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Chris climbed down therickety wooden ladder and rushed over to him. He rolled him to hisback and pressed his fingers to his neck, finding his heartbeatslow but there.
Kash’s eyes opened.
“Chris?” herasped.
“Yeah, I want to get youto my dad’s for healing. I’m sorry about…this.” He lifted Kash’swrists and looked at the shackles. There were pins holding themclosed, so he pressed his thumb to first one and then the other,working them free. Then he pulled the shackles from Kash’s wristsand tossed them aside. Kash’s wrists were raw and bleeding, andthick black lines snaked up his arms.
Kash wheezed and thengroaned.
“Come on, I don’t know ifsomeone will come back, let’s get you to a healer.”
Kash was bigger than him, but Chriswas no slouch in the muscle department, so he pushed Kash to aseated position, then helped him get to his feet.
“Bella,” Kash whispered,his lips cracked and bleeding.
“She’s on the way, but assoon as I get you to my dad’s I’ll tell him what’s going on and wecan call her and tell her to meet us there instead.”
“No,” Kash said.“Dangerous.”
“It’ll be fine at my dad’s,I promise.”
Kash gathered enough strength to getup the ladder, but Chris had to lend him some strength to get uponto the wood floor. When he’d climbed up himself, he helped Kashto his feet once more. “You look awful, by the way,” Chrissaid.
Kash chuckled and then coughed.“Thanks.”
“Well, well, isn’t thiscozy?”
Chris’s head snapped up.
Shit.
* * *
Kash didn’t know why Chrischanged his mind and decided to free him from the iron shackles,but he was damn glad for it. Of course the iron wasn’t going toleave his body on its own, it would have to be removed through achelation process by a trained fae healer. But just having the ironoff his skin had given him a little boost of strength. He testedhis power and didn’t have any, or access to his wings, but at leasthe wasn’t currently dying, just sick as hell.
He tried to explain toChris that it was too dangerous for Bella to come to Rhone becausehe didn’t trust the males with him, when those very males showed upin the barn just as they were getting free.
Kash straightened as much as he could,his whole body riddled with iron poisoning and his strengthdeteriorating by the second.
“Well, well, isn’t thiscozy?” the male who seemed to be the ringleader of the group askedas he and three others walked through the barn’s doors.
“I’m taking him to mydad’s,” Chris said. His voice wavered just slightly with fear, buthe squared his shoulders and let out a low growl ofwarning.
“You’re not taking himanywhere,” the leader said.
“This isn’t right, Carver.I just wanted Bella back home with the family, I didn’t want anyoneto die.”
The males exchanged quiet looks witheach other, and Kash immediately saw the change in their demeanor.They went from seemingly calm to furious in an instant. Two of themales lunged at Chris.
Kash stepped in front ofChris and met the males head on, sending one off-balance andtumbling to the floor. He gave Chris a shove backward to avoid himgetting gored by the other male’s claws.
Kash found himself on the wood floor,the wind knocked out of him and stars lighting hisvision.
Wind rushed around him as he washefted into the air and then dropped down into the cellar. His headhit the ground and every bone in his body felt like it came out ofjoint with the hit. He didn’t even have the energy togroan.
“We need to lock him upagain?” one of the males asked, his voice tinny and distant, whichKash suspected had more to do with him traipsing off into theafterlife than anything else.
“Nah, the iron did thetrick, he’s done for,” another said.
