CHAPTER21
Rafe
It was hard to say whether Colby had saved our lives, but she’d certainly evened the odds during that fight. We might have gotten out of it unscathed. More likely we would have taken some hits, but still come out ahead. Instead, we were uninjured.
I’d almost shit my heart out when I’d run up, only to see her fling her attacker over the edge and go over with him. From our vantage point it’d looked like she’d fallen, too.
We were all going to be having nightmares about that for the next little while. I pushed them hard, trying to get to our base camp in the mountains. We’d be harder to find there and it was an easily defendable position.
We’d been trying to lie low, give both Roj and The Holy Order enough time to forget about us before we got back to our mission. It would be safest for Colby that way. That was no longer an option. We were going to have to go on the offensive if we wanted to live. Running and fighting as they sent wave after wave of insurgents after us was just going to ensure that we made a mistake and got ourselves killed.
The sky was a dusky pink, announcing the sun’s arrival, when we got to our camp. The camels were already here, bedded down and doing no more than opening tired eyes when we approached. I’d known letting them loose would mean they’d find their own—safer—way up to our camp. They’d been here a few times before and knew the trails.
Sig began setting up our tent as Arsen gently laid Colby on the ground. Pulling off the pack I’d grabbed from the cave, I took out medicinal supplies. The cut on her collarbone wasn’t deep, but it needed cleaning.
She woke up and sucked in a pained breath when I cleaned her wound. She didn’t complain, though. Just watched me with unreadable eyes as I cleaned her cut as gently as I could.
Arsen had already disappeared to go make sure there weren’t more men on our tail. Sig was setting up the site so we could get some rest. That left me to comfort Colby.
“You guys saved my life…again.”
Our eyes met and I gave her a grim look before focusing on her wound again. “You just repaid the favor tenfold.” She wouldn’t have been in danger if it hadn’t been for us. We’d taken her after all. Even though she’d helped us, I’d have preferred that she stay up in that cave. The thought of her being in danger was a lead weight in my chest.
“Rafe.” Her tone was filled with dread. I dragged my eyes up, sure I wasn’t going to want to hear what she was about to say. “My team…”
My eyes closed as I sighed. Opening them again, I got back to work. This wasn’t the best time to be speaking about this. She was shaking. From the cold, fear, renewed adrenaline, who knew? Her face was pale, making her eyes seem large and all encompassing. Despite all that, she deserved the truth.
“We went back to check,” I told her. She stilled, even the shivers wracking her body paused as she waited to hear my words. “They’re dead, Colby.”
The breath she’d been holding whooshed out and tears filled her eyes. “I…” She knuckled the silent tears off her cheeks. “I knew they were,” she finished. “I just wasn’t ready to face it.”
“And now is the time you choose to do so?” I asked, a note of humor in my tone. She was an enigma.
“I-I needed to know, so I could make up my mind.”
“About what, Pet?” I asked, swiping the cloth over her skin. The bleeding had stopped and she didn’t need stitches. I’d done all I could for the wound, but I didn’t want to stop touching her. Setting the cloth down, I brushed my fingers below the wound, smoothing over silky skin.
She leaned into me, as though she needed the contact, too. I heard her take a deep, fortifying breath before answering. “I want to stay with you guys.”
I knew what she meant. She’d been planning another escape from the moment we’d brought her home from that market. It didn’t matter the danger, she would’ve tried if we’d given her the chance. Which is why we never did. My brows drew low over my eyes. I should respond in my typical condescending way, but I couldn’t bring myself to do so. “I’m glad, Pet. We want you to stay, too.” It was the first time she’d truly accepted us. The relief and joy was so immense that I could almost scream in happiness. Something I hadn’t felt in…ever?
Mind made up, she crawled into my lap and rested her face on my chest, taking comfort in me. I wrapped my arms around her, trying to warm her, to comfort her. It’d been a rough night—a tough couple of days really—and she’d just gotten confirmation of a truth that clearly devastated her. Not once had she complained or dragged her feet on the trip. She’d stood up for us and helped us fend off our enemies. And now she was seeking solace in my arms.
My heart was already fucking gone. She owned it now. I sighed and rested my chin on top of her head. Somewhere deep inside I’d known it was heading this way. That’s why I’d fought it. We hadn’t known each other long, but in situations like ours you didn’t need to. Life was more intense here, and you seemed to live it faster. Emotions grew quickly in perilous times.
Sig caught my eye and motioned toward the tent. Picking her up, I brought us inside where he’d built a cozy nest of blankets to protect from the wind howling past. It was much colder up here and we’d all end up sleeping in here together to keep warm.
The others were taking first watch, so I pulled her against me and listened to her breathing as she slipped off into sleep. It was a huge step that she was admitting that she wanted to stay. We’d see if her actions over the next few days lined up with her words, but from what I knew of her she was a woman of her word. She wouldn’t have said anything if she didn’t mean it. She’d have kept going as she had been prior to this last battle.
I laid there, nerves strung too tight to sleep, but it felt good to hold her. Every time my eyes closed—even just to blink—I saw her disappearing over that cliff. The panic had nearly suffocated me. Arsen had been closer than either of us and I was grateful he was because she’d been dropping. I wouldn’t have been able to reach her in time.
Squeezing her tight—she let out a little squeak of protest—I tried to shove the mental images aside. Instead, I thought about our next move. We needed to figure out who exactly was after us so we could put an end to them. It wouldn’t stop the danger, because there was always another asshole to take over, but for now it would put us back in a position of power.
If we were going to find anything out, I was going to need to reach out to my contacts. That meant traveling back into one of the larger villages. I’d leave Arsen, Sig, and Colby here while I did. It was damn near impossible to find anyone hiding out in these mountains. The valleys and crevices were numerous and it would take a lot of time or a lot of manpower to inspect them all. They’d be safe while I searched for answers.
I’d leave tomorrow morning. It would give us a chance to make sure we weren’t followed and for them to set up fully before I left. We all needed a day to recover from nearly losing her. Voices pitched low caught my attention and I tucked more blankets around Colby before I carefully left our warm bed.
Outside, both Arsen and Sig glanced over as I came out of the tent. I hadn’t undressed, the cold prompting me to keep on as many clothes as possible. I threw on a jacket that I’d left here.