She shifted into action, scampering down to first one rock, then the next. “Make another sound.” This felt a little like the games of all-hide she and Brielle played as young girls. When one of them would come near to giving up, the other would make a faint noise to point the seeker in the right direction.
This time, the groan was accompanied by the sound of something scraping across a rock. She homed in on a midsized stone farther down.
As she scrambled toward it, the slope propelled her body faster than her feet could keep up. Her hands slammed into the boulder just in time to keep her from sprawling headfirst. Using her palms to brace herself as she maneuvered around the rock, she jerked to a halt, nearly stumbling over Levi Masters’s form.
He sat with his back against the boulder, one leg spread out in front of him with his foot in the food satchel she’d sent, and the other leg bent sideways. She focused on that leg long enough to decide the angle wasn’t so odd as to be broken. At least she hoped not. It seemed more like he was simply too exhausted to straighten it.
She refocused on his face, his eyes barely open enough tolook up at her. She dropped to her knees by his side. “Are you hurt? Can you walk?”
“Cold. Can’t keep my eyes open.”
She scanned the length of him once more. He wore the coat still, though the buttons were unfastened. He would be chilled from sitting here but shouldn’t be too miserable. Unless maybe the potion that had coated the arrow made his body more sensitive to the elements. A glimpse of a bare foot winked at her from where the bent leg was tucked under the trousers of his other leg.
She leaned forward to brush the material aside. Yes, the foot was completely bare. A glance around the area showed two shoes propped nearby. Stockings too.
“Why aren’t your shoes on?” She started to lean over him to grab them, but they were too far away.
“Wet. Walked ... through the creek.” His voice sounded a little stronger now.
She sank back on her heels, then turned to the bag she’d brought. “I’ll wrap your feet in these leather blankets. That should help until we get you to the cave.”
Within moments, she had both limbs bundled. Seeing his bare skin and the long, angular, very masculine feet felt intimate. She did her best to remind herself he was simply a patient, but covering them with blankets was the only thing that took away the sensation.
Turning back to the man, she reached for his arm. “Can you stand? We have to hurry.”
9
Audrey watched as Levi struggled to stand. He moved painstakingly slow, and his eyelids nearly closed. He didn’t seem to have the strength to rise.
“Here, move onto your hands and knees first. That way you can hold on to the boulder until you get your balance.” The blankets wrapped around his feet would make him unsteady, especially since it looked like the sleeping tonic still had a strong hold on him.
While he struggled into that position, she hurried to gather up his shoes, his stockings, and their two bags. She would likely need both hands to help Levi, so she tucked the shoes into his food bag, as separate from the snacks as she could manage so the baked goods didn’t get soggy.
Levi had worked up to his knees and was using his hands to crawl up the side of the boulder to a standing position.
“Good. Now put your left arm around my shoulders. I’ll help you balance with those blankets around your feet.” She would be on the downhill side, so hopefully she could act as a brace to keep him from tumbling.
He didn’t obey right away, and urgency pressed through her. “Hurry. They could be here any minute.” She glancedback in the direction of Laurent. No movement appeared that she could see from this angle.
Her words seemed to prod him into moving a little faster, almost into a regular pace. She helped settle his arm around her shoulders and tugged him the direction they needed to go. He was so unsteady, but she wrapped her arm around his waist to help hold him secure.
Together, they moved around the mountain and up to a game trail that would make for easier walking. Levi didn’t stumble as much now, but he seemed to require her help to support part of his weight. Was this all truly from the sleeping potion?
She needed to dilute the strength of that tonic. She’d been careful to use only ingredients that could be safely consumed by people, in case the tonic punctured areas of meat on the game Brielle shot with her arrows. But she’d had no idea how well the stuff would work.
They were moving at a medium pace now. Would this keep them far enough ahead of the search party for Levi to be safe? She tugged him a little faster, and he trudged along with her.
Her body was coiled too tightly to think overlong on the fact that this man was practically embracing her. This achingly handsome man, who currently staggered along as though he’d imbibed too much fermented drink. His unsteadiness certainly wasn’t his fault, though.
At last, they reached the base of the mountain at its farthest side and began to scale the second slope. The cave would be partway up, but this was the hardest stretch because they climbed uphill. It was also the most dangerous, because they would be more visible at a distance.
As they ascended, Levi finally became better able to walkon his own. He still kept his arm around her shoulders but didn’t lean on her. The touch felt almost like he was helpingherup the slope. Or maybe they were assisting each other.
She kept them moving around the mountain, while still climbing with each step. Only once did she dare glance back. Were those figures on the side of the other mountain? Her breath caught as she froze and studied the landscape.
Levi, too, turned to look. “Get down. Behind this rock.” He dropped low, pulling her with him.
Audrey knelt beside him and peered around the stone. In the distance, a male figure moved up the slope, checking around every rock he passed. Monsieur Rochette. If she wasn’t mistaken, he searched near the place Levi had been hiding.
