Page 67 of A Cruel Kindness

“Back up,” I growled, fear hitting me square in the chest. If that branch wasn’t enough to hold me, she would have gone over with me.

Bellamy complied, scurrying back on her hands and heels. I crawled after her like a prowling animal, nudging its prey further and further into a corner where it had nowhere else to run.

It wasn’t until we were several feet away from the cliff’s edge that I managed to take a deep breath.

“What the hell?!” Esme yelled, running up to us.

I didn’t look at her, not when my eyes were latched onto Bellamy’s as we both tried to rake in a steady breath.

She’s hurt, make it better. She’s hurt, make it better. She’s— The Bond repeated the command like a mantra in my head, over and over and over.

Fuck this. I was halfway to climbing over her, not giving a damn who saw, when Bellamy’s broken whimper stopped me in my tracks.

Her eyes were on my face, somewhere near my forehead. I reached a hand up, flinching away when a stinging sensation shot down my face. I pulled my fingers back, finding them covered in blood.

A rock must have nicked me when I fell. I was shocked that was the only thing that happened. Sure, my shoulder felt wrung out and sore, but that could have been a lot, lot worse.

Bellamy scrambled up, launching herself at me.

I held my hands at my side, staying as still as I could as she moved quicker than I’d ever seen her work, finding the small first aid kit tucked into the pocket of her tactical pants.

The sting of the antiseptic didn’t even register as she wiped it over my brow. I was too stunned by the look on her face, the way her lip curled with concentration, the way her nose pinched with every little ministration. The water pooling at the corners of her eyes.

I placed my hands over her thighs where she was kneeling in front of me, letting myself have a moment of peace after that near fatal fall and swiping my thumbs across her skin, relishing in the heat that rose in response.

Bellamy’s cheeks colored with a pretty blush as she took a butterfly bandage and placed it over the cut. Content with her work, she sat back on her haunches and finally took a deep breath in.

I wanted to ask her what the Bond was saying to her. I settled on, “Thank you.”

“Don’t ever do that shit again,” Bellamy said, the command in her voice reading far too adorable. I clearly wasn’t thinking straight.

I stood, shaking out my shoulder and extending my hand to help her up. Her skin was cold, not in the way that I’d come to crave to help cool the heat of my skin, but frozen in fear.

Fuck it. I’d be doing something about that when we got a second alone.

“I’m fine,” I said to everyone, but I was looking at Peter. His rich complexion had paled considerably.

He nodded, swallowing thickly then saying, “I think that’s enough for today. Everyone get what they need?”

Freya was the only person to nod. She had a bag full of toys to play with, but the rest of us were leaving even more confused than we’d been when we arrived.

In the clarity formed by the adrenaline still pumping through my veins, I knew one thing for certain—something was happening.

Carson defecting, Elijah being the Prince’s most trusted General, the odd abandoning of camps … it was signaling something I wasn’t sure we were prepared for.

Chapter 17

Bellamy

Rationally, I knew that I had much bigger things to worry about. Soren was right, this was signaling something much more serious.

He didn’t actually say it out loud, but I just knew that was what he was thinking.

I also knew that the time was coming where I’d have to come clean. If the Muli Royal family, with Elijah doing their bidding, was done extending offers of peace and were prepared to unleash the full force of their army on us, I needed to say something.

There hadn’t been enough time for the note I slipped Carson to get to Elijah, or the Prince, and generate a response yet.

All of that should have been weighing down on me oppressively, but the only thing I could think about was how Soren had almost died right in front of me.