Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 85794 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 429(@200wpm)___ 343(@250wpm)___ 286(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 85794 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 429(@200wpm)___ 343(@250wpm)___ 286(@300wpm)
Still, Phoebe refused to let herself freak out. She didn’t know how the cave had figured out that she had severe arachnophobia, but at least it was only showing her a giant web—not a giant spider. The web she could deal with.
Seven, eight. She stopped and put out a hand, expecting it to pass right through the glowing strands of the giant web. Instead, something that she didn’t expect happened—she could actually feel the web. It was cold and slimy and sticky at the same time.
“Eww!” she exclaimed involuntarily and yanked her hand back. Or tried to anyway, because the sticky glowing strands didn’t want to let go of her.
Feeling the first stirrings of panic, Phoebe pulled harder. The strands of spider web wrapped around her hand pulled with her, as stretchy as rubber bands, but they didn’t break and they didn’t release her fingers.
More upset than ever, Phoebe tried to punch through the web instead…but she only succeeded in getting her whole arm stuck in the gluey threads. And that was when she saw it.
It was a slight movement above her head that caught her eye first—a wavering of the web as though something huge had stepped onto it and caused it to ripple.
Phoebe didn’t want to look…but she couldn’t bear not to. She had to know the worst. She had to—
The thought was erased from her mind as the giant spider came into view. Its long legs were massive and its hairy body was bigger than her own torso—hell, it was bigger than Sirex’s torso! Which reminded her that it had been a minute since she’d heard her mentor’s voice in her ear. Was he seeing this? If so, why wasn’t he saying anything?
“Sir?” she called, putting her free hand to the earpiece and trying to keep the panic out of her voice. “Sir, can you hear me? Please answer!”
But there was nothing but silence from the other end of the earpiece.
Feeling like she might faint from sheer terror, Phoebe tried to pull her arm free again, but the movement of the web sent the spider scuttling towards her, its many eyes glowing and its mandibles clicking…
Phoebe lost it. Screaming and gasping she collapsed on the floor, pulling with all her might to try and get free of the sticky web before the monstrous arachnid could get to her. But try as she might, she couldn’t get loose. Then, horribly, the spider was there, shoving its clicking mandibles right in her face as she screamed and screamed…
“Phoebe? Phoebe!”
Suddenly warm, muscular arms were enfolding her and the enormous spider melted away to nothing. For the first time since she had started going through the training cave, Phoebe saw light streaming into it.
But nothing could stop the tears of panic and trauma from coming. As Sirex gathered her into his arms and held her tight to his chest, she wept inconsolably. The terror had been too much to bear—it had overloaded her system and now she found she just couldn’t stop crying.
Sirex didn’t try to stop her from weeping. He only held her tightly in his arms, rubbing her back and shoulders and murmuring soothing nothings in her ear.
“All right, baby…it’s all right now. I’m here. I’m here for you,” he rumbled as he cradled her to him.
At last her mentor’s spicy scent and the warmth of his big body cut through the panic and fear and Phoebe found herself relaxing. But fear was followed closely by anger.
“Yes, y-you’re here n-now!” she got out, still half sobbing but trying to talk at the same time. “Wh-where were you when I n-needed you? Why didn’t you t-talk to me?”
“I’m so sorry, baby.” There was honest remorse in his burning red eyes. “I don’t know what happened. I lost contact with you for the last thirty seconds or so—I didn’t know anything was wrong until I heard you screaming.”
Phoebe felt her soul wither with humiliation. Screaming—oh God, she’d been screaming. Probably all the other cadets who were waiting their turn to go into the training tunnel had heard her too. And worse even than that, her mentor had been forced to stop the tunnel’s simulation and come in to rescue her because she had gotten hysterical!
What must he think of me now? I look so weak—so helpless.
It fed into every fear she had—and every lie she wanted to refute about herself. She couldn’t help remembering the derisive looks and put-downs she’d endured from the male officers in the PD where she’d worked. The snide comments about how women didn’t make good police because they were too emotional—too weak.
“Excuse me.” Phoebe struggled to get up but Sirex kept her in his lap, his long arms locked around her as he searched her tear-stained face with concern.
“Are you sure you’re ready to get up?” he rumbled. “You can stay here with me a little longer…if you want to.”