“You need help.” She reached for a nasty piece that had missed his spine but hesitated. She was no healer.
He shook his head and climbed to his feet with a groan. Lia faced him and took his hand, urging him to follow her. Loshika needed to see his wounds immediately. He was losing too much blood. Goosebumps ran over her skin, and she peered over her shoulder, seeking any familiar faces. Namely, the frost giant king who was surely seeking her life.
Olwen was long gone, but that didn’t mean the danger was. The king’s men were here. An immediate death sentence for Loshika.
And a world of torture for Lia.
Felix tugged her back and squeezed her hand, shaking his head no. “More people need help. Get to safety.” She read his lips more than heard him.
“Not acceptable. You’re hurt,” she argued, looking to the sky. They didn’t have time for this.
“They just look ugly.” He cracked his neck. “I’ll be fine. Go home. It will ease my mind to know you’re safe.”
Lia swallowed hard when he pressed a kiss to the back of her hand and limped away toward the wreckage of the last attack. “Thank you,” she croaked.
For a moment, she wanted to follow him. Dahlia hated not being able to help. But as more Loriian warriors poured down the icy main road, she knew the time for indecision was over. She needed to gather her family and flee.
Half stumbling, half running, Dahlia navigated her way toward their modest home.
More balls of fire filled the sky, stopping Lia mid-step. There was nowhere to run.
A giant rock slammed into the cobblestones not twenty feet away, blowing Lia off her feet. She slammed against the ice, biting her tongue. More blood filled her mouth, and stars swirled in her vision, which once again darkened at the edges.
No, stay awake. You’ll die.
With strength she didn’t know she possessed, Dahlia crawled underneath the closest porch, sweating and shaking. In that moment, all she could hear was her heart in her ears. The stench of boiling oil and burnt flesh assaulted her senses. She retched, the motion making her headache even worse.
Lia wiped the bile from her mouth with the sleeve of her ruined wool dress. People ran along the street, their panicked faces seared into her mind.
The shrieks lessened and the explosions paused.
Time to move.
Dahlia rolled out from beneath the porch, her body aching as she got to her feet. She limped toward the nearest alley, slipping and sliding down the narrow passage. Lia ducked underneath a large smoldering tree branch that had fallen into the alleyway.
At the end was her home.
Dahlia collapsed against the simple wooden door and pounded on it with the side of her bloody fist. When had that happened? She stared at the way the red blood mixed with Felix’s silver. It was mesmerizing.
The door was wrenched open, and she fell inside, only to be caught by a large pair of familiar blue hands. Loshika handed Lia to Cosmos as if she were nothing but a ragdoll. The giantess slammed the door, locked it, and then shoved their sturdy table in front of it.
Lo moved into action, cupping Lia’s chin carefully with her fingers. She sighed at the warmth from her friend’s hands wrapped halfway around her skull. She closed her eyes.
“No,” Loshika commanded. “Open your eyes, my lady.”
Lia forced them open like it was a feat of strength. Gods, all she wanted to do was sleep. Even if it was on the uncomfortable cots that served as their beds.
Lo hissed, baring her fangs. “You have a concussion.Anotherconcussion. What have I told you? You must protect the skull.”
Lia smiled. Loshika’s fangs were so dainty and cute compared to the king’s. A wave of pain washed over her that had nothing to do with her injuries. Neve rose to the front of her mind.
His scent. His sharp smile. The way his eyes twinkled when he was teasing her. She needed him, wanted him.
Stop.
“How bad is it?” Cosmos asked, sounding like a scared little boy.
“I’m fine,” Lia said, her words slurred. Her legs buckled, and her brother caught Dahlia, helping her sit on the edge of the nearest cot. She swayed and then registered Cos wrapping his arm around her waist and anchoring her to his side. “I’m fine,” she tried again, her legs dangling. Everything was a bit too big in Loriia.
