Seraphine could feel the weight that had come down across his back. She could feel him absorbing it, holding it up, refusing to let it crush down any further.
Then she heard it.
A sound that made her stomach drop.
The low, awful crack of bone. It moved through him and she felt it more than heard it, the way a sound can go through a person when they are too close. His wolf was right at the surface, pushing forward, the animal trying to take over to handle what the man was carrying.
Shouts came from everywhere at once. The warriors converged fast and she felt the weight lift as several of them got underneath the tree and rolled it clear.
Voren stayed where he was for a breath longer than necessary.
Then he pulled back just enough to look down at her. Rain ran off his jaw and dropped onto her cheek. His eyes moved across her face fast, checking.
"Are you alright?"
She opened her mouth to answer.
And then a fourth presence arrived.
