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Hammer was suddenly yanked back into the past. His body remained with Charlie. But his subconscious had been flung back into the prison.
His time there had changed him almost irrevocably. From the moment he was forced into that prison, he experienced violence from other inmates and the guards. Hammer had experienced so much anger and hatred that even the most brutal of acts became casual. And Ajmal had been the cause of it all.
When the new general took the prison over, she cleaned house, getting rid of the worst offenders, but the damage had already been done.
Charlie was right,Hammer told himself.She was right.
Hammer was breathing heavily, erratically, when he allowed his claw to shift back. Charlie had held onto that claw, not giving a fuck that he could kill her with one blow.
At least she wasn’t afraid of him. And he knew he would never hurt her. Which meant stepping away from Ajmal and letting justice take its course.
“So what do we do now?” he asked once his breathing was slower. Hammer realized then that he was developing a headache.
It seemed he had not come out of the battle completely unscathed.
Charlie let go of his hands and stepped away, looking into the sky. Hammer shivered as the warmth of her touch left him.
“The rescue chopper should be here soon, but I don’t know if they’ll be able to find us.” She looked back at him. A sudden, cheeky smile crossed her face again. “Do you think you could make more fire?”
Hammer threw his head back and laughed as sudden joy bubbled inside him.
Charlie set about finding some dried twigs or tree branches while Hammer lifted Ajmal and tied him to a tree. The man was barely conscious but mumbling. Before Hammer joined Charlie, he paused to listen.
He had to lean in so closely that he was an inch away from Ajmal’s face before he could hear him properly. Hammer was shocked to hear Ajmal whispering the wordsI’m sorry. He whispered the words over and over again.
A feeling of grim satisfaction settled over Hammer. Supermax prison would be the best place for Ajmal.
As Hammer pulled out clothes from his pack, a muddled wave of grief and joy washed over him.
He was grieving the time he had lost in prison. But he was also joyful to be joining Charlie, even though this would probably be the last time they saw one another. Once the rescue chopper got there, they would be separated.
Hammer was only the tool that the United States government had used to rescue Charlie. He knew how these things went. He would be debriefed and maybe receive some kind of medal. And then Charlie would be ushered away from him. She would be returned to her safe, mundane life. And they would never see each other again.
Well, it seemed there would be something for Hammer to grieve over. It was for the best. Charlie had to have a safe life. She deserved it after all she had been through.
But she’s your mate,a voice in his head protested.Are you just going to let her go without a fight?
A dangerous growl escaped him. Even the thought of letting his mate go made the dragon inside him angry. He shook his head and did his best to remain rational.
“So, do you have to change back into dragon form to light this thing up?” Charlie asked as he walked up to her.
“Um, no,” Hammer said before pulling a box of matches out of his pack. “I think these should suffice.”
Charlie’s giggles echoed around the field as Hammer struck a match. They had a bonfire going in seconds. Hammer might not have used his own fire, but his presence made their bonfire burn brighter. Soon the flames reached twenty feet into the air, and Charlie whooped with joy.
Hammer was rejuvenated by the flames and stepped closer to it. He inhaled with pleasure as his strength returned. He had underestimated how much the fight had actually taken out of him.
When he looked at Charlie again, she was staring at the flames. Her eyes were blank, and she shivered, then took a step back.
She was remembering the fight and the flames.
He knew she would remember it for a very long time. And it was all his fault.
Just then, they heard the deafening whirring of a helicopter’s blades. Charlie jogged away from the fire and waved at it.
The large chopper was military grade, designed for evacuating injured soldiers. Hammer spotted two pilots and three passengers.
It landed several yards away, and the force of the blades blew the fire to embers.
