Chapter 1
Ayden stared upwards as tears fell down her cheeks. The wind grabbed at her straw like hair and whipped it in front of her face. She opened her mouth to release a ravage scream, but the wind swallowed her voice. Her feet kicked against the empty sky while her sides and arms cried in pain. She tightened her grip as she closed her eyes and shook her head.
“Please, please, please,” she shouted over the violent cry of the wind, “please, don’t let me go!” More tears fell from her eyes as she readjusted her grip on him. He was wearing a black jacket and dark jeans, but, other than that, she couldn’t make out any other details. He was male, approximately mid to late twenties, and Caucasian but other than his black clothing, she couldn’t see anything.
He gripped her hand securing her from her thousand foot freefall, but it wasn’t really tight or alarming; it was just enough to keep her from falling into the abyss.
She grabbed higher up on his wrist as she felt herself begin to slide. Her palms were sweaty and she couldn’t feel the pain in her hand or wrist anymore. She couldn’t feel anything but the whip of the wind on her face, her cool tears on her cheeks, and the devastating fear that filled her stomach and floated upwards into her chest.
“Please, don’t let me fall,” she begged looking up into his eyes.
They were a bright blue that caused all her fear to swell up in her chest. He was handsome with fair, smooth skin, sharp cheekbones, white, pearly teeth, and stubble along his strong jaw. She wanted to feel safe and relieved, but she felt the exact opposite.
She was even more terrified.
“Don’t worry,” he whispered squeezing her hand before loosening his grip. Ayden tightened her own unable to look away from him. The man leaned down and stroked her cheek and hair with his free hand.
A small, knowing smile crossed his lips as he leaned down even further, almost slipping off the edge himself. He opened his mouth and spoke in a soft, smooth voice that caused her eyes to widen and tears to fall.
“I’ll take care of you.”
