He lets me examine the wound, clean it as best I can with creek water, and wrap it with the makeshift bandage. My hands are shaking, but I manage to get it tight enough to slow the bleeding.
"There," I say. "Not professional, but it'll do until we can get you real medical attention."
"Thank you."
"Don't thank me. This is my fault. If I wasn't here, they wouldn't have attacked. Your men wouldn't be dead. You wouldn't be hurt."
"If you weren't here, the Vergas would have found another way to start this war. At least this way, we know who we're fighting."
"Do we? Because it seems like we're fighting everyone."
"Not everyone. Just the people who want us dead."
"What do we do now?" I ask.
"We find somewhere safe to hole up while I figure out our next move. I know a place. About two miles from here. Old hunting cabin my uncle used to use. It's not much, but it's off the grid."
"Can you make it two miles?"
"Sure, I can."
But see the pain in his eyes, and how he's favoring his injured arm. The cut might not be serious, but it's going to slow him down.
"Damon."
"Yeah?"
"When those men broke into the bedroom, when the window exploded..." I take a shaky breath. "I was terrified."
"That's normal. Anyone would be scared."
"No, not scared for me. Scared for you." I look into his dark eyes. "I was terrified something would happen to you."
He goes very still. "Viviana—"
"I know we said this was just physical, but that was a lie. Wasn't it?"
"Yeah," he admits quietly. "It was a lie."
"So, what is this?"
"Something more than we planned on."
I think about that. About how much has changed since that first night, about how different everything feels now.
"Do you regret it? Getting involved with me?"
"No." The answer comes immediately, certain. "Do you?"
"No. Even with everything that's happened, even with people trying to kill us, I don't regret it."
He reaches out with his uninjured hand and touches my face. "I don't know what this is, Viviana. Where it leads or how it ends. But I know I'm not ready to walk away from it."
"Even though it complicates everything?"
"Especially because it complicates everything."
"Damon—"
