Slide

18

When he arrived back at the clearing, it appeared empty. There wasn’t a single sound. He looked around, worried that he’d been led away so the group could be attacked from the opposite direction.

“Slide?” Ember called softly. She slipped out of the trees, gun held ready in both hands. When she saw him, she ran into his arms.

“Did you get them?” she sobbed against his chest. He nodded.

“You can come out, now,” he called. The others began emerging from their hiding spots while he sat and took big gulps of water from the canteen.

“Slide, you’re hurt!” Ember exclaimed. He looked down at the blood soaking his shirt.

“It’s nothing.”

“It’s something!” she snapped, pushing his shirt out of the way. She gasped when she saw the long, deep slashes on his ribs.

“Tjon, med kit, now!”

Her friend hurried to comply, bringing her a pack. Tjon went white when he saw the injuries and looked at Slide with awe. Slide shrugged. He didn’t know what the fuss was about. He’d had far worse.

Then fire streaked through him from the wounds. He gave a strangled cry as Ember dabbed the wounds with antiseptic. The ribs were one of the most painful places to get hurt, and Ember’s efforts were painful even if her hands were gentle.

“You big baby,” she joked as she soaked another clean rag to dab at his wounds. He grinned at her.

“I’m not used to such good care out in the field,” he said, laughing softly. “Shifters heal fast, Ember. You don’t have to do this.”

She paused, looking into his eyes.

“Yes, I do,” she whispered. “I have to do something for you. I can’t believe how much you’ve done for me. For all of us.”

Her hand was soft and warm as she cupped his cheek. They looked into each other’s eyes, and Slide felt like she was looking right into his soul. She was looking past all the defenses he’d cultivated to keep everyone at a distance and was seeking his true essence.

He couldn’t help but give in to her. Gentleness and openness were conquering him in a way that offense never could. He couldn’t help himself. He loved her soft touch, her care for him, and her desire to heal him and see him free of pain.

He loved her strength, her beauty, and her stamina. He loved how she wanted to keep diving into his soul, even though most of it was filled with very dark, dangerous waters.

Slide suddenly caught on to his own thoughts, and his heart almost stopped with shock.

I love her. I really, actually, love her.

Yes, she was his fated mate, but this went far beyond that. He’d always known he’d fall for his mate, but he had never expected his heart to be taken or his soul to become entangled.

He was hers, and he knew there was no turning back.

SLIDE

After she patched up Slide, he got them moving again. He considered it to be a very bad sign that someone had been able to follow their tracks so easily, and he wanted to put as much space between their group and the dead henchmen as possible.

After it had grown dark, Slide led them up a small, rocky hill to a wide cave mouth. The floor was smooth and dry, and he told them they would find plenty of dry wood to make a small fire. They were almost out of food, but he said he would go out and hunt something for them.

Ember didn’t want him to go, but she understood he was doing it for the good of the group. She checked his injuries before he went, just to see for herself that he was healing already. She knew a tough guy like him would keep saying he was fine even if he was bleeding to death.

She watched him disappear into the darkness, then helped Tjon start a fire. None of them were very good at getting a spark without a flint, but they found some matches in Slide’s pack. Once the fire was crackling cheerfully, she went to check on the others.

Dean was lying down. One arm was thrown over his eyes. Ember knelt beside him and touched him gently on the shoulder. He moaned softly.

“Are you all right, Dean?” she asked. He shook his head.

“I’ve never been in pain like this before, Ember. My back, my feet, and my legs. I don’t know how I can go on.”

She rubbed his arm, feeling cold and desperate. There was nothing she could do to help him.

“Rest easy,” she said. “I’ll bring you some food as soon as we have some.”

He nodded, not looking up at her. She hurried over to Layla, who was lying down, as well, with Anne sitting over her protectively.

“How is she?” Ember asked. Anne shook her head.

“She just passed out as soon as she sat down. I’m worried about her. She won’t wake up.”

Ember leaned down and touched Layla’s forehead. She wasn’t too hot, but she was a little clammy. She moaned softly at Ember’s touch.

“Just let her rest for now,” she whispered. Anne nodded, and Ember hurried back to the fire.

Slide appeared from the darkness a few minutes later. He carried a bunch of small, fuzzy animals dangling from one hand.

“Are those rabbits?” she asked.

“Savanna hares,” he said, grinning. “Bigger and more tender than rabbits. I got lucky. I thought I was going to have to bring down a small pig.”

“Pork would have been nice,” Tjon remarked. Mick scoffed.

“Too hard to gut in these circumstances,” he said, taking the hares from Slide. “I’ll dress these while you … get dressed.”

Ember covered her mouth with her hand, hiding a giggle. Slide walked around between shifts as if it was perfectly acceptable for a muscular, statuesque man to stride around completely buck naked. She certainly wasn’t complaining.

It didn’t take Mick long to clean and dress the hares, and they roasted them above the fire. Dean was able to sit up and eat, but Layla refused. She sat up and drank some water but refused dinner, saying she felt ill. Ember’s concern for her deepened.