Page 28

Her breathing was a little too shallow, her stance a little less steady than it had been. She was trying to hide it, but I knew pure exhaustion when I saw it. I started walking toward them, my bare feet crunching in the bloodstained snow.

Sorin was the first to notice me, her gaze flicking over my bare chest before she raised a brow. “Nice to see you back in human form, Silas.”

I ignored her, my attention on Lia. “You alright?”

She scoffed, swiping a smear of blood from her cheek. “Better than some.”

I let my gaze sweep over her: her hair in tangles around her face, her clothes torn in places, dark smudges streaking her face and arms. She had fought hard, but she was done, and I wasn’t about to let her drop where she stood. Without a word, I stepped forward and scooped her up.

Lia let out a startled noise, her arms automatically going around my neck. “Silas?—”

“You’re done for tonight,” I murmured, cutting her off as I adjusted my grip on her. “Let me take care of you.”

She stiffened in my arms, lips pressing into a thin line. “I can walk.”

I started toward the cabin anyway. “Not interested in debating that right now, Wildcat.”

Sorin just chuckled behind us. “Good luck, Silas. You’re gonna need it.”

Lia huffed, but she didn’t fight me. She could have. She could have kicked and screamed and made a scene, but she didn’t. That alone told me how damn tired she was. Her journey through the wilderness to find me, what I’d put her through earlier tonight, and now this battle, and it was no wonder she was dead on her feet.

I carried her back through the shattered remains of our camp, my wolves and the Resistance still regrouping, still gathering the wounded and counting the dead. The fires burned lower now, casting long shadows, the scent of blood heavy and metallic in the air.

But I only focused on her.

The weight of her, the way her heartbeat was steady and slow, the way she fit against my body like she was always meant to be there.

I pushed open my cabin door and stepped inside, kicking it shut behind me. The warmth wrapped around us instantly, the heat from the fire still crackling in the hearth lingering.

I carried her through to the back, straight into the bathroom. She blinked up at me, confusion flickering in her exhausted eyes.

“What are you doing?” she asked cautiously.

I set her down gently on the wooden stool beside the tub, then turned on the water. I crouched in front of her, resting my arms on my knees. “You’re covered in blood. You need to clean up.”

Lia stared at the water, her throat bobbing slightly. “I… I don’t need?—”

“Just let me do this, Lia,” I said softly. “You fought hard tonight, even before the battle.” I winked and smiled outright, rare for me. “You deserve this.”

She hesitated, uncertainty flickering behind her eyes.

Then, slowly—finally—she nodded.

I adjusted the taps, letting the steaming water fill the tub, the scent of heated minerals floating in the air. The pipes that fed the cabin were old, but sturdy, running straight from the natural hot springs nearby. The water was clean, fresh—one of the few luxuries we had out here.

Lia sat stiffly on the wooden stool, watching me with wary eyes. She was still tense, her fingers resting loosely against her knees, like she didn’t quite trust what was happening. Almost like she didn’t know how to accept something that wasn’t a fight.

I reached for a small jar on the shelf, twisting off the lid and letting the scent of pine and wild herbs waft into the room.

“Put this in the water,” I instructed, setting it on the edge of the tub. “It’ll help with the soreness.”

She glanced at the jar, then back at me, like she was trying to read between the lines of what I was saying. I noticed a slight blush pinking her cheeks.

Finally, she let out a slow breath and nodded.

I stood, wiping my hands against a towel hanging beside the door. “Relax for a bit,” I told her. “Rest. You’ve earned it.”

Her brow furrowed slightly. “Where are you going?”