Two: Get her warm, hydrated, and treated. Working on it.
Three: Figure out how the hell we were getting back to town.
That last one? Not looking great.
But I’d carried her out of hell once. I’d do it again.
I glanced at the sky. The real storm was coming, with the wind slicing through the trees and making it nearly impossible to see more than a few feet ahead. The path was nothing but slick mud and hidden roots waiting to send me flat on my ass. Even if I were fresh, carrying Autumn out of here would be stupid. I’d get us both injured—or worse.
So I found the thickest canopy I could and eased her down. Heat radiated from her skin, her fever rising fast.Carrying her to Buffaloberry Hill wasn’t happening. Not yet. She needed warmth, rest, and hydration.Now.
Which meant we were camping here for the night.
I pulled my rain jacket from my pack and draped it over her. She barely reacted. She just let her head slump against the rock, her eyes slipping shut.
I crouched, brushing damp hair from her face. “Autumn.”
Nothing.
Shit.
I gave her arm a light shake. “Hey. Stay with me.”
She made a low sound, more of a breath than a response. But it was enough.
“I’m setting up camp,” I said. “We’re staying here tonight.”
No argument. No sass. No protest. Just the smallest nod before her head lolled against my jacket.
That was all the confirmation I needed.
The tent was up in minutes, my hands moving on autopilot. Despite Noah never trusting my hiking skills, I could set up a tent half-conscious if I had to.
I unzipped the entrance and shoved my backpack inside before the rain really picked up.
Now, her.
“Autumn, you need to change out of those wet clothes.”
She mumbled something incoherent.
I hesitated for all of two seconds before deciding, politeness be damned, that I was keeping her alive.
“Hang on, okay?” I peeled off her damp jacket. Her body was sluggish and burning up, but the moment I touched the hem of her soaked shirt, she made a weak sound of protest.
“Hey, we just need to get you dry before heading inside,” I said. “I’ll help you change once we’re in the tent. No funny business, I swear.”
Her head lolled against the sleeping bag. “You better not?—”
That was all the fight she had left.
I worked fast, carefully, and respectfully, stripping away her wet shirt and boots. Thankfully, her pants were loose enough that I could ease them down without jostling her injured leg.
I hoisted her inside first, then bundled Lulu in a towel before making sure she got in too. Then I stripped down to my underwear and followed.
The moment I zipped the tent closed, a fresh crack of thunder rattled the sky.
“Autumn, how’re you doing there?” I asked, reaching for my pack and yanking out a dry tee.
