“Damn it,” I mutter, my mind overwhelmed by a tornado of racing thoughts.
Every hint of an idea seems to collide with another, creating a chaotic storm in my mind, and I want nothing more than to scream at the sky.
“Think, Ash. Think,” I grit out, hitting my forehead with the palm of my hand.
I can’t fathom a future without him by my side. Beads of perspiration form on my brow, and a knot tightens in the pit of my stomach.
“Hey, hey,” Kai says, gripping my wrists and pulling me into his chest. “Baby, what’s going on?”
“Abchanchu. He scratched you during the fight. Pretty deep, it looks infected.”
Kai’s handsome face scrunches up. “I’m not healing?”
I bite down on my bottom lip and shake my head.
“I’ll be okay,” he says gently, his voice like a balm, but it doesn’t soothe the fear gnawing at me.
“You don’t know that,” I whisper, my voice breaking.
My hands tremble as they grip the back of his neck, pulling him closer until our foreheads touch. The warmth of his skin against mine should be comforting, but all I can feel is cold dread seeping into my bones. “I can’t lose you, Kai. I won’t survive it.”
“Shh . . . I told you, I’ll be fine. It’ll take more than a few scratches to bring me down,” he murmurs, his voice steady, trying to reassure me.
But he doesn’t understand. I want to scream at him, to make him realize the depth of my fear, the anguish of the thought of losing him. But I hold back, biting down on the urge to lash out, knowing it won’t help. Nothing can change the reality we’re facing.
“You don’t understand,” I say, my voice barely a whisper, as the weight of the moment crashes down on me. The idea of losing him is too much to bear, and the thought of a world without him leaves me hollow and desperate.
Kai pulls back slightly, just enough to look into my eyes. “Hey,” he says softly, his voice laced with a calm I don’t feel. “I’m not going anywhere, okay? We’ll get through this. Together.”
His words are meant to be reassuring, but they only deepen the ache in my chest. I close my eyes, pressing my forehead against his.
“I won’t lose you,” I whisper again, more to myself than to him, as if saying it enough times will make it true.
“Look, let’s just find this package and head back. We can worry about all the other stuff when we are home.”
I want to argue with him. The importance he holds far surpasses that of this package. But maybe I can draw the poison out. Anything is worth a try.
“Okay, but I want to try something first. There should be a stream nearby—I want to try washing the wound and drawing out the poison with my magic.”
Kai gathers me up, his strong arms surrounding me as he drops his mouth to mine. I melt into his arms, surrendering to the moment, letting all the fear and tension dissolve in his kiss.
Gods, I’ve missed this.
Missed him.
When he finally releases me, it’s slow and reluctant. I look up at him, my hands instinctively rising to cup his face, enjoying the roughness of his stubble beneath my fingertips.
“I’ll fix this,” I whisper, the words barely audible.
A flicker of a smile touches his lips, softening the lines of worry etched into his features. “I have no doubt, beautiful,” he replies, his voice steady and sure.
I manage a weak smile in return, drawing strength from his unwavering faith in me. Kai scoops up his shirt and tugs it back on, and I grab his hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. We need to find the stream, but my sense of direction feels off, the world around me spinning slightly as I try to orient myself. Lifting my head, I attemptto judge the time of day by the position of the sun, but to my frustration, my vision wavers, the scenery jumping in and out of focus.
“Child, calm down.”I tense at the voice and its soft, feminine tone.
“I am calm,”I reply.
“No, you’re not,”another voice says, this one a little quieter, timid almost.
