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“Really?”
“You don’t strike me as a nature girl.”
Athelia shrugs. “I like it. Don’t like sleeping outside or not having running water, but…” She gestures around the cabin. “I’ve got that in here.”
“That why you came here? You wanted to be surrounded by nature?”
“Not really.” Athelia rubs the back of her neck and squints, like she’s trying to remember something. “I think someone must’ve mentioned it in a conversation or something. It was the first place that popped into my mind when I was trying to figure out where to go.”
Frowning, I finish cleaning up her face and her neck. It feels too coincidental.
“What are they gonna do with the body?” Athelia asks.
I don’t answer. I shouldn’t give her any details until I talk to Kellan and Wes. “I need you to take your shirt off.”
She crosses her arms over her body. “Why?”
“I just need to check on your injuries. You could’ve hurt yourself when you fell.”
With an eye roll, she tries to hop off the counter, but I grab her hips to hold her still.
“Come on, Athelia. If it’s broken, it could kill you. You need to treat this more seriously.”
She glares at me for a few seconds, but she relents and pulls her shirt over her head. I grimace. Her bruises have more fully developed, and it looks painful as hell.
“Have you been coughing up blood?” I ask.
“No.”
“Are you having the same difficulty breathing as earlier, or has it gotten worse?”
“It’s the same.”
“And what about a fever?” I rest the back of my hand to her forehead. “Have you been running one?”
“I don’t think so.”
That’s a relief.
“Okay.”
“Is that a good okay or a bad one?”
“A tentatively good one.” I drop my hand and kiss her forehead, even though I know I shouldn’t. All I want to do is hold her and keep her with me all night. Don’t think she’d appreciate that, though. “Have you been icing your ribs?”
She glances away. “Um… yeah.”
“Athelia.”
She winces. “I meant to, okay? I promise.”
With a sigh, I toss her shirt over my shoulder and help her to her feet. “Let’s see what’s in the freezer here.”
“Hey! Give me my shirt back.”
“It has blood on it, baby. Grab a new one.”
With a groan, she disappears down a hallway, and I head to the kitchen. There’s not much in the freezer, but there’s a bag of peas, thankfully. I dig around until I find a tea towel, and when Athelia comes back, I hand them to her.
