Daris pushed her hip gently. “Can you lay on your right a bit more? I need to push it out through the front.”
Terena’s head bobbed, teeth gritted as she shifted her hips. She hissed when the movement made her leg throb. Daris’s hands moved over her leg, and she stifled the urge to laugh. This was not the situation she’d imagined when his hands moved over her body. She’d much rather they’d been in a big, comfortable bed. Maybe a?—
“Fuck!”she screamed when he pushed the arrow further into her leg. Her body shook, and she lifted her left hand to push his hands away. Dropping her head back, she closed her eyes, biting her lip hard enough to taste blood.
“Terena!”
Croak’s shout from above made Terena whip her head up. She panted.
“She’s fine,” Daris called out, his eyes hot and mouth pinched as he stared at Terena. “I’m getting the arrow out!”
“Don’t you fucking hurt her!” Croak yelled back, his voice breaking.
A muscle jumped in his throat, but Daris only replied, “Jason! Move everyone back!”
He turned back to Terena. “Ready?”
She wasn’t coherent enough to speak. Her mind had seized, paralyzed by the excruciating, fiery flame searing her from the inside. She kept her eyes closed, the tears falling freely. Her shoulders trembled.
A few moments of quiet settled around her, and Terena thought the worst was over.
Then Daris yanked the arrow out. Black spots crowded behind her lids and the void enveloped her.
Terena awoke to Daris shouting in her face, his hand gripping her chin.
“I didn’t even get a warning?”
Daris hung his head. When he looked back at her, his face was pale, but he managed a smirk.
“You didn’t die,” he said gruffly. Daris looked back at the wound. Blood pooled and her leg shook violently.
Daris sat up straight and took off his leather armor, then lifted his tunic.
“We don’t have time for that,” Terena joked, a tiny laugh escaping her lips. She sobbed again, ruining the effect.
The corners of his lips tugged up. Daris tore the bottom of his shirt, setting it under her leg, and put one of his hands between her legs. “Believe me,” he said as he wound the strip of cloth around her leg. “When we get back to Sparta, I’ll make time.”
Terena’s heart seized. Did he know what he was saying? She’d been teasing.
Was he?
“Good for now,” he said, more to himself.
“Hey!” a voice called down. Jason?
Daris shot her one last look before he pivoted, rising to stride over to the hole, and looked up.
“Don’t bother,” he said, “she can’t climb with her shoulder.”
“Tie it around her waist. We’ll lift her up.”
Terena looked up at Rydon’s suggestion. Daris looked over at her with an arched eyebrow. She shook her head. “We found the caves. Let’s see if we can find Bethana now.”
“We can try to come down,” Jason called back.
“No, don’t,” Daris yelled back. He waved a hand. “There’s a path down here. I’ll find another way out.”
“You sure? Croak is going nuts up here,” Jason said, his voice echoing around the small chamber.
