Chapter 14
The fever eased… or at least I thought it did. His skin wasn’t burning quite as fiercely as before, though it was still hot enough to make me worry.
For the first time in hours, his breath didn’t sound like it was trying to tear out of his chest. It was shallow, uneven, but not as ragged.
I sat back on my heels, clutching the damp cloth I’d been pressing to his forehead. My arms ached, my eyes felt heavy, but I kept touching him just to reassure myself he was still here. Alive.
“You hear that?” I whispered, leaning close, even though I knew he was too far gone in fever to respond. “You’re cooling down a little. That means it’s working. That means… maybe you’ll be okay.”
My voice broke on the last word. Hope was fragile out here, like the fire I’d finally managed to coax in
