Page 39 of Stormbreaker

Between Edward and me, we drag her down the hall, doing our best to keep her head protected. She keeps blacking out, her entire weight sagging against us. She’s always hated how short she is, but I’m finding myself grateful that she’s so tiny.

“When did you find her?” I quietly ask Edward.

“About an hour ago,” he answers. “She’d passed out against the railing.”

I think about where I was an hour ago. Being scolded by my father while Trinity needed me.

“I woke her up, and she just started screaming and crying,” he continues, nearly on the verge of tears himself. His voice cracks, and he shakes his head. “Thank Skies you showed up when you did. I couldn’t get her to listen.”

I swallow thickly against the burning sensation in the back of my throat.

“The elevator is this way,” I say. I’m pretty sure the med wing is on the third level, a few floors down. Trinity sags against me, nearly knocking me over. “Lift her legs.”

As we attempt to pick her up, a familiar face rounds the corner, and I resist the urge to groan.

Rook.

He stops and watches with a blank expression, his gaze roaming over me and then Trinity, a dark eyebrow arching.

“What are you staring at?” I snarl. I’m really not in the mood for anyone’s bullshit.

“Do you need help?” he asks, throwing me off.

He’s huge and could probably carry Trinity one-handed. She’s passed out cold, which only makes her heavier. Maybe we do need help. I stumble against her weight, and Rook is beside me in a flash. He catches me by the arm, steadying me with a firm grasp, and my stomach flutters with a weird little dip.

Before I can examine that thought, he scoops Trinity into his arms and starts walking away.

Edward and I stare at his back and then at each other. He shakes his head as if wondering why he didn’t think of doing that. I chase after Rook, who’s already halfway down the hall.

“Thank you,” I say as I catch up. His only answer is a grunt as we reach the elevator and file into the tight space. I jab the button, and the doors slide shut while I watch Rook from the corner of my eye.

We quickly arrive at the med wing, turning down a narrow corridor toward the entrance. I knock on the door, and it takes a moment for it to pop open to reveal a woman with mahogany hair and light-brown skin in scrubs.

She looks at Trinity, draped in Rook’s arms, before her gaze falls on him. Her eyes narrow, and I can read everything in her expression. But she has the wrong idea.

“She’s hurt,” I say. “It happened during her trial.”

I shove past Rook and gesture toward the nearest empty bed. He handles Trinity carefully, like an antique porcelain doll, settling her gently on the narrow mattress.

The medic’s mouth snaps shut, and she follows us across the room.

“Excuse me,” she says before Rook steps out of the way. Edward and I move to the far side as the medic cuts Trinity’s jacket open, revealing the oozing wound.

“This is infected,” she says. None of us reply. Obviously.

The medic looks up, and I notice her name tag reads Dr. Perez.

“What happened?” she asks as she starts gathering supplies, laying everything on a wheeled tray she drags to Trinity’s bedside.

I shake my head. “We don’t know exactly. She just said she was knocked down.”

Perez flattens her lips in disapproval and begins to assess Trinity. “I’ll ask you to step outside.” Her tone is firm but polite. “Once she’s stable, you can see your friend.”

Someone takes my arm and begins to maneuver me away as a few more medics file into the room. I can’t take my eyes off Trinity’s pale face. Her eyelids flutter, and I want to stay, but I’m hustled into the hall, where I stand between Edward and Rook. A moment later, the door slams in our faces.

“Is she going to be okay?” I ask Edward in a whisper.

He runs a hand over his mouth and down his chin before sagging against the wall, then sliding to the floor. He looks miserable. “I don’t know, but I’m not going anywhere.”