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“It hurts to take deep breaths”—though she quickly added—“but I will work on healing it.”
Trey swore beneath his breath. “You need rest.”
“He is right,” Mary agreed.
Bliss shook her head. “I appreciate the concern”—she stopped a moment to catch her breath—“but we all know that the longer we linger”—another breath—“the more danger we place ourselves in.”
Trey gave an angry growl and walked away, his fists clenched.
“He knows you are right, but his love for you overpowers reason, and he battles with it,” Mary said with a bittersweet smile.
Bliss pulled a small sack from the other rolled bedding and handed it to Mary. “Allena must be ...” She rested her hand on her chest.
“Go and comfort your angry warrior. Allena and I will be fine.”
Bliss didn’t hesitate and walked over to Trey. He paced between two trees, his hands still fisted at his sides and his eyes an angry blue, like the sky before a storm.
When she was near enough to him, he stopped pacing and reached out to gently draw her against him. His hands went to rest at her waist, and he lowered his brow to hers, closing his eyes as he did.
“I cannot stand to think of you in pain.” His frustration came out in a hard whisper.
She attempted to reassure him. “I can heal myself.”
He opened his eyes and shook his head. “Where will you find the strength? Your sleep was restless last night, which means you didn’t get the rest you should have. You need time to regain your strength so that you can heal yourself.”
“We have no choice.”
“Do you know what it took not to rip that soldier off his horse and kill him?”
“Love.”
He shook his head again. “Love was the furthest thing from my mind.”
“I have not the breath to explain,” she said, needing to maintain what strength she had left to heal herself.
He cupped her face. “We make camp here so that you can rest.”
“We can’t,” she said, and walked away from him. She had to get them moving. She had to get home. Only there, in the safety of her people, could she heal herself properly.
“More danger?” he asked, catching up with her.
She took his hand and rested it on her chest. “I need to get home.”
She didn’t need to say any more. Trey walked over to Mary and Allena and hoisted the little girl onto his shoulders.
“We need to keep moving. We need to get Bliss home.”
“My daughter Deryn?” Mary asked anxiously.
“I’ll send someone to see that your daughter reached the MacAlpin village safely,” Trey said. He then turned to Bliss. “You will tell me if you need to stop and rest.”
Bliss nodded, relieved that no one would attempt to speak to her as they traveled. She would use the quiet time to begin healing herself. It would depend on their pace, but if they could maintain a good one, with few or no stops until nightfall, and they left with the first light of dawn, they could reach her home—
“We could possibly have you home by midmorning tomorrow,” Trey finished as if reading her thoughts.
The day wore on endlessly for Bliss. Her attempts to heal herself faltered at times, the pain interfering with her focus. She had hoped she would have at least eased the pain, but all the walking had only served to worsen it.
When it came time to stop for the night, Trey and Mary would not allow her to do anything, and so she took the time to sit and heal. By the time she was ready to stretch out beside Trey on the blanket in front of the campfire, she was feeling better ... that was until she lay down.
