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“He didn’t. I was threatening to kill myself—and I found a knife—”
Cody moved closer. “Let me see those cuts. If they’re deep—”
“I don’t think there’s a single thing in this house that would be clean enough to serve as a dressing. How did youfindme?”
Tivol thrashed under Jayla’s body. “Let me go! I have to explain to Madeleine—”
Jayla made sure the dagger was nice and tight before she leaned forward to murmur in his ear. “Madeleine doesn’t want you to die. But there’s no reason you have to be conscious, so if you don’t lie still, I will beat you senseless.”
“Jayla!” Madeleine exclaimed, but Tivol stopped struggling.
Jayla looked back up at her. “Where’s Aussen? Is she all right?”
“In the other room. Sleeping, I hope.”
Cody was still fussing over Madeleine’s wounds. “These have to be cleaned and treated.”
“There’s water here in the kitchen—”
“Wait, this is better. Whiskey. Sit down.”
Jayla felt more than saw the two of them circle around her and take seats on the dilapidated furniture. “Here, you can use my jacket to make bandages,” Madeleine said. “Just rip it up.”
There were tearing sounds and then a soft warning from Cody. “This is going to hurt a little.”
A short silence, a choked whimper, and then soft breathing. “Ow,” Madeleine said. “That hurt alot.”
“Sorry.”
“When you’re done with her,” Jayla said, “see if you can find some rope.”
“There has to be some in the house,” Madeleine said with mordant humor, “because he was threatening to tie me up.”
“I didn’t—” Tivol started. Jayla kneed him in the kidney and he shut up.
“How did youfindme?” Madeleine asked again.
Jayla was too preoccupied to answer, so Cody explained, adding details about Pietro and Rovyn and Reese as Madeleine kept asking questions.
“Reese is back?” she said. “Where is he?”
“He should be here any minute.”
It was as if the words conjured him, because a second later Jayla heard the front door crash open and footsteps charge down the hall. The cries ofReese!andMadeleine!were so heartfelt and so numerous that for a moment there didn’t seem to be any other words in the human language.
A shape dropped to the floor next to Jayla, and she glanced over to find Reese’s soldier uncoiling a serviceable bit of cord from his belt. “Good job,” he commended her. “I can handle him if you want.”
She nodded and rose to her feet. A quick look showed her that Reese and Madeleine had collapsed together on the sofa, and she was looking weary but safe within his protective arms. Madeleine’s throat had been swathed so thickly in a gaily patterned cloth that she probably couldn’t lower her chin, but other than that she didn’t seem to be in particular distress. Well, she was crying. But smiling at the same time.
Now to find Aussen, praying that she was just as safe, just as whole. Jayla hurried into the bedroom to find Cody before her, kneeling on the floor, his arms crossed on the bed, his chin resting on his wrists. Aussen lay on her side, her eyes closed, her breathing steady.
“She’s still sleeping,” Cody said. “She doesn’t look like she’s been hurt.”
Jayla nodded and crawled onto the mattress, curling her body around the small, clenched form. “Aussen,” she whispered. “It’s Jayla. I’m here. You’re safe.”
Aussen startled awake, and Jayla felt her small frame clench and relax. “Cody!” she whispered. Then, turning her head, “Jayla! Youfoundme!”
Jayla kissed her ear. “Cody found you,” she said.
