Page 55 of Echoes of Danger

I blink, my pain momentarily forgotten as his words register. “Wait, what?” My voice comes out sharper than I expected, and I feel his body move as he silently laughs.

“You heard me,” he says, his tone maddeningly calm. “Biting isn’t new to me. Neither is being scratched, kicked, or cursed at. Occupational hazards.”

“I didn’t ask for your résumé,” I say, though I can’t stop the corners of my mouth from twitching.

Steel chuckles, a deep rumble in his chest that somehow distracts me from the pain radiating through my body. “Well, if you’re going to leave marks, you might as well own it. Consider it a job well done. It might even scar. Blaze will be jealous.”

I groan, dropping my head to his shoulder. “I bit you like a rabid squirrel, and you’re talking as if it’s another normal day?”

“Rabid squirrel?” He says, clearly amused. “If that’s what you’re going for, you nailed it. But for the record, you’re more like a feisty kitten.”

I can’t help it. I laugh. It’s the kind of laugh that feels absurd given the situation, but also exactly what I need. My body shakes against his, and for a moment, the pain dulls under the weight of my ridiculous giggles.

Steel shifts slightly, adjusting his hold on me. “There she is. Much better. Now, are you ready to get moving, or should I prepare myself for another squirrel attack?”

“Keep it up,” I warn, “and next time, I’ll aim for your ear. But I’m good. It still hurts, but I think I’ve compartmentalized it and will deal with it later.”

“Good girl,” he says. “Hold on tight.”

Moving to the door, he tests the handle. When it opens, he pats my arm before pulling out the gun and pointing it forward.

“Close your eyes,” he says. “Keep them closed.”

Not having the strength to argue, I nod and close my eyes.

Then we’re moving. He jolts every now and again, and it takes everything I have not to yell out in pain.

“Stay with me, Del,” he murmurs over his shoulder. “Almost there.”

I press my forehead against his shoulder blade, my vision blurring from the pain. “Define ‘almost.’”

“Thirty seconds,” he whispers.

Deciding it was worth the risk, I open my eyes. The hallway is dimly lit, with only the faint buzz of overhead lights and the distant hum of voices somewhere far off. Steel pauses at the corner of a corridor, his head tilting as if listening for something. I hold my breath, the sound of my pounding heart the only thing I can hear.

“What is it?” I whisper.

“Guard,” he says quietly. “Blocking the exit we need.”

“Can we go another way?”

“I don’t know the layout of the building,” he whispers back. “We could easily get cornered. This is our only chance. I have to put you down, sweetheart.”

“What? No?” Panic overtakes all my senses, and I squeeze myself tighter against his back, not fully registering the pain my body is now under.

“Be a good girl and do as I say, Delphi,” he says, his voice as steel as his name. “Let go.”

Not really understanding why, I listen. I drop my feet but hold on to his arms tightly until I regain my balance.

“Good job, sweetheart,” he says, turning and kissing my forehead. “Stay here,” he says firmly, his eyes locking with mine. “Don’t make a sound. Don’t move until I say.”

“Steel…”

“Trust me.”

I nod, too tired to argue, and press my back to the wall, cradling my side. Steel moves like a shadow, silent and deliberate, blending into the dim light. I lose sight of him for a moment, my pulse spiking as panic sets in.

Then, there’s a soft thud.

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