Page 137 of The Blade in the Ashes
My fingertips had just skimmed the leather strap across my right thigh when Nikolai reached to grab the first blade for me.
And that’s when I realized that for a moment, I stopped thinking like the strategic operative I’d been trained to be.
A mistake I would never forgive myself for.
If I had been more focused, less distracted by his damn dimple and the way his voice always seemed to make my core tighten, I would have realized that someone who cares enough to lock their valuables behind a secret door would be smart enough to protect them with more than just two guards that are easily disposed of.
The very second that Nikolai wrapped his fingers around the hilt and lifted it from its pillow, the energy in the room shifted. It was just a puff of air, really, that was the only small warning we had, and before I knew it, he had thrown me out of the way.
He moved with impossible speed, latching onto the second blade with one hand while his other shoved me forcefully to the ground. I stumbled, landing heavily on my rear just as an arrow pierced the space I had been standing in only moments ago and lodged itself in his side.
“Nikolai!”
My breath came in a ragged gasp while Nikolai grunted against the wound. The arrow shook as he jerked backward, and time seemed to slow. He stared down at the arrow as his fingers on the blade in his hand loosened. It clattered to the ground with an echo.
Panic rushed through me, an icy fear that left my eyes wide and heart lurching as I struggled back to my feet and instinctively rushed toward him, tucking myself under his arm and supporting his weight as best as I could.
“Rip it out,” he growled through a locked jaw, his eyes squeezing shut.
I glanced down at the wooden rod sticking out of him, my pulse pounding in my ears. “Are you insane?”
The second I pulled out that arrow, there would be nothing to plug the new hole in his body. His blood would coat the floor. He would bleed out right in front of me. AndI...
I couldn’t handle that.
“We can’t walk out of here with an arrow in my side, little bird.” He said my nickname with more force than he ever had before. “And I imagine whatever spell just triggered it likely notified the owner that we’re in here.”
Blinking his eyes open, he met my gaze, the tiniest spark of fear visible in their depths.
“We need to go,” he groaned. “Now. And I need your help.”
I felt like I couldn’t breathe, like a weight was pressing so tightly onto my chest that I was ready to suffocate under it.
He shifted, leaning on me even more.
I needed to focus.
A mask of indifference fell over me, dulling my emotions and anxieties. Bending was awkward as I tried to hold on to Nikolai and reach to grasp the Blade of Arto that he had dropped. I strapped it next to the two others on my thigh before twisting and bracing one hand on his shoulder while I wrapped my fingers around the shaft of the arrow.
I tried not to show my concern when he stiffened under my touch.
“It’ll hurt.”
“Just do it,” he insisted, his voice gruffer than I’d ever heard before.
My exhale was measured as I flexed my fingers against the arrow and readied myself.
I didn’t warn him—didn’t count down or ask if he was ready. I yanked.
Nikolai sagged forward, releasing an inhuman hiss of pain, and burying his face in the hollow of my throat. He shook slightly, and I reached for him, running my hand through his hair, shushing him and muttering promises that it would be okay. His strained breath was hot against my neck, coming in ragged bursts until he pressed his lips to the skin there, pulled back, and nodded, pressing a hand tightly against the wound.
“Let’s move.”
Ducking to his other side, I forced his arm over my shoulder and let him lean heavily on me as we made our way out of the secret room. Neither of us bothered to close the door behind us.
Shouts were already erupting in the hall. My magic railed against me, threatening to drop the illusion as my fear drained away my control. Still, I took his weight and led us through the throng of crowded, confused guests. Already, guards were grabbing arms and demanding to search clothing. We needed to get out of here, and quickly.
Nikolai stumbled, the dampness of his blood beginning to drip onto the floor as we walked.
