“Alive, but barely,” I grunted. “Need to get her warm.”
Declan swore, “She’s passed out, we need to get her out of these wet clothes and warmed up now!”
Without another word, we all moved towardthe cabin, Mikhail taking the lead with his weapon drawn. I focused solely on Ella, on the faint puffs of breath that told me she was still fighting.
Chapter 15
Jake
The cabin was a wreck when we returned. The furniture was overturned, windows shattered, and blood stained the wooden floors. But the fireplace still burned, throwing heat into the room.
“Rory, pull the sofa in front of the fireplace,” Declan ordered. “We need to get her clothes off. All of them. We need to warm her core temperature gradually.”
He lay her gently on the couch, then he and Rory scrambled off into the kitchen as I started to undress her. My fingers were nearly useless, numb from cold, but I forced them to work, peeling away her sodden clothes. Mikhail appeared with an armful of dry garments—flannel shirts, wool socks, a thick sweater.
“Found these in a closet,” he said, averting his eyes as I stripped Ella down to her skin. “How can I help?”
“Blankets,” I managed through chattering teeth. “As many as you can find. And heat some water—not hot, just warm.”
He nodded and disappeared. With averted eyes, I dressed Ella in the dry clothes, my own wet garments dripping onto the floor. Her skin was deathly pale, her breathing shallow. I rubbed her arms and legs, trying to stimulate circulation without warming her too quickly.
“Don’t you dare die,” I whispered. “Nora needs you. I need you.”
“Here,” Declan said as he stepped close, handing me some dry clothes. “Get changed. Truck’s ready. We need to get her to a hospital now.”
I nodded, wrapping Ella in the blankets Mikhail had brought. “What about the others?”
I asked, stripping off my wet clothes and quickly dressing in the dry ones.
“Rory is taking Caleb to the hospital to get his leg checked out, and Mikhail and Nora are going with them. We’ve got a half-hour drive to the nearest hospital—if we push it.”
I lifted Ella, cradling her against my chest. She felt impossibly light. As I carried her through the living room, Nora broke away from Rory and ran to us.
“Is Mommy going to be okay?” Her small face was streaked with tears, Rory’s massive coat stillengulfing her tiny frame.
“The doctors will help her, and she’ll be fighting to get back to you,” I told her, my voice steadier than I felt.
Mikhail approached, kneeling beside her. “Nora, you’re going to ride with me, Caleb, and Uncle Rory, okay? We’ll follow right behind your Uncle Declan, Jake, and your mother.”
She looked between us, then nodded solemnly. “Promise you won’t leave her?” she asked me.
“I promise,” I said, meaning it more than any vow I’d ever made.
I carried Ella to the truck; thankfully, Declan had already started the engine and cranked the heat to full blast.
“Back seat,” he ordered, opening the door for me. “Keep her wrapped tight.”
I slid in, cradling Ella against my chest, her wet hair soaking into my borrowed shirt. Declan spun out of the driveway, tires throwing up clumps of snow. The headlights from behind told me the others were right behind us as we descended the mountain.
“How’s she doing?” Declan asked, his eyes meeting mine in the rearview mirror.
I pressed my fingers to Ella’s throat, feeling the weak flutter of her pulse. “Still with us. Barely.”
The truck’s heater blasted warm air, but Ella remained deathly cold in my arms. I tucked the blankets more securely around her, willing my own body heat to transfer to hers.
“Stay with me,” I whispered against her hair. “Just stay with me.”
Declan’s eyes flicked to the rearview mirror again, then back to the treacherous road. I barely noticed; all my attention was focused on the woman in my arms.
