Flint flipped the page.

  Lynn watched Dani take in shallow, irregular breaths. Her empty stomach slowly filled up with a ball of worry that took all of her hunger away.

  The stillness was shattered by a very familiar bark, followed by the scratching of nails against the outside of the door.

  Skeever! Lynn pushed up as quickly as she could, heart pounding. She let him come!

  Kate tried to hold Skeever back as she entered, but with just the one arm, it was impossible to restrain him and open the door at the same time.

  He shot out like an arrow from a bow and beelined for her on his three good legs, easily knocking her down.

  She didn’t care; she laughed as he nuzzled her hair, trying to lick it through the intricate cup she’d woven to cover his muzzle. His tail waggled as if it were possessed. He smelled just right, felt just right, and something inside her reknitted and was made whole. She buried her face in his fur and held on to his wriggling bulk.

  Tears pricked in Lynn’s eyes, threatening to fall. She held on more tightly and let his presence wash away all her loneliness and the stress of the last few day. After a few moments of intense joy, she pushed at Skeever and met Kate’s eyes. “Shhh, quiet.” She patted his flank. “Skeeve, quiet.”

  He stepped back just enough to let Lynn get up.

  Her legs trembled with fatigue as she got them under her, but they cooperated long enough for her to sit down on the edge of her bed. Instinctively, she checked on Dani, who was still out like a light. A sideways glance at the chair showed that Flint had made himself scarce.

  Kate heavily lowered herself down onto the seat he’d vacated.

  Skeever tried to jump up next to Lynn on the bed but couldn’t make it on his three legs. She got him up, then smiled as he settled with his head on her thigh.

  “I held up my end, now hold up yours.” Exhaustion crept into Kate’s voice. She pulled the map from her waistband.

  Lynn gathered her thoughts and guts; once she told Kate where to find Richard’s body, she would be completely at her mercy. She took a deep breath. “If you go north over the Whitestone Bridge, you’ll come to the 695 Interstate.” She continued to describe the route she’d taken, adding details such as the exit number and notable landmarks on the way there.

  Kate listened, asked clarifying questions, then repeated a summary back to her.

  “That should get you there.” Lynn stroked Skeever’s back. Her stomach growled again.

  They both ignored it.

  In the silence that followed, Kate studied her. “Am I going to find my husband there, Lynn, or the animal that did that?” She inclined her head to Dani without taking her eyes off Lynn. For the first time, the words didn’t sound like an accusation, but a plea.

  Lynn felt a small tug at her heartstrings. “The bear’s dead, and I have not been lying to you. I didn’t lie about how he died, about burying him, nor about where his body is right now. Unless something got in there, he’ll be in the bakery, wrapped up and ready to be taken home.”

  When Kate stood, Lynn gripped Skeever’s collar, instinctively fearful he’d be taken away again.

  “I’ll tell you if you were right in three days.” Kate glanced down at Skeever, hesitated, but then turned and walked away.

  Lynn fought her relief until the door closed behind Kate, then pulled her painful body up on the bed and wrapped her arms around Skeever. “Let’s go see Dani, okay? I’m sure she’s missed you too.” Hopefully, it would also keep her mind off the possibility that scavengers had found a way into the bakery and Richard’s body would no longer be there.

  Chapter 24

  Ren stirred in her chair, and Lynn woke up for what felt like the hundredth time. It wouldn’t have been so bad if it had been just one night, but last night had been just as bad, and constantly being observed was grating on her nerves to the point of snapping.

  “Could you please just sit still!” She rolled onto her side to face Ren in the lamplight and sent her a glare that, if looks could kill, would have incinerated her.

  Ren blinked her eyes open and rubbed them. “Sorry,” she mumbled, then seemed to realize who’d yelled at her and scowled. “But you could just ignore it.”

  “Well, I can’t. Seriously, don’t you want to go to bed? I am not going to hurt Dani. I think that’s pretty much a given by now, right?” She pulled her legs under her until she sat cross-legged with her blankets draped over them.

  Skeever looked at her accusingly as she roused him from his slumber.

  “You probably won’t, no.” Ren shrugged. “But orders are orders.”

  Lynn groaned. “Oh, come on!” She rattled her chain. “I am not going anywhere, I am not going to hurt Dani, and your back must be killing you after so many hours on that chair. Kate’s not here. Just go to bed. If something changes with Dani, I’ll, like, shout or something.” They both knew that was a very unlikely scenario anyway.

  Ren hesitated. The chair creaked as she shifted, presumably to get comfortable on the hard wood.

  “Go to bed.” She accentuated each word.

  The weight of exhaustion visibly crashed down on Ren and caused her to sag, and after a few seconds, she nodded. “I suppose it won’t do harm.” She searched her eyes. “Promise me you won’t harm her—and you’ll shout for me if she wakes up.”

  “Will you believe me if I do?”

  “No.” Ren stood. “But it would make me feel better to hear the words.”

  “Then I promise.” I’m not going to let anything happen to Dani anyway. I might as well swear it to you.

  Ren exhaled deeply. “Okay. I suppose that’ll have to do.” She picked up her empty mug. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

  “I’m not going anywhere.” She made it a point to wave with her shackled arm, despite the pain in her shoulder as she lifted its weight and the weight of the chain. Its jingle followed Ren down the hallway, since she left the door wide open on her way out.

  Lynn glanced at Dani. A sharp longing to be close to her now that she finally had the privacy to do so pierced her heart so suddenly that she gasped out loud. Not yet. Maybe Ren would come back, or she’d send Cody to take her place. Lynn didn’t want them to see her hold Dani. She needed her armor; she couldn’t show that level of affectedness.

  When her patience ran out, she tried to keep her chain from jiggling as she slipped off the bed and padded over to Dani’s.

  Maybe it was the firelight, or maybe she was getting used to seeing her like this, but Dani seemed to be a little less pale. She’d eaten very well yesterday, and Ren had decided to hold off on the third round of maggot therapy. The last time she’d checked, the stitches held, and fluid no longer built up in the wounds. She was still unconscious, and her fever was still sky high.

  “Hey.” Lynn smiled as she stroked Dani’s forehead and hair. “Is there room for me in there?”

  Dani smacked her lips, now seemingly always associating Lynn’s voice with food.

  Lynn’s smile widened, and she lifted the blankets. It took some doing with her chain and sore body, but she managed to find a comfortable position on the narrow strip of bedding and carefully laid her hand on Dani’s shoulder. She didn’t want to risk hurting her by wrapping her arm around her waist, not even high up.

  Exhaling contentedly, Dani turned her face toward Lynn.

  Lynn didn’t mind Dani’s morning breath at all. She snuggled a little closer and allowed her leg to brush Dani’s, making sure she wasn’t rubbing against her bruised knee. Dani’s body radiated heat, quickly overheating Lynn as well, but it was so good to be close. She nuzzled closer on Dani’s pillow, connecting their foreheads, and slid her hand down over Dani’s arm to find her hand.

  “This is good.” She whispered the words, making Dani smack her lip again. “You really have to come back soon, okay? I need you. These asshole friends of yours don’t like me much—which I warned you about.” She smiled and squeezed her hand. “You need to wake up and tell them to get off my back.”

  She leaned in and kissed her cheek, finally allowing herself to inhale Dani’s scent much more deeply than before.

  A sob tore through her body. Lynn tensed, but there was no stopping the rush of emotions as her walls gave way under the pressure of her hostile environment, her own slow recovery, and most of all her worry about Dani. She buried her face in the crook of Dani’s neck and tried to be as quiet as possible as she surrendered to the inevitable.

  “I-I didn’t bring you back just to watch you die.” Sniffling, she let Dani’s hand go so she could cup her cheek. She pulled Dani’s face more firmly against hers and pressed close. “I didn’t open up to you just to lose y—”

  Dani coughed.

  Lynn froze. Her tears ceased; her heartbeat galloped. “D-Dani?” She barely dared to pull back, but Dani groaned and Lynn hurried to sit up.

  Her eyes were open—unfocused, but open.

  Lynn’s breath caught in her throat. She stroked her cheek with trembling fingers and leaned forward, trying to get Dani’s eyes to settle on her. Her heart pounded in her chest, but she forced herself to appear calm. “Dani? Can you hear me?”

  Her soft words were enough to draw Dani’s attention, but it took a few seconds for her to focus on Lynn’s face.

  Hope constricted Lynn’s throat. She blinked to make sure she didn’t imagine it, then released the breath she’d been holding. “Dani?”

  Dani’s lips parted, but she remained silent. Confusion flickered in her bloodshot eyes.

  “You’re okay.” Lynn smiled and nodded for emphasis. “You have an infection, you’re sick, but we’re taking care of you at the Homestead. You’re home, okay? Home.” She checked her forehead, growling in frustration when she got her chain caught behind something and had to pull it free first.

  When she looked back, Dani’s eyelids fluttered, but her eyes never closed entirely. She struggled to lock their gazes again.

  Dizzy with emotion, Lynn gripped Dani’s hand. “You’re going to be okay.” For the first time she dared to believe it herself. Consciousness was a good sign, wasn’t it? She should ask Ren, but she didn’t want her here, despite what she’d promised. Not yet.

  Dani licked her lips, parted them, frowned, and parted them again. This time she managed a broken croak that seemed to frustrate her.

  “Don’t talk. You don’t have to. All that mat—”

  Dani squeezed her hand and glared at her.

  Okay, shutting up. Lynn leaned in so Dani would be able to whisper.

  “D—” She sucked in breath. “D-Did…j-job.”

  Lynn pulled up and watched her, trying to put the words together in a way that made sense. Then she smiled before giving in to a laugh that seemed to dislodge a lump of darkness in her gut. “Yes, you did do your job.” She stroked Dani’s cheek and pressed their foreheads together. “You did the best job. Thank you. Thank you so much.”

  “Sit.” Lynn was deftly relegated to her bed while Ren moved in to inspect Dani.

  Cody stood by, watching her more than Dani as Ren checked everything from vitals to pupil reactions to Dani’s extremities to see if she could feel them all.

  Lynn awaited the verdict anxiously.

  As if sensing her discomfort, Skeever crawled across the bed until he could lay his head in her lap.

  She scratched under his muzzle and made him whimper with relief. Her focus was on Dani’s face, however.

  Dani searched out her eyes, and something fluttered nervously in Lynn’s gut.

  Lynn smiled at her, and Dani smiled back.

  “Can you stick out your tongue? Dani? Focus, please.” Ren tilted Dani’s head and broke their eye contact.

  Lynn pressed her lips together to keep from telling Ren to fuck off and leave them alone. She’s just worried, like you. Patience.

  Dani struggled to open her mouth and stick out her tongue.

  Ren inspected it and even smelled her breath. “Okay, good. You can close it again.”

  With a lick to her lips, Dani did as told. “H-How?” She struggled to get even that one word out.

  Lynn had already realized Dani had trouble controlling her muscles—and she suspected a lot of muscle control went into talking—but hearing the competent hunter reduced to slowly stuttering out her words and ending up breathless from the strain was devastating.

  “A bear attack, sweetie. You almost didn’t make it.” Ren stroked her forehead.

  Dani frowned, and her fist clenched. “H-H—”

  “I think—” Lynn faltered.

  Two people glared at her.

  Lynn pushed on. “That she’s trying to ask how she’s doing.” Her heart pounded in her throat, but if she had been in Dani’s shoes, that was what she would want to hear first and foremost.

  Exhaling, Dani gave a weak little nod.

  Ren turned back to her. “Oh. Um. It’s…it’s good that you’re awake.” She continued to rattle off the things Lynn already knew—infected wounds, maggot therapy, unconscious for three days—and Lynn tuned her out so she could soak in the fact that Dani’s eyes were open and she was listening attentively to Ren’s explanations.

  Her focus quickly returned when Ren said her name. “…Lynn told us?”

  Dani nodded without hesitation. She let her head fall to the side and looked at Lynn, who’d gone hot and cold at the same time.

  Oh shit, what did I miss?

  Cody and Ren turned to stare at her too.

  Lynn scanned their features. How much trouble am I in?

  Then Cody smirked and shook his head in apparent disbelief. “Bullshit.”

  Ren took a deep breath, squared her shoulders, and crossed to her bed. “Give me your hand.”

  Lynn stared up at her, muscles tense. “Why?”

  Ren wiggled her fingers. “Dani confirmed your story. I trust her.” The implication that she didn’t trust Lynn was not lost on her. “I am not going to hold you captive any longer.”

  After another moment of hesitation, Lynn lifted her arm.

  A few seconds later, heavy iron fell to the ground with a rattle and clunk.

  She lowered her arm and rubbed her wrist. “Thanks.”

  “De nada.” Ren stepped back.

  “Aw, so cute.” Cody pointed at her. “Don’t expect me to join in with the kumbayas just yet. You’re a Wilder, and I don’t trust Wilders.” He glanced at Ren. “Just don’t give her anything sharp.”

  Ren opened her mouth to respond, then closed it and set her jaw. “I’ll come back to bed soon, babe.”

  For a second, anger at the dismissal flashed across Cody’s face, then he stretched lazily and scratched his chest. “Yeah, sure. I’ll see you.” He sent Lynn one more glare before sauntering out.

  Instantly, the atmosphere seemed to lighten.

  Lynn exhaled audibly and sagged. She glanced at Dani, finding her fast asleep.

  Ren checked on her too, but much more in-depth: the usual checkup of her pulse, her eyes, her fever. Then she pulled the blankets down to Dani’s hips, exposing small breasts and a blood-soaked bandage below.

  After a moment of hesitation, Lynn stood and joined her. The stench that hit her once the covers fell away reminded her far too much of the body she’d left behind in the bakery.

  Ren’s features scrunched up as well but only for a moment, then she had it under control and carefully undid the bandages.

  Dani’s hand jerked, and Lynn took it. It was still not a pretty sight. The bear’s claws had torn five roughly parallel tears in Dani’s skin, three held shut by rows of horse-hair stitches. The skin had flared an angry red, but the cuts seemed to be healing. The other two were the obvious issue: They had once been stitched, judging by rows of small puncture wounds, but the stitches had been pulled out again because of the buildup of fluids and puss that seeped down Dani’s side now that the pressure of the bandages had been released. These cuts were caked with dried and fresh blood, and their edges had blackened. Most of the maggots had congregated there.

  “It still looks bad.” She glanced up at Ren for reassurance but found none.

  “They’re doing their work.” Ren guided some of the wayward maggots back to the cuts. They had at least doubled in size since Lynn had seen them go on. “That she woke up really is a good sign.”

  Dani whimpered. Maybe she was just dreaming again, but it was more likely the maggots had something to do with it.

  Instinctively, Lynn leaned in and kissed Dani’s forehead. “It’s okay. I’m here.”

  A deep breath lifted Dani’s chest, then her frown lessened.

  Lynn groaned as she pushed against the heavy iron door. It gave way just before her strength ran out, and she slipped through the crack and onto the roof.

  The strong wind instantly whipped her hair up and pulled at her clothes. The gravel underneath her bare feet was wet and cold. Goose bumps traversed her skin as the unruly weather battered her. The darkness engulfed her only a few paces away from the door.

  Lynn pushed her face into the wind, spread her arms as far as she could with her shoulder injury, and inhaled deeply. After all this time cooped up indoors, nothing could have instilled a sense of freedom better than this taste of the Wilds.

  When Lynn walked back into the room, Skeever greeted her by standing up on the bed. He prepared to jump off, but then seemed to think better of it as he tried to put weight on his broken paw and jerked it back up.

  She crossed the room and helped him down. “Hey, boy, did you miss me?”

  He rolled onto his back, and Lynn laboriously lowered herself to the carpet to give him a proper belly rub.

  Skeever lifted his damaged leg up so she could reach his chest too and tilted his head back in surrender. His hind leg kicked out in time with her scratching him.

  “That’s good, right? Yeah, you’re good. Saves our lives two times and gets all the belly rubs he’ll ever need in return.” Lynn pressed her face against his ribcage.

 

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