Page 118 of Lavender and Lightning

“That yours or his?” Caleb asks into the silence.

I look down at Rhett’s leg, my stomach turning as the orange glow of a passing streetlight reveals a strip of black silk tied around his thigh, the surrounding fabric of his pants soaked and sticking to his skin.

“Mine. Fucker stabbed me,” Rhett replies, shifting slightly and gasping as he tries to straighten his leg.

“We need to get you to a doctor,” I say, looking around for anything to add to the makeshift bandage and stop the bleeding.

“No time. We need to get back home,” Rhett grits out, handing me his jacket.

I rip at the already partially damaged lining, packing the area around the wound as gently as I can. Rhett puts up a solid front, but even in the dark, the pain in his pale face stands out. Only instincts to protect and soothe and heal my alpha keep me from dissolving in a sobbing mess. I can freak out later, when we’re not running seemingly for our lives.

“We’ll need to get you knife-proof pants for the next wedding,” I try to joke, my laugh coming out weak and watery.

Rhett grabs my hand before I put pressure on his leg, gripping it tight. I look up into his eyes, swallowing hard at the hazy, unfocused glaze taking over.

“Did he hurt you?” he asks seriously.

I let out an involuntary cough of a laugh, shaking my head slightly in disbelief. “You’ve been stabbed, and you’re worried about me?”

“I’ll always be worried about you, love,” Rhett replies simply.

Shaking my head, I pull my hand away to press lightly against his leg. “I’ll be fine. We need to take care of you first,” I say, looking down as I feel warm wetness seep up between my fingers.

“You’re going to have to use more pressure than that,voyin.And more cloth,” Caleb instructs as he turns the corner.

I look up to Rhett again, and he nods, bracing himself. I steel myself as I press, hard, heart twisting at the grunt of pain Rhett releases.

“Once we get on the plane, I can put in some temporary stitches, but you’ll have to get looked at by a professional as soon as we land in Georgia,” Caleb tells us sternly.

“Good enough. We can let Lex know what’s going on then. We just need to get wheels up as soon as possible,” Rhett says, breathing heavily.

“What’s going on? Why are we running?” I ask, unable to stand it a moment longer.

Rhett swallows and wipes his forehead. I can make out the smear of dark blood in the light of another streetlight.

“There’s a warrant out for Seth’s arrest. I don’t know all the details, but I know that when they went to arrest him, he was gone. And no one knows where he went,” Rhett explains.

My stomach drops and I feel sick again. He could be anywhere, doing anything. And he’s proven that he doesn’t need to be physically present to make my life a living hell.

“Once we’re all together again, we can figure out what our next move is going to be,” Rhett finishes, dropping his head back to rest against the seat.

I nod, turning my attention back to keeping pressure on his wound.

A few minutes later, Caleb comes to a smooth stop on the curb outside of the apartment building. Lucas stands on the sidewalk, all of our bags around him. Caleb gets out to help load the trunk, and I turn to look back to Rhett. He’s been quiet, eyes closed. I only know he’s still alive by the steady rise and fall of his chest. I want to wake him, to make sure he’s still with us, but I can’t bring myself to lift my trembling hands from his thigh.

Caleb and Lucas slam their doors as they slide into the front seats, and Lucas turns around to look at me. I’m not sure what exactly he’s able to see in the low light, but it can’t be good. I haven’t felt any fresh bleeding in a minute or two, but I don’t dare lift my hands. Lucas swallows, eyes wide.

“I’m alive, Luc. I’ll be okay.”

We both whip our heads around at the sound of Rhett’s voice. He hasn’t lifted his head or opened his eyes, but knowing he’s awake helps to settle my roiling stomach a fraction.

“If you’d let some dickless alpha take you out, I’d have to bring you back so I could kill you myself,” Lucas replies, his words teasing but his tone falling flat.

Rhett still chuckles softly, and I can’t help but smile a little. Caleb throws the car into gear and speeds off toward the airport. The ride there, getting through the gate and into the hangar, all passes in a blur. I’m too focused on keeping pressure on Rhett’s leg and watching his chest rise and fall. Once we come to a stop, Lucas jumps out with Caleb, and the back doors open, Caleb and Lucas in front of me with the door behind open wide.

“This is going to suck, but hopefully not for long,” Caleb says, reaching in and grabbing Rhett’s arm.

“Just do it,” Rhett says, already gritting his teeth.

---