Chapter 18 : Time to Rest

*Gemma* It was hard to trust someone to help you escape from a fortress, and harder to trust them when they were feet away from driving us over a cliff. I screamed Kael's name, the sound belting out of my throat. He slammed on the brakes. I heard and felt the ground beneath the heavy car start to crumble. "Back up!" "I know!" Kael yelled, putting the car in reverse and slamming the gas. Raisa and I were hurled forward into the back of the front seats—and then into each other as he wrenched the wheel, careening us to the side. As I righted myself, I glimpsed an army of Epsilon coming toward us headed by Connor and Cillian. "Drive!" "I know!" Kael slammed on the gas, and in seconds flat we were speeding. It wouldn't be long before other cars were on our tail, but we were lucky that Bryn happened to choose this monster of a tank. It was already eating land; the army would be as small as ants in just a few more seconds. I slouched in the backseat. "I hope you can drive. I hope you know where you're driving to." Kael's flippant attitude had been easily replaced with angry irritation. "Stop talking please," he said snappishly. "It's not helping. No, I've no idea where I'm going. Just pray we find civilization." "We'd have to go the opposite direction we both came in." I sat up to pull Raisa against me, wrapping my arms around her as she trembled and wept, thankfully soundlessly. My heart couldn't bear her keening. She'd just lost her mate when they were both so close to freedom. Her pup would be born without a father. I regretted leaving Opal Springs more than ever. "I'm aware," Kael said through gritted teeth. "Let's all just… be quiet. Please." I didn't so much obey as lapse into silence. Raisa's damp cheek rested on my shoulder, holding my hand tighter than a vise. This time I had no idea how to comfort her. But I knew that the tides had turned and I was the one who needed to care for her from now on. We did it. We escaped Hazelstone. I doubted it had ever been done before. I suddenly felt the urge to burst into laughter. But I didn't, because I passed out. *** "Gemma, for Goddess's sake, wake up!" I jerked awake with a gasp, nearly headbutting Kael as he leaned over me. We were still in the car, and Raisa was still asleep. "What?" I hissed. "I found civilization." I was fully awake. I looked out the window at the stationary landscape. It was still a depressing and dusty atmosphere, but I almost appreciated it, because it wasn't the only thing–now there were buildings. Kael's face was very close to mine. I would have felt flustered if I didn't feel disgusted first. "You smell like rotten flesh." His mouth quirked. "How do you know what rotten flesh smells like?" "Similar to rotting fish." It wasn't entirely true, but it was close. He didn't smell like seafood and that was what really mattered. "Where are we?" I figured he would straighten, but his gray eyes searched my face with uncomfortable intensity. "Somewhere we can lie low… and you can take me to an infirmary." Then his eyes rolled back in his head and he fainted. His body hit the dirt and sent up a cloud of dust. "Shit! Raisa—" I hopped out of the car to drop to my knees and lift Kael's head into my lap. His heartbeat was weak, and his breath rattled in his chest. His wounds were starting to look festered. Shifters had excellent healing abilities, but only if they were in good health. Kael was not, to say the least, so it would take a while for it to even kick in. "What's wrong?" asked Raisa blearily, leaning out of the car. When she saw Kael, her eyes, still glossy with tears, widened. They were red and puffy. "Oh, Goddess," she breathed. I brushed his blood-crusted hair off his forehead to feel it with the backs of my fingers. He was burning up. "We need to get him help." Raisa stepped over Kael's body and looked around. She scoffed. "I can't believe he actually did it." "Raisa, he's dying," I said, panic edging my voice with annoyance. Why was she ignoring me? "Do you know where we are? Where we can get help?" "This is Dust. It's on the outskirts of Hazel Coast's official territory." She closed the door to look at her reflection and fix her hair. "We can find help, I'm sure, but they're still loyal to Connor, so I doubt they would take kindly to an escaped consort, an Easterner, and a dying brute with white hair." She looked at me. "We should just drop him off at the first doorstep we find and keep driving. We'll reach the train and barter—" "One," I snapped, "we have nothing to barter with. Two, what the f*ck?! Kael saved us, and you want to repay him by letting him die in the middle of the desert?!" Her sea glass eyes were sharper than ever, and when she snapped back, her canines were thick fangs. "He let my mate die! Because of him, my soulmate is dead! We've established that I am not nice! In the West all we know is self-preservation! Survival of the fittest. Besides, why do you care so much? You just met the bastard." "I saw him in Niburgh," I told her. She furrowed her brows. "I don't think it was a coincidence that he… found me—came to me—whatever. He saved us. Now we save him. Please, Raisa." My voice cracked on 'please.' She glared at me, chewing the inside of her cheek, and rapidly tapping her foot as she warred with her stubborn anger and compassion. I didn't blame her for acting out; I wouldn't hold it against her. But I couldn't save him by myself. I needed her more than I needed anyone. Then she rolled her eyes and sighed dramatically. "Fine. Fine! But if he shows any kind of ungratefulness then I'm going to kill him myself." I went limp with relief and croaked, "Thank you." "Yeah, yeah. That doctor from the other day? He lives here somewhere. Stay in the car while I go find him." I only half-liked that plan. I didn't like waiting or doubting Raisa's promise, but it was still better than the two of us trying to drag Kael into enemy territory. We struggled to haul him back into the car's backseat, but once we scrunched him in, I climbed to the front and locked the doors. Raisa smiled briefly through the window. "I'll hurry," she said, and then started a quick pace into the town. I made myself as comfortable as possible, which wasn't easy in a beast of a car not meant for comfort. I could only listen to Kael's weak vitals and hoped they didn't stop. There wasn't anything in the car to help him. Just the keys. My eyelids threatened to droop back into sleep, but it was the last thing I wanted or needed. I craned my neck around the seat to look at Kael. Unconscious, he didn't make me feel so annoyed. More than half of his comments were inappropriate for the situation, and I didn't like his quickness toward violence. But the ribbon around my heart… its other end was tied around him, and I couldn't just walk away. By the Moon Goddess's blessing, not even an hour passed before Raisa returned with two males behind her. I ducked low just in case until Raisa knocked on the passenger window grinning smugly. "The tears of a female will get you anywhere, sweet." *** It was an ungraceful trip to Dr. Baron's infirmary, and even though we took side streets to avoid attention, we still got a few stares. Raisa bared her teeth at every shifter she caught lingering, sending them scurrying off. We clasped hands the entire way, grounding me as the doctor and his son, Ferio, carried Kael between them. My spine was locked so stiffly it hurt as I hoped they didn't bang his head on the door frame of the building or let him fall off the bed they set him on. I hoped they didn't plan on killing him when they shooed Raisa and me out of the operating room and closed the door in my face. Dr. Baron's daughter, Seri, led us to a large bathroom with two tubs with curls of steam floating off the surface of the hot water. Raisa didn't hesitate to strip and sink into it with a whimper of reprieve. More tears ran down her cheeks. I was hesitant to follow, but Seri patted my arm and smiled kindly. "You don't want to look like that when he wakes up, do you?" "You think he'll survive?" Seri nodded confidently. "I've no doubt. Now, get in while I prepare some food." *** I made sure to scrub every fleck of blood and dirt until my skin was rubbed raw. If I scrubbed hard enough, it would get rid of Connor's ghost touch. If I scrubbed until I couldn't bear the pain, I could wash free of Hazelstone entirely. I didn't realize I was crying until Seri ran over and snatched the cloth out of my hands, fretting, "Gemma, stop! You're hurting yourself." I sniffed and wiped my eyes with the back of my hand. I stared down at the water that turned pink with too many floating particles for comfort. "I'm sorry." "Don't be sorry for grieving," she murmured, kneeling down with a fresh damp cloth to dab at my neck and cheeks. "Miss Raisa told me everything. I can't imagine what you must be feeling." I laughed humorlessly. "I don't know either." *** By the time Raisa and I dressed—Dust's fashion was simple but designed to protect against the elements and climate—and managed to get Seri's meal down—it was the best one I'd ever had—and lay down in the spare bedroom to rest, Kael still wasn't better. Or even awake. Raisa wept silently in the bed next to mine by candlelight. It was late evening now, and I was staring at the folded paper Bryn had given to me. I'd managed to hold onto it until now. "Take it," he had said, "and don't lose it." It was the same paper I saw in the record room. I knew what it was: the question I'd been asking since the day I thought taking Lynn's place would be an adventure. Well, I'd gotten adventure. It just wasn't the fun I'd hoped it would be. But I couldn't bring myself to uncrinkle it and see the truth. So I tucked it back into the waistband of my underwear and lay down to attempt to sleep. Just as I closed my eyes, there was a light knock on the door before it creaked open. "We're okay, Seri," I began. "That's weird, last I checked my name was Kael."