something warm clamped
over her wrists.
    They found her!
    Shayla panicked,
instinctively jerking away. Her feet slipped on some gravel,