Under the Veil I Rule (Amara) novel Chapter 443

Finnian’s heart leaped into his throat. His own heartbeat thundered in his ears as he yelled, “Amara!”

“…”

The figure at the bottom of the slope looked up, her face turned toward his voice.

From a dozen feet apart, their eyes met.

Finnian saw Amara’s eyes widen in disbelief, a faint light flickering within them. They were bloodshot and swollen, and tear tracks stained her cheeks. She had clearly been crying her heart out, and the sight shattered him.

“Amara, don’t move! I’m coming down!”

Seeing her start to push herself up, as if she'd found a ray of light in the darkness, Finnian shouted a warning.

She listened, slowly lowering herself back to the ground.

A grimace of pain crossed her face. She must have hurt her leg.

Finnian quickly strapped the flashlight to his head, then keyed his radio to tell the others he’d found her, sending Elysia his coordinates.

After stuffing his phone and radio into his pocket, he grabbed onto the edge of the slope and began making his way down as fast as he could.

Amara never, in her wildest dreams, imagined that Finnian would be the one to rescue her.

About half an hour earlier, she had been wandering through the forest, searching for a way out, when she heard footsteps. They were uneven and frantic, like someone was chasing something. Her heart had jumped into her throat.

The fall scraped her skin raw, and a searing pain shot through her ankle. She’d twisted it badly.

Once she landed at the bottom, she couldn't move.

She looked around, but all she saw were towering, black trees. There was no path in sight, and she had no idea how to get back up to level ground.

It was the dead of night. She was cold, hungry, and had no phone to call for help. Her kidnappers might still be out there, hunting her. The situation was utterly hopeless.

Finally, she couldn't hold it in anymore. Hugging her knees, she began to cry, but even then, she didn't dare to sob loudly, terrified of alerting whoever was chasing her. The fear and misery were overwhelming.

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