34. Katrin

Chapter 34

Katrin

P ain blinded me. My leg was on fire. It radiated through my body until it felt like I was being burned from the inside out.

I screamed, and Evander was there, little more than a dark smudge against the lightening sky. If he spoke, the words were lost to me, drowned out by the steady beat of my heart hammering in my ears.

He'd called me Kat. That thought alone kept me from the darkness that beckoned when I closed my eyes. I almost laughed at the absurdity of it. After weeks of hoping for that level of familiarity between us, it had finally come on the heels of disaster.

Gentle hands flitted over me. Unable to make out his features, I imagined him assessing my condition in that cool, detached way of his. He reached my leg and recoiled.

How bad did a wound have to be to make a reaper hesitate?

His feather-light touch returned and glided over my wound. I screamed again, back arching to escape the pain. The ground was blessedly chill beneath me. I turned, pressing my forehead to the dirt as Evander tugged my injured leg back to him.

I took a deep breath in through my nose, shaking as I forced it through gritted teeth. The rushing in my ears disappeared so suddenly, I worried my heart had stopped. Only the enduring pain reminded me that I was still alive.

Cold slithered over my neck, and I turned my head to see one of my shadows—Inky or Storm, I couldn't tell which. It sprawled across my back, a cooling blanket to bank the fire burning within me.

Fabric tore, and I glanced over to see Evander clutching a ragged piece of his cloak. Capturing my lip between my teeth, I bit back my cry as he bound my leg. The metallic taste of blood coated my tongue, but his movements were quick and efficient, practiced even. Where had the Ferrier of Souls learned medicine?

He leaned in close, and I failed to suppress a whimper as he scooped me off the ground. My body folded into his, seeking comfort in his strength. I expected him to put me on my feet. I braced for it, certain he'd distance himself the first chance he got, but he only pulled me closer and carried me toward the horses.

Laying my head on his shoulder, I breathed in the scent of him. He smelled of the forest and rain and something I couldn't quite place, but it was heady and intoxicating all the same.

"You have a heartbeat," I remarked, surprised at the steady beat that sounded beneath my ear.

"Yes, Miss Fil'Owen. I am unfortunately still alive." His dry tone held a hint of strain, but I couldn't tell if his continued mortality or my injury was the cause.

I closed my eyes and when I opened them, we were atop the carriage. I didn't know if I'd fallen asleep or if we'd been transported by shadows, though I suspected the latter. Supporting me with one arm, he sat in the driver's seat and took up the reins. With a quick command to the horses, we were moving.

"Why didn't we…" I trailed off. My voice was weak and hoarse, so I gestured at the shadows swirling around us.

Evander seemed to understand what I was saying. "They tire too quickly to transport both of us over long distances, more so the closer we get to dawn."

I glanced at the sky that had lightened to a deep azure. I wasn't sure how far we'd traveled in our attempt to outrun the Fangs, but I doubted we'd make it back to the manor before dawn.

He must have seen the concern on my face. "We'll find other lodgings for the day."

I figured that meant we'd take shelter in some cave but didn't have the energy to care. Though my shadows kept the fire at bay, my leg was throbbing. Slumping back against the Ferrier, I thought to close my eyes for a moment and quickly succumbed to the dark.

When I awoke, I had no idea how much time had passed.

The sky had brightened though it was barely visible through the canopy of cypress trees and hanging moss. A quick glance around confirmed we were still in The Between, but we were nowhere near what I'd come to know of the liminal space. Like the world beyond Tyr Anigh , there was a sense of otherness, a wrongness that bordered on the impossible, as if the land itself were in stasis. It was unchanging, unalive but not dead.

Unlike the familiar part of The Between, the air here was thicker like wading through a swamp. Every bit of my exposed skin was damp, which I hoped was due to the climate and not fever.

Evander shifted and I made a weak attempt to disentangle my limbs from his. I tensed and his arms tightened around me, effectively halting my efforts. In one fluid motion he rose, lifting me with him like I weighed nothing at all. He pivoted and repositioned me in a prone position along the bench seat. I squirmed as whatever venom the beasts had infected me with made comfort a long lost luxury.

"I shall return momentarily." His eyes held mine. In them, I saw his sincerity, but creasing the edges were the first signs of worry.

I stretched my mouth into the semblance of a smile. "Not going anywhere." Whatever he saw on my face overrode any attempt at humor.

With a tilt of his head, my shadow guardians came rushing in. I sighed at the cooling pressure their presence provided.

Evander disappeared into the dark, as was his way. This time when he left me, I felt no fear. Though his hounds were temporarily incapacitated, Behryn hunted us. I was injured and we were far from home—the manor, that is—but I trusted Evander. Perhaps even beyond the confines of our agreement, I trusted him.

I'd never known many people I could rely on aside from my parents, and even their affection had been complicated, tainted by grief and a desire to fix me.

Maybe I was being foolish. After all, I knew Evander acted out of his own interests. I was his means to an end. Or was I? Sometimes, it felt like there was something more between us. Or was that just my bruised heart eagerly latching onto the first person to show me kindness?

I was disgusted by how much I craved a connection to him. Our time together was finite. A little less than a year from now, he would be a memory.

I blew out a breath and watched the shadows swirl above me.

Hushed voices jolted me back to the present. I froze until I recognized Evander's deep baritone. But who was the other?

Footsteps approached, and I lifted my head, turning pleading eyes in their direction. In that moment, I knew nothing of pride. There was only pain and the foolish hope that somehow, Evander and this stranger could ease it. I pushed myself upright, unwilling to meet anyone on my back. Pain lanced up my leg, and I immediately regretted the action. Clapping a hand over my mouth, I let loose a belated howl.

The shadows parted as the two men neared the carriage. I squinted to make out the figure next to the reaper I knew so well.

"This is her?" The newcomer's voice was like whiskey, smooth and deep. He stepped forward, moonlight illuminating a tall, leanly muscled form.

I had only a brief moment to appreciate his dark skin and depthless eyes before another wave of pain struck me. Doubling over, I squeezed my eyes shut, mouth open on a silent scream.

"The venom is moving swiftly."

Something touched my wounded leg, and I flinched away, gasping for breath as the pain receded.

"Then we'll need to be faster," said Evander.

"You'll bring the Devil to my door."

My head rolled back and forth in a silent ‘no', but it was true. Behryn was seeking us, and we were putting this man in danger by coming here.

"Will you help us or not?" Evander's tone left little room for argument, and the second man sighed.

"You know I can't resist a pretty face."

Arms encircled me, and then, I was being lifted. I knew it was Evander before his familiar scent reached me.

"I've got you," he whispered into my hair.

My bones were heavy, but he held me tightly. I tipped my head onto his shoulder and fell into the waiting darkness.