I’m well aware that it’s the middle of the night, and I’m all alone with a stranger—a man who’s more than twice my size, and who, even wounded, can easily snap my neck. But no, my frantic heartbeat has nothing to do with fear.
More strands of hair have slipped out of his braid, the dark tendrils framing his handsome face. In full light now, I can see it’s not as perfect as it seemed. There is a scar on his forehead and another on his left cheekbone, but they don’t distract from his looks.
“The bullet is close to the surface.” He reaches for the forceps on the cart and places them in my hand. “You’ll manage just fine.”
I squeeze the instrument and look down at the hole in his side. “We only have animal anesthetic here.”
“I don’t like drugs. We’ll go without,” he says and lies down on th
