Jasper
Destinyrunstothehouse as fast as I’ve ever seen her. Like she understands that the weight in my arms isn’t just a woman.
It’s everything.
Her hooves tear through the snow, powerful and sure, muscles bunching beneath me as if she’s trying to outrun the fear that’s rapidly clawing up my spine. Abigail is pressed tight against my chest, her head tucked beneath my chin, her body terrifyingly still except for the faint, uneven breath ghosting against my throat.
Somehow, she already feels too light.
And it fucking guts me.
It’s as if the cold has already started stealing pieces of her.
“Come on, girl,” I whisper, leaning forward while holding onto Abigail tighter, urging Destiny faster even though I know she’s already giving me everything she’s got. “Come on, Dez.”
The woods blur. Branches whip past, snapping against my shoulders, snow stinging my face raw—but none of it registers. All I feel isher. The wrongness of how limp she is. The terror that if I look down and really see her, something in me will shatter beyond repair.
Her breath catches.
It’s a tiny sound.
Barely there.
Swallowing hard, I press my mouth to her hair, breathing her in like it might anchor her to this world. To me. “Stay with me, Abbie Girl,” I murmur. “You don’t get to go anywhere.”
My mind fractures in two directions.
One half is counting—breaths, seconds, feet to the house.
The other is swimming in violence.
Because somewhere behind us, two Coates brothers are still alive. Miles Keller is still alive.
Still breathing.
Still walking.
And the thought of that makes my hands curl into fists around Abigail’s jacket, rage roaring through me so hot I’m sure it could burn away the cold. I picture them—faces contorted in fear, realizing too late they chose the wrong woman, the wrong ranch, the wrong men.
I want their blood in the snow.
I want—
Abigail exhales, and it slices through my thoughts like a blade.
Because she wins.
She’ll always fucking win.
Destiny crests over a hill in the pasture, and the house finally breaks into view, warm light spilling out against the darkness. Home. Safety.Heat.
“Almost there,” I whisper, my voice cracking despite my best effort. “Just hold on a little longer, okay?”
A minute later, Destiny skids into the yard, breath steaming, sides heaving as she comes to a hard stop. I tighten my hold on Abigail, shifting her higher against my chest before I swing my leg over. I lower us both to the ground carefully, never letting her slip from my hold.
For a moment, I stand there–her in my arms, my forehead pressed to Destiny’s neck forcing one steady breath. “You did so good, Dez,” I murmur. “Good girl.”
She snorts softly, steady as ever.
