Nim climbed to her feet, joining Tristan as footsteps thumped up the stairs and Mathos crashed into the room.
“You have to move.” Tristan’s second-in-command wore a harsh expression that ramped up Nim’s fear more than anything else. She had never seen him look so serious.
“Thirty seconds.” Tristan’s voice was rough and low, and he didn’t take his eyes off hers.
Mathos was not impressed. “There’s no time!”
“Thirty. Seconds.”
“Fuck. Fine. I’ll get the stretcher.” Mathos stalked out the door, calling orders.
Tristan tilted her chin up with his thumb and then leaned down to brush his lips over hers. “I love you.”
She gripped his arms, feeling the muscles clench under her hands, and wished she could fly them all away somehow. Wished, desperately, for more time. “I love you too.”
“Do you remember your promise? That you would do what I say if there’s danger?”
She dipped her head slowly, heart thudding even more heavily. She remembered. Even if she was certain she was going to regret it.
“I need you to honor that promise now.”
She looked into the dark green of his eyes, the jagged scar on his left cheek an angry reminder of the brutal life he’d lived. He was formidable. And so easy to hurt.
Her voice was subdued. “I don’t want to.”
“You must do this. For me. For Val.”
She took a breath and released it slowly. She wanted to fight, but she was untrained and would only distract him, and she knew he was right: Val needed her. “What do you want us to do?”
The relief on his face squeezed her heart more painfully than Grendel’s chains ever had.
The door swung open, Mathos was back with Garet, carrying a rough stretcher between them, Rafe following closely behind. In seconds they had Val lifted and were carrying him out the door as Rafe threw all the jars of ointments, bandages, even a blanket into a large leather satchel.
Tristan guided her after the stretcher as Rafe did a last sweep of the room. It was as if they had never been there.
They ran down the stairs as doors slammed behind them. After each slam, a loud voice called, “Clear!” and Nim knew the whole house would be pristine within minutes.
They reached the front door just as Tor dragged a pale Keely through it, and they followed at a jog. Everything happened so fast. The squad coordinating with each other effortlessly, as if they’d evacuated a hundred times before. Nim followed, slipping into a strange sense of calm as they flew across the courtyard and into the old mill house.
It was damp and gloomy inside. A single lamp stood on an old barrel, its dim light throwing flickering shadows along the rusted cogs and gears of the abandoned mill.
Ahead of her, she saw Tor guide Keely to a small opening in the back wall. The other woman ducked and crawled forward.
Tristan dropped a fleeting kiss on the top of her head and then nudged her to follow.
Nim could feel her hands shaking as she dropped to her knees and pushed her way into the shallow opening. It was a small hollow between the two stone walls—the existing outer wall and a new false wall inside the shadowy mill—creating a safe hiding place.
But it was not big enough for everyone. Gods. The thought rose, and then had to be set aside as the stretcher carrying Val was passed in. The men grunted and cursed as they struggled with the narrow opening, and Nim tried to guide it into the constricted space. The stretcher caught on a stone, jostling heavily, and Val gave a long, pained groan.
Nim ran her fingers down his face soothingly, whispering that he would be okay, and he settled back into a fitful sleep.
Finally, the three of them were in. Rafe appeared, kneeling at the entrance, and passed her the bag of bandages and ointments. He disappeared for a moment, then returned to pass her an unlit candle, another blanket, several flasks of water. And then he was gone.
Tristan’s face appeared, scales gleaming on his clenched jaw in the dim light, deep forest green flecked with pewter. She wanted to touch him, but she couldn’t reach him over Val’s stretcher in the tight space.
“I’m sorry.” His voice was grim. “You can’t risk a light.”
“Okay.” She tried to keep the waver out of her voice.
