Page 53 of Ensnared
“I found him halfway along the string,” Jack tells us. “He managed to crawl that far. I think he was afraid of what would happen to Skye all alone in the forest.”
I don’t want to cry again, so I press my lips together and blink until the urge passes. “Thank you for getting him.”
Ty tries to take my arm to help me walk through the woods, but I shake him off. “I’m fine. Help Jack with Aiden.”
He gives me a questioning look, then takes Aiden’s other side. We crash through the limp undergrowth until we reach the path behind the cabins. I breathe a sigh of relief when the first roof materializes from the darkness.
We’re lucky that no one happened to walk by, because Aiden is barely conscious by the time the guys drag him to his room in the Lodge.
I hover at the door, still wrapped up in all my layers. “Will he be okay?”
Jack pulls off Aiden’s hiking boots. “Yeah. I don’t think he’s as exhausted as I was.”
“What happened?” Ty asks as he wrestles Aiden’s limp arm out of his parka. “Were you two practicing…” He doesn’t finish the thought but raises his eyebrows suggestively.
I dip my chin to acknowledge his question. “We were trying to see if I could tap into his, um, power.” I hold my broken hand closer to my body, wishing I could lie down and get some powerful painkillers. “I told Aiden to stop me if he realized he was getting tired, but apparently he loved the feeling so much, he just kept going.”
“Shit.” Ty looks down at his friend, then places a hand on his forehead as though feeling for a fever. “Did you succeed?”
“Yeah.” I think back to the incredible sensation of touching Aiden’s fire. “It worked.”
Ty and Jack exchange a glance I can’t decipher, but neither of them comments on this piece of news. I’m not sure what to do with it myself, and I’ll have to think long and hard before trying anything like it again. Until we find a good fail-safe, that is.
I glance around the room and find an armchair in the corner. I move a sweatshirt that smells like Aiden to the dresser and sink down into the surprisingly plush cushions.
“What are you doing?” Jack asks, his eyebrows drawn down.
I toe off my hiking boots and wriggle my toes. “I’m going to watch over him. I won’t be able to sleep anyway, not with a broken arm. Guys, I need to do this. I need to be here when he wakes up.”
For a moment, Ty looks like he might object, but he only sighs in resignation. “Fine. I’ll bring you something to eat and take care of Princess.”
Jack kisses my cheek, and they leave me alone with Aiden. I make myself as comfortable as possible in the armchair. There’s a part of me that’s telling me I’m probably in some sort of shock, given everything we’ve been through, but I don’t care. I’m not leaving Aiden’s side until I’m sure he’s okay.
And if my thoughts stray to that passionate kiss in the forest, I don’t give myself permission to indulge, either. Aiden was half out of his mind, and I’m not going to hold him accountable for it. There’s no way I’m going to embarrass myself by assuming it meant anything to him.
My eyes drift shut in the warmth, the day catching up with me despite the pain throbbing in my arm. I wake once in the darkness, vaguely aware that someone placed a blanket over me and that I dreamt of warm fingers stroking my cheek.
When I wake up in the morning, I’m all alone.
Eighteen
Aiden
“You were out cold last night,”Jack says, his gray eyes flashing. “There’s no way you can fly a plane today.”
We’re twenty minutes into an argument over who is taking Skye to Anchorage to the ER. She’ll probably wake up soon, so I’m fueling up on Ty’s fantastic breakfast. Since Skye arrived at Amber Bay, his cooking has gone from good to excellent, which just goes to show that we all need Skye to remain here forever. I don’t care if he’s just trying to impress her. This benefits us all.
I swallow a mouthful of crispy bacon. “What do I need to do to convince you that I’m fine? Stand on one foot? Walk a straight line?”
“You weren’tdrunk,” he growls. “You had your power sapped from you. I know exactly what that feels like, and I know you’re going to need more time to recover.”
Gods save me from love-sick fools.
“Do you really think I’d put Skye in danger?” I ask quietly.
Ty leans his elbow on the table and puts his chin in his palm. “Well, you did bring her here, didn’t you? A witch in a village full of sea dragons? Not the best combination.”
I growl at him. “That was before I knew her.”
