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Her throat started to ache.
~ ~ ~
Rachel lived.
Duncan felt really odd, as though a cushion of air was permanently fixed between the soles of his battle-sandals and the marble floor.
Rachel lived.
She was behind the door, having showered, but he could smell her rich, garden scent and he wanted to be near her.
He took slow, deep breaths.
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The adrenaline had finally passed as well as the feeling of near-loss that she’d almost died.
If Yolanthe kept this up, he could lose Rachel. He didn’t know what to do, and he feared giving voice to any of his concerns, as though speaking them aloud would make them more real.
When she opened the door, his heart almost collapsed in his chest. She was so beautiful with her hair a thick blond mass around her shoulders and her eyes bright with tears.
He opened his arms and she fell against his chest. “What’s wrong?” The question seemed absurd given their circumstance.
Nothing. Everything. Duncan, I’m scared.
Her frightened voice inside his head crushed his heart a little more. God, he had it bad.
He held her, rubbing her back gently. “Of course you’re scared.”
“No,” she said, pulling away slightly to look at him. “It’s not what you think. Duncan, you almost died.”
He frowned, perplexed. “What? No, you almost died.” Maybe the recent experience had confused her.
She shook her head and pressed her face into his neck. “If I hadn’t fired that last shot … ”
He made a quick review of the last part of the battle, when she’d reached for the ammo Endelle had slid toward her and as a result the shield had vanished. He’d been on the floor, a wrecker gun leveled at him. Now that he thought back, he realized that the wrecker’s right arm had jerked when he’d been hit, his shot going off in another direction and exploding one of the desks near Duncan.
Rachel was the one who had fired her gun at the wrecker and deflected the shot. She’d saved his life.
But it was the other wrecker who had fired at Rachel. But thank the Creator the shot had gone off-center. If Rachel had taken a full hit to the gut, she would have been severed in two.
Duncan shuddered but quickly reined in the horror of this added reality. He would have died as well if not for Rachel. Finally, he said, “Well, it doesn’t matter except we’re both here now and we’re both alive.”
She sighed heavily, her fingers stroking his arms and his back.
He held her for a long time, not wanting the moment to end and definitely not certain where he should go from here. In fact, he didn’t know where they could possibly go to be safe from the wreckers. These grid warriors had already succeeded in finding Rachel at his home and now here in Endelle’s palace.
Where else could they go?
He felt her exhaustion, though. It had been one, long day and an even longer night. It had to be at least two in the morning now. Time to retire.
Her voice slid through his mind. Duncan, will you share my bed tonight on Mortal Earth?
He drew back slightly and pushed her hair away from her face. He leaned down and kissed her. “I don’t want to be anywhere else.”
“Do you think we could leave now? Even my bones ache with fatigue.”
“I think we should see everyone first. I know they’ll want to be assured you’re okay. But after that, yes, Endelle said we could go.”
