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After closing up the cap, he shakes the metal container next to his ear to gauge what he’s got.
“It’s not enough yet.” He sounds cautious, but optimistic. “But soon, Hannah. Soon.”
Setting the pipe back into the pitcher, he tosses a few more logs on the fire to keep the water boiling as hot as possible.
It’s all coming together so quickly.
It’s been almost… easy.
Too easy.
Really, I should count my blessings and just enjoy our success, but the pessimistic nature of the illness whispers doubts at me.
Rolling my ankle, I note the difficulty with the movement.
Shit. In just the small time since I left the bathroom, the tingling has traveled.
Still trying to conceal the new development, I casually rest my back against the rough wooden door frame as I clutch the cold jug to the feverishly hot skin on my chest.
A twinge of pain suddenly shoots up my spine, and I grab the back of my skull because it feels like it’s splitting in two. It hurts so bad it makes me dizzy, and I start to lose my balance as my vision goes spotty.
Ellister quickly closes the distance between us to catch me. He steadies me by the shoulder, and he takes the jug of water from me before I can drop it. After setting it on the dirt floor, he wraps his arms around me.
The relief is immediate. My pain dissipates, and I no longer feel like I might pass out.
“What are you doing?” Half-heartedly, I try to push him away. I don’t want him to stop holding me, but I know I can’t lean into his comfort. “We shouldn’t touch.”
“Seeing you in pain makes me want to die,” Ellister states roughly, his hands rubbing up and down my back, his fingers getting tangled in my damp hair. “Especially when I know it’s because of me.”
I glance up at his pinched face, and my lips feel hot from how badly I want him to kiss me.
Then he does.
He bends down slowly, closing the distance between us, and presses his lips gently to mine. It’s the softest of kisses, but it sears me to my soul.
Abruptly, he pulls back. At first, I think he probably realized he got carried away and he’s going to tell me to get back to bed.
But his eyebrows furrow, and his head tilts to the side as if he’s listening to something.
Snarling like the animal he is, he pushes me behind him and sways out the doorway to look at the end of the lane leading up to the house. Peeking around him, I follow his line of sight, and my heart does a panicked flip when I see clouds of dust.
Tiny dark figures emerge in the distance—the outline of people on horses. I count at least five, and they’re coming fast.
I suspect there’s only one reason that many people would charge up here like that.
We’re in trouble.
Ellister confirms it when he mutters, “Military men.”
Maybe all of Ellister’s stealing is going to catch up with him after all.
“What should we do?” I ask with urgency. “Vortex out of here?”
Torn, he looks at the distiller, our lifeline. “We can’t leave this behind or let it be discovered. They’ll destroy it or take it for themselves.” Shoving the flask into his pocket, he makes a noise of distress. “Starting over isn’t an option because it would take days to find a new property and rebuild the distiller. We don’t have that much time.”
He’s right. And we can’t rely on the Glow we’ve already produced because it’s not enough. We could end up decades short of our goal.
“Got any more beehives to utilize around here?” I joke.
