Page 25 of Shadow Blind

“In and out. Missed all the important shit. Just needs to stop bleeding.” Aiden pressed a clean wad of gauze against the bloody hole and pushed down hard.

Once the red stream slowed to a trickle, he tossed the soggy gauze aside and dumped a small mound of hemostatic granules onto the wound. Gritting his teeth against the burning pain, he massaged the granules into the wound. Only this time, the bleeding didn’t slow. Hell, it sped up. Fresh blood washed the granules away as soon as he dumped a new batch into the hole.

A red pool spread beneath his leg. Fucking shit, he was bleeding a lot worse than he’d bled before. The round must have nicked a vein, which had opened beneath his recent activity. An admitted concern, since he hadn’t been all that active.

“Better let Kait have at it,” Rawls said, his gaze locked on the blood streaming down Aiden’s thigh. Worry touched his blue eyes. “She’s got your blood all over her hands anyway. If you’re incubating that loco sickness, she is, too, now. Just sayin’… No sense in you bleedin’ out when she can stop it.”

Aiden scowled. “I might not have infected her the first time she touched me. A second attempt may be all it takes. I’m not chancing that.”

“Benioko would not have sent her to heal you if he saw danger to her,” Wolf said, his voice reasonable. “The danger here has passed.” He turned and looked up, scanning the sky. “But others come. We must be gone before they arrive.”

Aiden followed Wolf’s gaze and scanned the horizon. Was he talking about the exfil crew? “My evac crew won’t arrive for hours yet.”

Wolf’s gaze dropped to Aiden’s face. For the first time, Aiden saw the grimness in his brother’s black eyes. “I do not speak of your people.” He turned to address the equally tall, grim-faced dude standing next to him. “Bag and load the dead. We have little time left.”

Aiden frowned. “Montana’s sending a hazmat team. They’ll know how to handle the bodies.”

Wolf simply looked at him. “There will be no bodies when your people arrive.”

“If we leave them here—”

Wolf shook his head. “They will not be here, nor will you, when your people come for you.”

Aiden thought about that. Dammit. “Whoever’s behind this field test is on their way in?”

“So I am told,” Wolf said.

It made sense. The motherfuckers would want to collect their test subjects. They wouldn’t want evidence of their fuckery to get out. He was damn lucky the bastards hadn’t already showed up and grabbed him.

“In consideration of this news, your Benioko mobilized you boys pretty damn late, don’t you think?” Aiden drawled. “We’re lucky the bastards behind this FUBAR test didn’t snatch me already. I’ve been waiting for hours.”

Wolf shrugged. “It is unwise to question the elder gods. We are here. Our enemy is not. When they come, we will be gone.”

And thank Christ for that. If the bastards coming for him had arrived before Wolf and his crew, his teammates’ bodies would have vanished forever. And Aiden would be dead.

Or worse.

Chapter eleven

Day 2

Karaveht, Tajikistan

Aiden pressed down harder on the blood-sodden gauze, hoping the extra pressure would slow the bleeding. Footsteps crunching across the frozen ground brought his head up. He watched Wolf stop in front of Cosky. Their shared brother-in-law still held Kait in a tight embrace, one more restrictive than loving.

“Kait speaks the truth,” Wolf told Cosky, his voice mild. “The Old One specifically requested her presence on this mission to heal Aiden. He would not have sent her if Aiden was a threat to her. The danger comes in lingering here. She must heal him. Now.”

Cosky responded with a thunderous scowl and tighter arms.

How the hell would Wolf’s Old One know if Aiden was contagious or not? Not that it mattered. This decision was not Wolf’s, or the aforementioned Old One.

“I’m not risking Kait. We don’t know whether I’m contagious. This isn’t your decision, Wolf. It’s mine. And I’m a no. End of discussion.”

“There is no time for this.” Wolf’s voice was calm, although he set his shoulders and boots as though preparing for battle.

Abruptly, Wolf’s warriors swarmed Cosky. An explosion of swearing—all from his brother-in-law—painted the air black as the Shadow Mountain team seized Cosky’s arms. The cussing doubled when they wrenched his elbows behind his back, forcing him to release Kait. Freed, Kait sprinted for Aiden. Her golden braid fell over her shoulder, bouncing against her torso with each stride. More warriors converged on Aiden, pinning him to the ground.

Cold bit into Aiden’s shoulders and back, even as heat swallowed the burn and throb in his thigh. He twisted and lurched, struggling against the implacable hands forcing him down. It was his choice, not Wolf’s—dammit. The heat consuming his leg swelled, a clear sign Kait’s healing was well underway. He craned his neck, catching sight of his sister’s intent face and furrowed brow.

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