Page 24 of Marc
A few minutes later, there was a rustle in the bushes to our right. We both froze. A second later, a startled rabbit raced out, darting by us and diving into another clump of bushes.
Colbie huffed out a breath.
“Let’s keep moving. A couple more hours, and the sun will start coming up.” I took a step, and my knees turned to Jell-O. I lurched, knowing I was going to eat dirt. But with her lightning-fast reflexes, Colbie caught me.
I weighed a hell of a lot more than she did, and we both almost went down. She rammed her shoulder into my armpit and spun me against a tree trunk.
“Marc, God you’re heavy.” She looked up. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah—”
“Stop lying to me.” Her brows creased. “You don’t need to pretend to be strong and tough. I know you. And I know your secret. You’re human, just like the rest of us.”
I tried for a smile. “No, I’m extra awesome.”
She rolled her eyes and pressed a hand to my chest. “Look?—”
My legs collapsed. I slid down the tree and fell on my ass.
“Marc!” She dropped down beside me.
“Just…need a minute.” What I really needed was to not feel hot nausea crawling up my throat.
She let out a small growl. “Tell me what’s wrong?”
There was worry on her face. I stared at her pretty features, thinking again of how she looked when I hurt her, after I’d pushed her away after that kiss.
“Marc?”
I blinked and her pretty face came back into focus.
“Spit it out,” she ordered. “Now.”
“Settle down, birdie.”
“Enough with that nickname.”
“Okay, dove.”
She growled again.
I sighed. When she got like this, she wouldn’t back down. “My wound is a little worse than I let on. The bandage came off in the waterfall. I’m bleeding.”
A stricken look crossed her face. “You’ve been bleeding all this time?”
“Yeah.”
Muttering, she yanked the hem of my shirt up, then hissed.
I glanced down. Yeah, the wound was messy and blood smeared my skin.
“Marc,” she breathed. “You should’ve told me.”
“You’ve been through hell tonight. I didn’t want you to worry.”
She bent her legs up, then set to work tearing off the bottom leg of her flight suit. She grunted as she tore the heavy fabric.
“Has anything I’ve ever done given you the impression I’m fragile?”
