Page 36 of Duty Bound

“How are we going to do that?” Everything in her backpack was wet.

“We’ve got one dry sleeping bag. You can use that.”

“What about you?”

“I’ll be okay. I’m used to it.”

“You’re sure?”

He grunted and stalked off up the bank.

A dry, warm sleeping bag sounded great. Finding her footing, Lily scrambled after him.

CHAPTER 13

Blade didn’t get it.

Blue lips, chattering teeth, soaking wet—yet she still looked sexy as hell. Maybe it had something to do with the way her trousers sucked against her shapely legs, dripping river water on the bank. Or the way her oversized khaki T-shirt was glued to her breasts, outlining their generous shape, and showing him just how cold she was.

“We need to get you warm,” he said, gruffly.

“C—Can we light a fire?” she asked, trembling.

“No, too dangerous.” Both sides of the river consisted of populated farmland. They may as well send up a flare saying, We’re here! Come and get us.

Ideally, he’d have liked to have avoided the lush valley plains. Water meant agriculture which meant people. But, getting her warm was more important than moving farther inland. She was shaking violently. It wouldn’t take long before hypothermia set in.

He’d seen soldiers climb into their sleeping bags and be rendered unconscious from hypothermia during the night because their bodies hadn’t been able to generate heat themselves.

“We need to get out of these clothes,” he said, once they’d reached the outskirts of the farming area. “They’re only going to make us colder.”

Several fields separated them from the river, and like on the opposite side, they were all demarcated by handmade stone walls. Traditional mud dwellings dotted the landscape seemingly at random, but each farmer had erected his house strategically to watch over his crops.

Blade looked around. They’d be safe here. No smoke from the chimneys, no lights on inside the huts. It was still several hours until daybreak.

“Let's rest up.”

He chose a spot where two walls intersected and formed a natural shelter. The corner faced away from the wind and looked out at the tree-covered hillside roughly a mile away.

“These are p-poppy fields, aren’t they?” Teeth chattering and body shivering, Lily gazed at the vivid splashes of color.

He tore his attention from her to the flowers. Petals ranged from the deepest reds to the softest whites and boasted every shade of pink between. Each bloom gyrated in the stiff breeze, strong and beautiful.

Kind of like her.

They weren’t open, however, their heads bowed in the darkness. In the light of day, they'd be quite spectacular.

Blade studied her again. He was concerned. Her body was losing heat faster than she could replace it. That’s why she was shivering so violently. It was the body’s way of creating energy to warm her up.

“Yeah. Poppies bring in more money than any other agricultural crop. The farmers guard their plots obsessively, particularly during the harvest. It's not unusual to see armed guards on patrol around here.”

She peered through the darkness, her brow furrowed with concern.

“Don’t worry. It’s too early in the season.” Plus, he hadn’t seen anyone through the night vision scope. “Here, let me help you with your backpack.”

“I-I don't think I've ever been this c-cold.” After he took it off her shoulders, she slunk down against the wall and hugged herself. “I can't feel any of my t-toes.”

Even her words were stilted and slurred. That was a dangerous sign. Her body was slowing down, affecting her reflexes and coordination. She would continue to cool down unless she got heat from an external source.

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