"Inside information, maybe," Zane's breathing was becoming labored. "Or they've got better tracking magic than we thought."
"They knew exactly where to hit us," I frowned. "The ward failure was too precise."
Zane nodded grimly. "Someone's feeding them information about Bureau movements. The question is who."
We fell silent as we continued our difficult journey, both lost in our own thoughts. The implications of a traitor within the Bureau were too disturbing to dwell on, especially with Zane bleeding beside me and cultists potentially still on our trail.
After what felt like hours but was probably only twenty minutes, Zane stumbled, nearly bringing us both down. I managed to guide him to a fallen log where he could sit, his face now alarmingly pale beneath the blood and dirt.
"Let me see," I insisted, gently moving his hand away from the wound.
Chapter
Twenty-Seven
Winter
It was worse than I'd feared. The magical shard had dissolved, but it had left behind a wound that glowed with an unnatural light, the edges blackened as if burned. The surrounding veins were dark, a sign of magical poisoning spreading through his system.
"That bad, huh?" Zane tried to joke, but his voice was weak.
"You'll be fine," I lied, tearing a strip from the bottom of my shirt to create a makeshift bandage. "Just a scratch."
He caught my wrist as I worked, his fingers surprisingly strong despite his condition. "Winter."
I looked up, meeting his mismatched eyes. There was something there beyond the pain, something that made my heart stutter in my chest.
"You're hurt," his thumb brushed over a cut on my cheek I hadn't even noticed.
"So are you," my voice catching. His hand moved from my wrist to my face, cupping my cheek with a gentleness that made my eyes sting with unshed tears.
For a moment, we just stayed like that, connected in the aftermath of violence, both of us wounded but alive. Then Zane leaned forward, his forehead resting against mine, his breath warm on my lips.
"I thought I'd lose you back there," his voice raw. "When I saw those cultists surrounding you, I…"
"You didn't," I whispered, my hand coming up to cover his where it rested on my face. "I'm right here."
His eyes searched mine, looking for something I wasn't sure I could give. Then he closed the distance between us, his lips meeting mine in a kiss that started gentle but quickly deepened with the urgency of survival, of fear, of finally acknowledging what had been building between us for weeks.
I responded instantly, my free hand tangling in his hair, pulling him closer despite the awkward angle and his injured state. He tasted like blood and magic and a flavor I'd been craving without realizing it.
When we finally broke apart, both breathing hard, Zane's eyes were glowing slightly, a sign of his fae heritage responding to strong emotion. "We should have done that a long time ago," he pressed our foreheads together.
"Better late than never," I smiled, though it faded quickly as I noticed fresh blood seeping through his makeshift bandage. "We need to keep moving. The safe house can't be far now."
He nodded, allowing me to help him to his feet. We continued our slow progress through the woods, now moving with renewed determination. The kiss had changed something between us, acknowledgment of feelings we'd both been avoiding.
After another fifteen minutes of difficult travel, we finally spotted the safe house, a small, nondescript cabin partially hidden by trees. It looked abandoned, but I could feel the magical wards humming around it, invisible but powerful.
"Bureau recognition codes are keyed to my magical signature," Zane explained as we approached. "Just get me to the door."
I helped him the final few yards, his weight becoming heavier as his strength waned. By the time we reached the porch, he was barely conscious, his skin clammy and his breathing shallow.
"Zane, stay with me," I urged, propping him against the doorframe. "How do I activate the wards?"
"Blood," his eyes struggling to focus. "Mine. On the doorknob."
I guided his hand to the metal knob, watching as his blood smeared across it. For a moment, nothing happened. Then the door glowed briefly before swinging open, granting us access to the safety beyond.
