“Well. . .” I looked back and saw the other helicopters. “What about Reo and everyone else? Are they coming too? Will they be okay?”
“They will be fine, and they’ll be on their way.”
“When?”
“Soon.”
“I’m scared for them.”
“Reo is upset. You should be scared for our enemies.”
I shivered.
Slowly, he reached out his hand and brushed a strand of hair behind my ear. That simple touch steadied me a little. "Breathe, Tora. Not because you’re calm. Breathe because I need you to.”
I inhaled a shaky breath and let my chest rise and fall, shallow at first, then deeper.
He leaned in closer and brushed my chin with his fingers. “That’s it. Just like that.”
I drew another breath.
Slower now.
I let it fall from my lips.
Again.
Again.
And somehow, the sharp edges of this nightmare dulled.
His thumb dragged lightly down the column of my throat, tracing the tremble there. “You are safe, with me. I swear it on every grave I’ve ever dug.”
“I can’t see you digging graves.”
“You would be surprised.” He moved his hand down to my chest and then flattened his palm between my breasts. “I can feel your heart racing like a trapped bird.”
“Because I felt like we were just in the middle of hell.”
He tilted his head. “You still are in hell. But I’m your devil now. And I don’t let what’s mine burn.”
Those words hung in the air.
Then, suddenly he leaned in until our foreheads touched and his breath merged with mine. “How do you feel now, Tora?”
“Better.”
“Good.”
I closed my eyes, and for one perfect moment, there was no fire.
No bullets.
No bodies.
No sirens.
Only the hum of the blades above us.
