“Well, do you promise not to get kidnapped and dragged off into the woods? What am I supposed to do if you keep getting yourself in peril?”
She giggles. “Okay, you have a fair point. I won’t get kidnapped, and you won’t risk your life. Deal?”
“It’s a deal,” I whisper, pulling her back down for a kiss. This time, our love is stronger than our pain, and it doesn’t hurt at all.
Chapter 27 - Lexa
As we get up off the ground, Kit tries to support me but buckles over, almost falling. Galen and Cade appear immediately, holding him up under his arms.
“I’m alright,” Kit protests. “Jesus. Leave me alone.”
“I wouldn’t forsake Jesus if I were you,” I say. “He saved your ass today.”
Kit laughs, shaking his head. “Are you daring to assign my awesomeness to a deity other than myself?”
“It’s a good thing I love you,” I shoot back. “Otherwise, I’d have to walk right out over that kind of pride.”
Kit reaches for me again, but winces even worse than before. My humor fades instantly, and I rush in, running my hands over his body.
Massive bruises are appearing all over him, darkening his skin with red blooms. His limbs are misshapen with bulgy swellings, and his face has turned a dull, sickly white.
“Kit,” I whisper. “You’re really hurt.”
“Well, I just battled… uh, how many wolves was it? Felt like at least twenty.”
“Twenty-five,” Cade answers. “Saw it with my own eyes.”
“I don’t agree,” Galen replies. “That’s a ridiculous number. It was clearly fifty.”
“Okay, shut up!” I shriek. “Kit has internal injuries. We have to do something!”
“Yes, we do,” Cade says a little crossly. “Like, get off this mountain. With all due respect, Lexa, could you get out of the way?”
I give Kit a quick kiss, then scuttle back so his friends can help him walk. Seeing Kit leaning heavily on them with every step fills me with worry.
I can’t lose him now…
“Lexa!”
I hear Kate’s voice from behind me and turn around to see her running out of the trees with Misha and Mabel.
“Are you alright?” Kate asks, hugging me. “My God, that’s an ugly bruise on your head.”
“Oh? Oh, yeah.” I reach up to touch my head, feeling my fingers come away sticky. “They hit me. I’ve probably got a concussion.”
“Fuck!” Misha cries, wrapping an arm around my waist and making me lean on her. “We need to get you back!”
“Kit’s hurt worse than me—”
“That may be so,” Kate interrupts, supporting my other side, “but it still means you need care. Let us help you.”
“No protest from me,” I answer.
The walk down the mountain is a long, painful one. I watch Kit ahead of us, taking small steps as his brother wolves hold on to him. It sinks in that he didn’t just risk his life for me—he actually intended to give it up.
He would have died… just to save me.
The thought seems insane to me that I could be so important to someone. But then I think about my mother, who died to protect me.
