One second, I was falling, fire licking dangerously close to my face, the searing heat brushing against my skin, while the swarm of Blood Ants waited beneath me like a living, crawling carpet of death. The very real possibility of dying in the most embarrassing, humiliating, and utterly stupid way imaginable flashed through my mind in a blinding instant.
And the next....
Strong hands grabbed me with lightning speed.
Firm. Unyielding. Powerful.
One closed around my upper arm, fingers digging in just enough to anchor me securely without bruising. The other wrapped around my waist, solid and unshakable, pulling me back with raw strength that left no room for resistance.
I was yanked backward so sharply that the air punched out of my lungs in a painful whoosh, my breath catching violently in my throat. My feet left the ground for a heartbeat before reality reasserted itself.
I didn't hit the ground.
I didn't touch the ants.
I didn't burn alive.
I simply… stopped.
