I swing into the saddle, pulling Eliza tight against me.
Ash mounts next to us.
“Ride!” he shouts.
I don’t need telling.
The forest blurs as we tear through it.
Eliza’s head rests against my chest. Too still. Too quiet.
“Stay with me,” I whisper against her hair.
My heart hammers. My body burns. The pressure builds. Worse than before.
Because now she’s in my arms. And I don’t know if I can hold back.
Her arms come up, wrapping around my neck, curling into my collar. I exhale, slow and controlled, trying to fight through the next sensations, the urgency of having her so close.
“You came for me,” she whispers against my chest.
“Always will,” I say from a place so deep, so true, I can no longer deny it.
Ash pulls up hard, blocking the path ahead. His eyes narrow, taking in the woman in my arms. “She should go to a hospital,” he yells.
But I shake my head. “No way. I’d be delivering her right back to them.”
“But she needs medical attention!”
Eliza lifts her head, eyes locking with his. “I’m fine.”
Ash’s forehead furrows.
“I promise,” she adds.
“You sure?” he drawls, expression torn.
“As long as I’m with Kael, I’ll be fine. I promise.”
“Guthrie, you sure you got this?”
“Yeah,” I say, voice rough and breaking. His eyes meet mine, a question in them.
“If I didn’t know better?—”
I nod, cutting him off. “You do know better.”
His face goes solemn, jaw tensing. “Then I know you’ll never hurt her. Or let anyone else.”
“Never.” It comes out hard as granite.
“What’s the plan, then?” he asks, gaze darting between us.
“Lie low for a few days. See what their next move is.”
He nods once. “If anyone knows how to hide, it’s you.” He raises his hand, throwing something in my direction. I catch it. The cellphone.
“Charger’s in the saddlebag,” he says. “Welcome to the twenty-first century, old timer. I expect to hear from you…. soon.”
