Page 55 of Wolf Crowned

How bad?

She made a noise in the back of her throat before cradling my head and peppering kisses over my forehead, nose, and both cheeks. “It looks like you’re still in the cave. No one has found you. That’s good.”

It was good news. But...

You didn’t answer my question, sweetheart. It’s bad, isn’t it?

She cleared her throat and held me closer. “The scratches look deep and are already infected.”

She pulled away. I groaned, missing her scent and warmth even though my body was burning up.

She put her arms under my armpits. “Do you think you can help me move you? If I can get you to the spring, we can get these wounds cleaned up and bring your body temp down. You’re too hot.”

I thought you liked me being hot.

She laughed out loud, which made me chuckle. Bad idea. It turned into a raspy cough that had white spots bursting behind my eyes.

She put a finger on my lips. “While it’s a good thing you’re making jokes, don’t laugh. And no jokes right now. I don’t want you to hurt yourself worse than you already are.”

Where’s Lincoln?

She sucked in a breath and let it out. “He’s sleeping. Out cold. He needs the rest. I should wake him. He can help me get you to the spring.”

Okay.

“Don’t move.”

Her presence faded away, leaving me alone in the cave. The water roared outside, or maybe that was my pulse thrumming in my ears. I couldn’t be sure.

The cave was dark, cool, and had the lingering scent of Sloane and Lincoln. How had no one found me yet? They’d been right on my tail. Surely someone had seen me crawl in.

Or maybe this was all in my head. Perhaps dad had knocked me senseless, and I was dreaming. If I was, it wasn’t so bad.

Maybe Luna was watching out for me. It had always struck me as odd that no one else had ever found our cave. It was Lincoln and mine’s special spot. Now Sloane’s too.

“Sawyer.” Lincoln’s voice broke through my thoughts.

Sloane’s fingers were back on my face. They were ice cold. Or maybe I was that hot. “We need to get him into the spring. We can wash these cuts and bring his fever down.”

Lincoln put his arms around my thighs. “Get his head. We can carry him over.”

Sloane grasped me under my armpits. “Stay still, Sawyer. Let us do the work for you.”

I wasn’t sure I had much choice. My body was leaden. I could barely hold my head up, let alone see clearly.

The world bounced some more as they lifted me up and dragged me to the spring. Lincoln angled my body and got in the water first, dragging my lower half into the spring.

The water hit me like a punch to the stomach. It was frigid, knocking the air right out of me. I gasped in a breath. Then coughed.

Sloane put her mouth to my ear, making shushing noises. “I know. It’s okay. We got you. We’ll get you out and warmed up after we clean these wounds.”

My knees buckled when Lincoln set me down. Sloane grunted as she was forced to bear my full weight. She sputtered and then coughed.

Lincoln grasped me, hauling me up and holding me so my head stayed above the water. He looked over my shoulder at Sloane. “Was I this lethargic when you rescued me?”

Sloane dipped her hand in the water and ran the cold liquid through my hair. “Yeah, but your injuries were far worse. He has a broken leg, maybe a few ribs at most. The scratches aren’t horribly deep. It’s the infection I’m most worried about.”

I blinked my eyes open, letting my head lull to the side so I could see. She wasn’t lying. Angry red marks streaked across my shoulder and torso. The scratches were red and swollen. Pus oozed out of them.

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