“He did.””How? Did your blood also-”
“Remember how Dad was with the Rivers? The afternoon of the duel, Greg was worried about how little Sillin we had left, so I told Dad to purchase some from the Rivers. They ended up giving it to us for free.”
“Oh. That’s . . . kind of them.” Since nothing was ever free in this world, I assumed it was given in the hopes of getting something in return. Was August that something?
“They arrived at the duel right after . . .” He shuddered.
“Right after?”
“Right after you made it back to us.” His words lingered in the air. “But he got the whole story, which made his hair go a lot grayer.”
“He must hate me for having put you at risk.”
August’s body went a tad rigid. “Hate you? First off, Dimples, my dad loves you. Both my parents do. Secondly, you didn’t put me at risk, so don’t ever say that again. Don’t even think it, all right?”
I said, “All right,” even though I knew I would always think it. How could I not? When August reached over me to click off the light shining over the bed, I said, “Can you leave it on?”
“Of course.”He played with my hair, and the gentle movement lulled me.
“I didn’t see them,” I murmured.
“Didn’t see who, sweetheart?”
“Mom and Dad.” My throat narrowed. “When I died, I didn’t see them.” A beat passed. “You think I wasn’t dead long enough, or do you think there’s nothing waiting for us after?”
Although his chest rose and fell steadily, his pulse picked up speed. “I don’t know.”
I appreciated his honesty, even though it made my throat close up some more. “Thank you.”
“For what?””For bringing me back.” At least people had waited for me on this side.
He dropped my hair and tucked me closer, stamping a kiss on my temple, which I felt even through the gauze. “I’ll always bring you back.”
And I knew he would. Every time I’d gotten lost, he’d been the one to bring me back.
I woke up to a brightness so white I snapped my lids up-lid. The other one was still mummified by the gauze. The tan wall came into focus first. I’d never been particularly fond of that color, but as I gazed at it, I thought it was quite marvelous.
The low drone of voices outside my hospital room made me turn onto my other side. Chair legs scraped, and a tremulous whispered, “Querida,” rose in time with Evelyn.
With trembling hands, she cupped my cheeks, careful not to apply too much pressure to my bandaged one, and then pressed her uncharacteristically pale lips to my forehead, then to my nose, and then to my forehead again. “I will not make old bones if you keep doing things like this to me.”
“I’m sorry, Evelyn.”
Moisture clumped her black lashes together. “Oh, querida. Please, no more danger. Please.”
“I promise I’m done with duels and contests for the rest of my life.”
“Bueno. Now tell me, how do you feel? Frank said you heal fast, but I worry.”
When did she not? “I feel fine.”
Her dark eyes inspected my covered face, making me wonder if the gauze was soaked in blood. As I raised my fingers to feel it, there was a knock on the door.
“Can we come in?” Frank called.
Evelyn looked over her shoulder, then back at me.
“Who’s we?” I asked her quietly.
“The men you call the elders.”
“All five of them?”
She nodded.
I hoisted myself into a sitting position and finger-combed my hair. Not that they’d notice my rat’s nest when half my face was swathed up. “C-come in!”
The door opened, and they entered, one after the other, August closing ranks.
Last night, I hadn’t noticed the violet shadows beneath his eyes or his ashen complexion. I wanted to tell him to go home and rest, but Eric stepped in front of him and started speaking to me, saying what a spectacular fight Liam and I had led, and then Derek mentioned how I’d go down in the Hall of Fame of Boulder Wolves, which made me wonder if my pack had an actual Hall of Fame. And then Frank, placing his hand on Evelyn’s shoulder, said that my courage changed the course of pack history.
Even though tears were probably out of character for the warrior they were painting me as, emotion rose and overflowed.
Evelyn knitted her warm fingers through my chilled ones.
“We are so proud of you, Ness. You will forever have our gratitude,” Frank added.
I swiped my palm against my wet cheek just as another knock sounded. The person didn’t ask to be allowed inside.
He just barged in.
This was so like Liam that it made me smile. He walked over to my bed, winding through the picket fence of elders. For a moment, he didn’t say anything, neither out loud nor in my mind.
Could he still speak into my mind, or was that bond broken too?
He cleared his throat. “Could you all give me a moment with the girl who saved my life?”
The girl who’d saved his life . . . “I didn’t save your life, Liam.”
He didn’t answer, but his jaw worked.
The elders patted my arm before leaving. Frank kissed my cheek, and then he tugged on Evelyn’s hand.
“I will be back this afternoon. Or earlier if you need me,” she said.
After she left, Liam said, “You too, Watt.”
August stiffened. Even though no tether connected us anymore, I could feel his reticence at leaving me alone in a room with my ex.