Page 80 of Empire of Ache & Ruin

“Nice and easy, William.” I slowly reach for Paloma and bring her to my side. “Can you walk?” I ask.

“My knee.” She winces.

I scoop her into my arms and flank William on the right as the animal prowls to the left. Good, he wants us out of here. No problem.

“Let’s get the fuck out of here.” I step back toward the ground with Paloma in my arms.

William follows suit with his weapon at the ready.

“Fuck.” He yelps as ice cracks beneath him, and he falls over.

I’m there to keep him from falling in, but the wolf doesn’t like the sudden change. It charges at me, barring its teeth. I set Paloma behind me and advance toward it to shield her. As soon as he’s within range, I punch him square on the snout. It drops and rolls to the side but then comes toward me again.

When I look over, William has his rifle trained on him.

“Don’t shoot it,” I yell at him, slapping the barrel sideways.

It’s a fucking idiotic thing to do. The gun goes off and somehow misses my face. The wolf whines and finally decides to retreat. I don’t have time to think about what almost happened. I scoop Paloma into my arms again and rush back to the golf cart.

William jumps in the driver seat while I buckle Paloma in the rear-facing seat. I climb in next to her and hold her tight. “Drive,” I yell over my shoulder.

“Yes sir.”

A million questions avalanche through my mind. But Paloma is too weak and too cold to put a sentence together, let alone explain what the fuck she was doing beyond the gates. William gets us to the kitchen door in minutes.

“Mr. Archer,” he begins.

“You did what you had to do. Don’t think on it again. The beast will be fine. You didn’t hit it.” I cradle Paloma in my arms. “Tell Mary Jane we’ll need extra blankets and some tea or whatever.”

“Yeah, I got it.”

I rush inside, leaving a trail of slushy ice. With Paloma shivering in my arms, I take the stairs to the third floor. I lay her down on the area rug, looking for signs of hypothermia. She wasn’t in the water long. She has to be alright. I can’t lose her. Mary Jane comes in with blankets and a tea kettle to plug in next to the bed.

“Help me with her clothes,” I say.

Paloma is awake but not very responsive. Between the two of us, we have her in her underwear and bra in two minutes.

“I can take it from here.” I take off my many layers.

“I’ll just be outside.” She leaves, closing the door behind her.

I strip all the way down, and then do the same for Paloma. After I place her under the blankets in my bed, I climb in with her.

“You’re okay.” I kiss the top of her head. “It’s over.”

“Hmm.” She stirs next to me. “Why are you naked?” she says weakly.

“Everyone knows this is the fastest way to keep someone warm.” I run my hand down to her lower back.

She laughs. “Are you trying to resuscitate me or give me a heart attack?”

“Definitely resuscitate.” I’m not ready to laugh about this. “Why were you out there? This isn’t your first winter. Surely you know when it’s safe to walk on a frozen pond.”

“I got spooked by a wild animal. I ran. By the time, I realized where I was, it was too late. The ground just gave out from under me.” She buries her face in my chest. “How did you find me?”

“By some miracle.” I press my lips to her head. “Keep talking.” I sit up and reach for the tea kettle by my nightstand. I pour tea in a cup and offer it to her. “Drink. It’ll help.”

“I think the ‘keep talking advice’ is for when you have a concussion.” She scoots up and takes the cup from me. “Thank you.” She blinks and tears roll down her cheek.

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