Always him.
“I’ve got you.”
The words brush against my ear low enough to send heat straight through me despite the cold.
His grip tightens briefly to steady me.
Strong.
Warm.
Safe.
My breath catches embarrassingly fast.
“I’m fine,” I whisper.
Lie.
Not about the footing this time.
Neither of us moves right away.
For one dangerous second, the world narrows again to his hand at my waist and the way he’s looking at me.
Then—
Gunfire explodes across the ridge.
“MOVE!” Lucas shouts.
The mountains erupt into chaos instantly.
Bullets slam into the rocks overhead, spraying shards of stone across us.
I grab the nearest child without thinking and run crouched low behind the others.
Instinct takes over completely.
“Stay down!” I yell over the gunfire.
The mothers scramble after us while more rounds crack against the cliffside.
A bullet smashes into the rocks beside me close enough to shower my face with dust.
The little boy in my arms cries out.
“It’s okay,” I breathe immediately, holding him tighter while sprinting toward the next section of cover. “I’ve got you—I’ve got you—”
Another shot tears through the space we occupied seconds earlier.
Too close.
Way too close.
We dive behind a larger rock formation together.
I hit my knees hard beside the child instantly checking him over with shaking hands.
