Total pages in book: 81
Estimated words: 75388 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 377(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 251(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75388 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 377(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 251(@300wpm)
I caress Hassen’s cheek while he sleeps. He looks like one big bruise, the poor guy. There’s a gash on his forehead, and he’s covered in scrapes. One shoulder has a jagged, shallow cut, but he’s mostly dusty, I think. I’ve been gently washing him clean as he sleeps, doing my best not to disturb him. I worry that he’s sleeping, but I’m hoping it’s just the shock of adrenaline wearing off and that his surge of energy knocked him out and not something more serious. If it’s a head injury… The healer’s busy, and I don’t know when or if she’ll be able to help him.
I look over where Stacy is huddled near her mate’s side. Pashov is still laid out where Hassen put him down. She has his hand gripped tightly in hers, eyes hollow. The baby on her back is wailing up a storm, fists waving in anger. There are a lot of babies wailing, actually. Some parents, too, but I can’t blame them. Maylak still has her hands pressed to Pashov’s chest, her eyes closed and her expression one of intense concentration. She’s been doing that for a while now, and her face is starting to look hollow with exhaustion.
No one steps in. No one can. There’s only one healer, and so we all have to be patient and hope for the best. No one wants to be the person that calls her away, because then what if Pashov dies? I don’t know him well, but I know Stacy, and I’ve seen them interact. He clearly adores her and their baby, and they seem happy.
Seemed, I guess. I stroke Hassen’s cheek again.
Pashov’s injury is severe, and the realization that Stacy might soon be a widow is a sobering one. I see others clinging to their mates, so I’m guessing it’s hitting home for everyone. Haeden sits on the snow with his mate cradled in his lap, holding her protectively. Nearby, Rokan is hovering over Lila, constantly touching her as if he needs to make sure that she’s all right and unharmed. She’s untouched by bruises, one of the few that made it out of the cave before the rocks started falling. And I feel nothing but relief at that. I’m so glad, because I don’t know what I’d do if it was Lila stretched out under Maylak’s hands, unmoving.
Or Hassen.
The thought creeps into my mind, and I shiver. Hassen went into the cave to save me. Both Asha and I had been sleeping when it all started, and it took me a few seconds to realize that what had woken me from sleep was the sound of gunfire. Which was weird, since there are no guns here. But then the ground shook, and I realized something else was going on. By the time Asha and I crawled to the entrance of our cave, it was too late—the hall had been blocked off by falling rock. For a few awful moments, I’d thought we were dead. No one was going to come for us. We’re not the most popular people in the tribe after all, and neither of us have mates that would look for us. We didn’t know what to do.
But then Hassen came for me.
Not just that, he dug me out, risking his own life. And he saved Asha, too. I mean, sure, maybe Hemalo was there, but all I could see was Hassen. He’s the one that risked himself to save me. And the look in his eyes was so intense and so fiercely protective that I felt…scared. Breathless and scared all at once, because I’m worried that I’m falling for the guy and I shouldn’t. I can’t choose between him and my sister.
I do know that what I’m feeling for him is becoming less and less casual as time goes on. Maybe it took a cave-in to realize just how much he’s coming to mean to me, but when he went back in for Pashov, I wanted to scream and stomp my feet. I wanted to hold him back and not let him go because it was dangerous.
And I’m pretty sure I didn’t breathe until he emerged again.
I stroke his brow thoughtfully, studying him again. He’s breathing evenly, and I relax a little. He’s fine. He is. A little banged up, but whole. And a bit of a hero after saving Pashov. I hope Vektal takes notice. I look around at the scatter of people out in the snow, and Vektal and Georgie both are going around to each little clustered family, checking on them. Someone’s building a fire right in the middle of things, which seems ridiculous, but then again, what choice do we have? We don’t know if it’s safe to go back into the cave, and a lot of us aren’t dressed for being outside for a long period of time. The chief and his mate are doing what they can to calm people, but there’s so much to be done. I can still hear babies crying, and the stack of furs that Hassen brought out is sitting in its bundle, unused. Nearby, Farli’s weeping and hugging poor Chompy, who looks like he has a broken leg.