The fight over, my adrenaline rush fading, the pain set in. Hot agony rushed through my deep cuts from the goon’s teeth and claws. My flying wobbled, but I followed Magnus toward theparked Jeep. He’d stopped in a wide overlook, but it certainly wasn’t wide enough for two dragons.
“You first,” he said. “Land and shift.”
I did, leaning against the hood as I gently touched the gashes on my neck, my fingers coming back bloodied. Magnus also landed, and his hands on me turned me around so he could look at my wounds.
“Those are deep,” he said, clicking his tongue. “I can start pressure on them, but you’ll have to hold it. I saw lights. The cops are headed this way.”
Chapter Nineteen
Magnus
Jade slumped weakly against the Jeep’s door, the piece of cloth I pressed against her deep gashes already leaked through. Blood stained her jacket, her shirt, clotted in her hair in thick ropy glops. “Where’re we going?” she asked, her eyes closed as I put the Jeep in gear and floored it.
“We can’t go back,” I replied, worried sick over how badly she got hurt in trying to save my sorry ass. “The resort ahead is still closed. A car coming down might be stopped. They’ll find the cars, won’t have much of an explanation as to what happened, though.”
I grabbed her free hand. “You stay with me, Jade. Got it? No dying on me.”
“You’re bossy,” she muttered thickly.
“I mean it, girl,” I growled. “Don’t die.”
“Piss off.”
I didn’t like how much blood she’d lost. I really didn’t like how pale her skin appeared. I alsoreallydidn’t like how cold her hand in mine was. “Jade?”
“Yeah?”
“I think I love you.”
Her green eyes, dulled with pain and blood loss, opened. A small frown creased her brow. “What?”
“Ha, gotcha. Now pay attention. You’re gonna be okay. Got it?”
“Okay.” Her eyes slid closed.
Fretting, unable to do a thing for her except get her someplace safe, I pondered just where that someplace was. It was too early in the ski season to open the resort, nor had enough snow fallen to accommodate skiers. If I tried to break in, grab a room, the alarms would bring in the cops. No good.
Rubbing my lips, I glanced at her whenever the road permitted. She’d opened her eyes, though, and gazed through the windshield.That’s a good sign. I hope.“Jade?”
“Yeah?”
“There’s a small town about ten miles beyond the resort,” I said, squeezing her fingers. “They’ll have a motel. It’s a tourist place.”
“Sounds good.”
I tried to check her bleeding, and nearly ran the Jeep off the road. “How you doing?”
“Okay.”
The road rose steeply, so steep only clear blue sky filled the windshield. The plows had reached this far, yet a layer of ice covered the asphalt. I slowed, put the Jeep into four-wheel drive, and hoped we wouldn’t slide right over the edge.
“You still with me?”
“Yeah.”
“I told the truth.”
Jade rolled her head toward me. “About what?”
