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It whirls on me again, eyes narrowed. “We saved you!” it roars. “We will stop the pain—very, very soon.” Turning fully toward me, it shows me a long, sharp blade. The silver glints in the firelight, and I cry out.
“Please, no. I don’t need your help.” I try to scoot some more, biting down on the inside of my cheek, trying to swallow down the pained screams threatening to rip from my chest.
“You do need our help,” it says. Then, it takes a step toward me. “We will help you, and you will help us in return.”
“How is killing me helping!” I scream.
“Killing you? No, we are setting you free. You are in pain.” It gestures to my injuries.
“Injuries you caused by ripping me through the trees!” I scream. “Rafferty! Help m—” The thing blurs across the room and slams a clawed hand over my mouth. It shoves me to the ground and kneels on my chest.
“You will be quiet or else you will offend us,” it snarls. Saliva drips out of its mouth and onto my face. I close my eyes and whimper, turning my head to the side. “Now. We will take our payment.” Something sharp bites into the side of my face. My hammering pulse blocks out all other sounds as I await what is coming for me.
What’s been coming for me since I turned twenty-one: death.
But then the pain is gone. The weight no longer presses down on my chest.
Cautiously, I open my eyes just in time to see Rafferty rip the creature’s head straight from its shoulders.
Blood splatters the wall, dousing the fire, and he drops the body. When he turns to me, I expect to see his once darkened gaze, but instead, bright golden eyes stare back at me. “Ember,” he whispers, his words so soft I can’t help but imagine how shitty I look right now.
“Rafferty.” My voice is hoarse, shaky, and I let the violent sobbing take over now, no longer caring who—or what—sees me.
Rafferty rushes toward me and kneels, wrapping me in his arms. “I’m so sorry.”
“I—it hurts.”
“I need to get you to safety before I can heal you. There’s always more than onePukaabout.”
Before I can ask what a pooka is, cold hits my skin. I hiss at the pain, which is stronger than anything I’ve ever felt in my entire life. My sobs turn into shivers; my entire body quivering with the freezing cold settling around me.
“Shit. I’ll hurry.” He turns back into the cavern and begins to run, moving quickly as I shut my eyes, not wanting to see the headless creature lying on the floor.
We wind, turning corner after corner until, finally, Rafferty begins to slow. He sets me down carefully and moves away, so I curl into myself as much as my injuries will allow. Whimpering, I lie there, exhausted and aching.
I’m not entirely sure how long it takes him to return, but the next time I open my eyes, he’s kneeling beside me. “I need to see all your wounds,” he tells me. “May I lift your dress to look at your legs?”
“Yes.”
I close my eyes tightly as he pulls the fabric. It sticks, and I hiss through gritted teeth.
“Dammit. We need to clean you up, or you could get an infection. I can’t heal them if I can’t touch them, and your gown is sticking to the worst of them. There’s a spring here. I’m going to carry you inside, okay?”
Nodding, I wait for him to lift me. Strong arms wrap around my body, and he lifts me, moving slowly toward the water. It’s nearly silent, a steady trickling until he steps into it.
I fade in and out of consciousness as he submerges us both, coming to when the warm water hits my skin. A fresh wave of pain overtakes me, and I cringe, tightening my hold on Rafferty.
“I’m sorry, Ember.”
“It hurts.”
“I know. I’m going to set you down, but I’ll keep a hold on you. I want to look at your back.”
I begin to shiver so violently speaking is of no use, so I nod, instead. He releases me into the water enough to wrap an arm around my waist. Warm fingers start at the top of my dress. Then I can feel him tugging at laces until they come free.
“Bloody hell.”
“Bad?” Even as I say it, I look down at the water. Blood turns it cloudy, and I’m pretty damned sure it’s not from the pooka.
