My eyebrows shoot toward my hair. What’s happening that would make them all shout out loud? I quickly tuck the purple flower behind my ear and hurry back toward the noise.
I weave between the rows of tents, following the sound and movement of the wolves, then skid into the center of the camp, my boots sending up sprays of slush. My lungs seize mid-breath, my eyes landing on a group of bedraggled soldiers, their armor splattered with dark blood. Two of them grip the edges of a canvas stretcher, the fabric sagging beneath the weight of a sixth man whose arm dangles limply over the side, fingers curled like dead spiders.
My stomach drops, and my mouth goes dry as I picture Fox lying on the stretcher, his eyes closed, his chest still. I take an involuntary step forward, just as the soldiers lower the stretcher to the ground and I can finally see the person’s face. It’s not Fox, it’s Kai.
His skin is angry red with burns across one side of his face and down his arm, yet somehow he’s grinning through the pain.Without thinking, I rush forward, my fingers already tingling with healing magic.
Suddenly, a large figure catches my attention, shoving two soldiers out of the way in his haste to reach me. Before I can take another step forward, Fox plants himself in front of me, fingers digging into my shoulder hard enough to bruise. “Don’t,”
I blink up at him, relief washing over me only to be replaced seconds later by concern. Fox is covered in blood nearly head to toe, more than any of the other soldiers. Crimson droplets streak his face like war paint, and his blonde hair is matted with it, stained a sickening shade of pink where it’s begun to dry.
“What happened?” I blurt out.
“Nothing,” Fox grunts. “He’ll be fine.”
“I meant, what happened to you?”
“Nothing,” he repeats, and reaches out to shove my hand down. I hadn’t realized I was still holding it out, ready to help heal them.
I suck in a steadying breath, eyes still darting back and forth between Fox’s blood splattered face and Kai’s burnt one. Clearly, they’ve all been hurt, but there’s no sense of urgency—nothing that makes me feel like I need to ignore Fox and insist on healing Kai. “Why is everyone celebrating?”
Before Fox can answer, an unfamiliar blonde man appears over his shoulder. He flashes a grin that feels almost indecent given the circumstances. “When a mission ends with everyone still breathing, that’s cause for celebration around here.”
“Aurelia, this is Luka,” Fox rumbles tonelessly, introducing the stranger. “Luka, Aurelia.”
I look the smiling man up and down. Like nearly all the wolves, he’s tall with light hair and light eyes, but his blonde is a shade or two closer to red than Fox’s. He has a round face and no beard, and somehow looks young, though of course there’s no way to tell the age of immortals.
“An old friend?” I ask, when no one elaborates.
Luka’s grin widens. “Exactly.”
“So, are you saying that you were expecting someone to die?” I ask Luka, wrinkling my nose.
“We usually lose at least a few a month. Just part of life.”
I glance to Fox for confirmation, and the shadow that crosses his face tells me everything.
“But thanks to your mate here,” Luka continues, clapping Fox on the shoulder. “We didn’t lose anyone this time. That calls for a drink. You both should join us.”
Fox steps between us pointedly. “I need to go wash up.”
My ears prick up at that, and I blurt out the first thing that comes to mind without thinking. “Oh good, I’ve been wanting to take a bath.”
Luka’s lips curl into a knowing smirk. “Say no more. If I had such a pretty mate, I’d want to wash up too after the victory we just had.”
Fox growls and glares at Luka. I assume he must be saying something in his head because Luka’s grin widens, and he winks at me, then walks away without another comment.
Fox and I stand there stiffly. There’s still people all around us, but it suddenly feels as if we’re alone.
“He’s nice…” I hedge.
Fox just grunts, then looks conflicted, like he’s debating with himself. Finally, he gives me a pointed nod, eyes flicking toward the path leading away from camp. Taking his silent cue, I follow him away from the crowd and back down the row of tents.
When we reach our tent, Fox walks straight over to the paper we’ve been using to speak back and forth while in the camp.
I roll my eyes. “They’re all talking out loud,” I grumble, jerking my head in the direction of the center of camp.
He grimaces.
