Page 73 of North

She reached out for Hana and pulled her close.

And then she closed her eyes and prayed. Because how, just how could she have brought this terror upon these people?

Of course, a second before she prayed, North’s voice cluttered her thoughts⁠—

How am I supposed to protect you when you do stupid things?

Good, very good, question.

“Lord, we don’t know what’s going on right now, but who do we have in heaven but You? Please…save us. Protect us. Send help.”

Hana wrapped her arms around Selah and Joshua and held on, crying.

“Help us to trust You. To believe in You. We cling to You. Please come to our aid⁠—”

“Selah!”

The voice thundered through the house, bashed through the door, and hit her bones.

What—

“Selah!”

Selah put Hana and Joshua behind her. Then she turned and opened the door.

North.

He stood in the hallway, all six foot two of him, broad shoulders, strong torso, powerful legs, dressed in a flannel shirt, jeans, and boots as if he were a lumberjack. Yet his face was all spec ops—bloody, sweaty, sooty, so much fierceness in his deep-brown eyes it just…rooted her. Right there. She couldn’t move, but her voice—her voice managed a soft “North.”

“Oh, thank You, God,” he said and thundered toward her.

Two steps and he had his arms around her, pulling her hard to himself, and somehow her arms went around his neck and she was crying.

“I was so scared,” he said, his voice wrecked, his embrace nearly crushing her as he lifted her off her feet. And maybe he spoke the truth, because he trembled even as he clung to her.

She clung back, smelling the fire and smoke on him and—“Wait. Were you at the house?”

His breath rose and fell, and then he set her down, cradled her face in his hands. Met her eyes. “Yes. I was at the house.”

“Alan’s in the wind,” RJ said behind her. “But he might be coming back, with reinforcements. We need to go.”

Selah glanced at her, back at North, spotted a battle on his face. “You fought him.”

“Mostly, I was trying to get to you.”

And if she hadn’t known she loved him before, this moment…this very moment, she saw the truth.

This man would stop at nothing to find her, despite his anger, despite his words. He was loyal and true and…oh, how she loved him.

“I’m sorry,” she said softly, her eyes filling again. “I’m so, so sorry, North.”

He drew in a breath, and it seemed to rattle through him. Then, “We’ll talk about it later.”

Then he bent down and kissed her. Not long, just a quick, hard, purposeful kiss that still turned her weak.

He tasted of desperation and power and safety.

Why had she ever thought otherwise?