Page 145 of Rangers Mountain Rescue

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“Then don’t move.”

A ghost of a smirk touches his mouth.

Even now.

I clean the wound on his shoulder.

He tenses.

“Stay with me,” I say softly.

“I am,” he replies.

But his eyes don’t leave mine.

Not once.

And that’s when I feel it.

That shift.

That pull.

Stronger now.

Closer.

Real.

“You scared me,” I admit before I can stop myself.

Silence.

Then—

“You don’t get to say that,” he says quietly.

My hands still.

“Why not?” I ask.

“Because you were the one under fire,” he replies.

His voice is rough.

Frustrated.

Controlled just barely.

“And you weren’t there,” I say.

The words slip out.

Soft.

But heavy.

His jaw tightens.

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