Page 87 of Twilight of Embers
He howled in pain, his hold on the knife slipping.
I didn’t wait, I flew. My dragon spurred the movement with his strength. My fist cracked into Jerome’s temple, making him stumble to the ground. And then my blade sliced across his throat.
Jerome’s eyes went wide as he tried to grab his neck, but it was too late. He was already gone.
Hayden stumbled and crumpled to the ground as the fight crested around us. War cries sounded from the sky, and I knew our backup had arrived. The moment they swooped down, the Corbetts began to run like the cowards they were.
I hauled Hayden into my arms, ripping her sweater. I needed to see how bad the injury was.
“I’m okay.” Her words were barely audible, though. Whether that was from shock or injury, I didn’t know.
The gash was deep and angry. It was bleeding like crazy. I stood, making for the SUV as Cillian ran toward us.
“What the hell happened?” he snarled.
“Jerome,” I clipped, sliding us into the back seat. “We need to get her back to the house so that I can treat her properly.”
But Cillian was already moving. He ran around to the driver’s seat as the rest of our clan cleared the way in front of us.
I grabbed a gauze pad from the open medical bag and grimaced. “I’m so sorry, Mo Ghràidh. This is going to hurt.”
“It’s okay,” she croaked.
I didn’t wait. I pressed the trauma pad to her chest.
Hayden tried to stifle her cries, but she was only partially successful. Each sound was a slice to my skin, and I knew it was the same for Cillian. The steering wheel groaned under the force of his grip.
“You’re going to be okay. I’m going to get you stitched up, and you’ll be just fine.” I was telling myself as much as I was telling her.
“I know,” Hayden whispered. “I trust you.”
She shouldn’t, though. I’d failed to protect someone before. Failed to keep them safe.
Blood seeped through the pad, and I pressed harder, muttering a curse. “Hurry,” I yelled at Cillian.
He pressed down on the accelerator.
Tears leaked from Hayden’s eyes, and each one was a burn to my soul.
If she’d already shifted, an injury like this wouldn’t be as dangerous. She’d just need to change to her animal form, and the wound would heal in minutes. But Hayden didn’t have the first clue that she even was a dragon, let alone know how to answer the call of her beast.
Her breaths came in ragged pants, and her eyes started to close.
I pressed harder against her wound. “No, Mo Ghràidh. Don’t close your eyes. Stay with me.”
I couldn’t lose her. Not her, too.
44
HAYDEN
Pain flared with each bump of the SUV, but Maddox didn’t let go. His smoky, burnt-orange scent wrapped around me in a comforting embrace. I couldn’t think about what I’d just seen, couldn’t try to make sense of it. All I could do was breathe through the pain.
Cillian pulled his phone out of his pocket as he drove. “Get the caster to the main house, now.”
A voice I didn’t recognize came over the phone. “Already on the way.”
Cillian hung up without another word, dropping the phone into the cupholder.
