Fallon’s legs collapsed. He caught himself on the table and lowered himself to the ground, the sword still sticking out of him.
He was right, he realized. The blade had been sharp.
Wilhelm’s face appeared above his, frantic and wild. Fallon’s eyes slid shut, the furor in the room fading as he lost his hold on consciousness.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Shea was startled awake, the cacophony in the next room serving to pull her abruptly from a sound sleep. She sat up, propping herself on one hand, and looked around in confusion, her surroundings unfamiliar for a moment.
The spot next to her was empty. Fallon must have gotten up at some point. Not long ago, if her internal clock was anything to judge by. She was still tired, so it must be the middle of the night.
She rolled off the bed, grabbing the first items of clothing she could find. The increased buzz of activity from the other side of the screen lent urgency to her movements.
Shea stumbled into a scene of pure madness. She stood shocked beside the privacy screen, trying to make sense of what she was seeing. The Anateri had swarmed into the tent, their faces grim and intense.
They’d ushered two people, Gawain and Ben, into a corner of the room. She didn’t dwell on the oddity of the Anateri acting like the clan leaders were the enemy.
She absorbed everything after that in disjointed flashes. A sword, blood coating its length. Caden’s angry expression, his face nearly red as he shouted. A body on the ground.
Fallon’s body, his face still and pale.
Shea sucked in a gulp of air, the world suddenly moving again. She was on her knees by his side before she even registered crossing the room.
“Fallon,” she said in a small, choked voice. Her gasping breaths hurt her chest, her cheeks were wet, her hands fluttered over him. She clung to control.
His entire front was soaked in blood, his skin three shades paler. He looked dead, his face peaceful.
“This is a nightmare,” she assured herself. The words rang with false promise, ones she wished with all her heart were true.
But no, this was all too real. It was Fallon’s blood soaking into the knees of her pants. It was his face slack and missing the charisma that drew her like a moth to the flame.
The shouting in the room faded as Shea crouched over his body. A sob tore loose. She shook her head, the motion frantic, and clamped down on any other utterances. She gulped down the tears that felt like a briar bush in her chest, the knowledge if she let them loose they’d cut up her insides as surely as any razor blade.
No, she wouldn’t lose control, not until she knew for sure.
With a shaky hand, she held her hand beneath his nose. For a moment she felt nothing, and another stuttering sound of grief escaped her, then there was a whisper against her skin, a faint breath.
Her heart leapt and she bent over him, her head touching his shoulder before she straightened, her motions frenzied as she whipped off the shirt she’d hastily donned, pressing it hard onto his wound.
He’d already lost so much. She needed to stop him from losing anymore.
“Shea.” Trenton’s voice was tentative.
“He’s alive.” The rawness of her voice surprised her.
Trenton hesitated and then landed by her, he reached up, testing his pulse. “Shit. Caden, Braden, he’s alive.”
Shea looked up, her face determined. “I want Chirron here now.”
“He’s still tending the wounded at the Keep,” Braden said.
“I don’t care.” Shea’s voice was shrill, and she took a deep breath, calming herself. She needed to lock down her emotions. Fallon’s life relied on her keeping her wits about her. She looked down at him, not moving her hands from where they pressed hard against his wound. She wouldn’t fail him. “There are other healers still in camp, he wouldn’t have pulled them all into the Keep in case of this very scenario. Find them, bring them here, then go get him. Do it now.”
Several Anateri left the tent at a clip, not waiting for Caden’s approval.
Shea took a deep breath. “Help is coming. Just hold on, Fallon. You hear me, you hold on or I will hunt you down in the next life and kick your ass.”
“What should we do with these two?” someone asked.
