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Chapter Nine

Noah

Noah allowed himself to wallow for a bit, wanting to take his anger and helplessness out on the steering wheel, but instead laid his head down on his hands and took in deep breaths until he was calm.He had no idea how long he sat there, but when the cold seeped into the cab from the wind whipping outside, he was pulled him from his pathetic musings.

Knowing that the snow and clouds would insulate them, but not enough, he searched for the portable heaters and knew they had enough propane to heat the car for three more days.He didn’t want to set up the lights in case they were spotted.The last thing Noah wanted was to be trapped in an SUV and have shifters close in on both of them.He didn’t truly know if it would do much good since shifters mainly tracked by smell, but Noah wasn’t taking any chances of them being spotted in any case.

Noah had to wait for Jade to reawaken after her body healed itself.He understood how lucky they were that none of the shots had been headshots, not certain she would survive something as severe as that.He wasn’t certain how she’d survived after so many bullets hit her center mass.

He knew he should have asked more questions about their healing abilities when he had the chance, but even finding their hideout and trekking back to their cave and watching Jade dispatch those two shifters hadn’t allowed reality to set in.Jade had taken care of them so easily.

And because the shifters were so powerful without weapons, it was preposterous to him they would have heavy weaponry, enough to bring Jade to her knees.

But he took comfort in her words.She needed time to heal and now that they were stuck in a snowstorm, time was one thing they had an unlimited supply of.

Noah had checked to make sure Jade was breathing steadily before he decided to go through their supplies.He pulled out three canteens, twenty-two MREs, an extra propane tank for refilling the heaters, LED lights, ten magazines for his two .45s, two boxes of .308 cartridges, two combat knives, and several extra thermal layers, all his size.

He blinked when he realized she’d packed for his comfort and needs more than her own.She had even packed a new package of underwear for him.And for a reason he couldn’t understand right at that moment, tears filled his eyes.He couldn’t remember the last time he cried, but laying out their supplies and glancing over at Jade, helpless and pale from her injuries, hit Noah hard.He didn’t want to lose Jade and he wasn’t fast enough to protect her.

After everything had been laid out, he set about arranging those items they would need immediately, including a med kit that had a bottle of morphine.He would only give her a dose if she showed signs of pain.He put the non-essentials at the bottom of the pack.

Noah debated whether he should treat her wounds or leave them be and let them heal.He’d seen many a gunshot wound over the years and although none of his fellow SEALs knew, he hated the sight of blood.On every tour, he was grateful they had a medic to deal with wounds that ranged from superficial to severe, so all he had to do was press on the wound until they’d gotten back to whatever base they were at that week.

Suck it up, Hale.

He opened the med kit and made sure he had gauze and tape available.With easy movements so he didn’t jar her too much, he pulled Jade up to a sitting position, resting her head on his shoulder, before he peeled off her tank top.He lowered her down, grateful that she had foregone a bra, but when he spotted the cluster of wounds on her chest, his heart threatened to beat out of his chest.

The flesh looked angry.The edges of the wounds were jagged.Blood seeped onto her chest and he did his best to mop them up, hoping the bleeding would stop.He risked a glance at the first bullet wound she sustained on her shoulder and breathed a sigh of relief.While the area was jagged, there was no blood, just pink, angry skin where the bullet had exited.

Knowing they would continue to bleed, he pressed two square pieces of gauze together and taped them over the wounds.He would check them every two hours or however long it took for the gauze to become completely absorbed by blood and change them out until she started to regenerate.

After they were covered, he gently rolled her onto her side and peeked at the entrance wounds on her back.Since bullets always entered smaller than they exited, the bullet wounds on her back were already healed.

Noah reached for one of his thermal shirts and pulled it over her head, adjusting it before he laid her back down on the makeshift bed.The thing was huge on her, but he knew it would keep her warm.He covered her with the sleeping bags, making sure that no part of her body was exposed to the elements.

With time ticking by as he waited for any sign of consciousness from Jade, he glanced outside and watched as the snow swirled around the windows.The forecasted blizzard had arrived, and every once in a while, the SUV rocked with the fierce force of the wind.

Unable to stay away from Jade, he reached for an MRE and grabbed a canteen and settled near Jade’s legs.He swung them over her covered ones and placed another sleeping bag over himself, leaning against the side of the SUV.He shivered when his neck brushed against the side window and reached for the heater, bringing it closer.

He watched Jade’s chest move up and down steadily.He ripped open the MRE and began eating, but the worry he had for Jade made the hot meal tasteless.She hadn’t moved since he’d brought her to the SUV, not even a flutter of her eyelids letting him know that she was dreaming.

Noah finished his meal and drank a bit more water.He straightened up and found an extra bag for trash, and soon, he had nothing to do but wait.

He glanced at his watch and noted it was only seven, but figured he could get some sleep with the storm overhead, and prayed that in the morning when he woke, the snow storm moved on and Jade would be awake.

***

Jade

What time is it?

What happened?

Noah!

Jade blinked her eyes open and noted she was surrounded by darkness.Her senses went haywire for a minute and she couldn’t smell, see, or feel anything.She pushed down the panic that threatened to overwhelm her and took a deep breath.

There.Noah.