Kael’s eyes swam with anguish. “I don’t like seeing her in pain. It tears my heart out. I feel paralyzed by it.”
Anna thought hard. “Didn’t we pass a cannabis field not too far back? I almost suggested we stop and pick a few heads, but— “ Enough. No more “should haves,” she thought. “I’ll hike back and get some.”
“I don’t like you going off alone.”
“We can’t leave Elin. And it’ll help with the pain.”
“Be careful,” Kael said, her voice hoarse with emotion. “How far back is it?”
“A couple of miles.”
Kael looked up at the gray sky. “It’ll be dark before you get back.”
“There’s a full moon. I’ll take matches and a candle, just in case.”
“We need supplies. We need more bandages, and vitamin E, and antibiotics for that bite, and a roof over our heads. While Elin heals.” Rubbing her hands over her scalp in frustration, Kael finished with a resigned sigh. “All right. Get the cannabis. I’m going to study our maps and figure out where we can go. And I’ll figure out dinner, too. We have a whole bear to choose from.”
“It really will be okay, Kael,” Anna said.
Kael stared down at Elin’s pale face. “I know,” she whispered. “It has to be.”
Two city blocks from the looming brick hospital in downtown Owensboro, Kentucky, Kael took an abrupt turn into the entryway of a large office building. The building looked long abandoned, as had every other part of the city they’d seen, but Kael, a silent Elin cradled in her arms, stopped their progress.
“Let me go in first.” She turned to Anna. “Put down your bags and take her from me, will you?”
Anna surveyed Elin with anxiety. While the cannabis did seem to ease her pain, she had spent most of the two-day walk to the city pale and whimpering. Infection was settling into the bite wound, and she was increasingly feverish and sluggish. They couldn’t have arrived in Owensboro at a better time.
“Do you want me to go back to the hospital for supplies?” Anna murmured as Kael worked on the door.
“You must be exhausted. I know you haven’t been sleeping.”
Kael opened the door to the office building and poked her head inside. “I’m fine. I’m going to the hospital, and you’ll stay here with Elin.”
Anna wished she could reach out and touch Kael, but even if she had a free hand, the emotional distance between them since Elin’s injury would have stopped her.
“Fine. Remember, though…bandages, any antiseptics you can find, antibiotics, of course—”
“Anna.” Kael stared at her. “I know what to get. We’ve talked about nothing else for the past forty-eight hours. Trust me, okay?”
Like you trust me? Anna shook off the niggling thought, instead giving Kael an agreeable nod. She lowered her eyes to Elin again and cradled her closer.
“Wait just inside the door,” Kael whispered. “If you hear anything suspicious, I want you to run with Elin and hide. No hesitation, okay? And if anyone approaches—”
“I’ll come get you,” Anna finished. “Don’t worry. I know the drill.”
Grunting in acknowledgement, Kael slipped inside the office building. Anna hung back in the open doorway with Elin securely in her arms. She stared out at the empty city street in front of them, keeping one ear attuned to the interior of the office building.
Kael is right about one thing. Cities are a hell of a lot creepier than the forest. Anna shifted on her feet, gazing at the few abandoned vehicles that were parked along the street. Parking meters lined the sidewalks like silent sentries, and large yellow traffic signals hung, dead, over the intersection to her immediate right. The sounds she was accustomed to hearing—the chirping of birds, the rustling of forest animals—were absent.
Anna dropped her gaze to Elin’s face. “My poor girl,” she whispered close to Elin’s ear. “Once Kael gets back from the hospital, we’ll be able to take care of you the right way.”
They were out of bandages as of yesterday. The vitamin E had run out the first morning of their trip, and the aloe wouldn’t have lasted through another evening of travel. Cannabis was the only thing they had plenty of, because Anna had gathered enough to ensure that Elin wouldn’t have to suffer any more pain than necessary. It was one of the few things she could do for her lover until they gathered more supplies in Owensboro.
“I love you.” Anna touched her lips to Elin’s damp forehead. “I can’t wait to hear you laughing again.”
“Hey, Anna?” Kael tromped down a staircase behind Anna, drawing her attention into the office with her soft words. “I found a great room upstairs. There’s even a couch where she can sleep.”
“Fantastic.” Anna stepped inside and let the door close behind her. “Lead the way.”
Anna pressed her nose into Elin’s hair, inhaling the scent of her lover as Kael went outside for their bags.
Shortly after, Kael walked back in carrying the backpacks, sleeping bags, and medical bag with nonchalant ease, her cool gaze fixed over Anna’s shoulder.
Somehow they made it up the two flights of stairs without waking Elin. Kael led the way through a maze of hallways to a large office. There was an overstuffed leather couch in the corner, obviously dusted off by Kael, and Anna deposited Elin on the cushions with care. Kael set the bags down and came over to plant a soft kiss on Elin’s forehead.
“I’ll be back in a little while.” She straightened with a friendly nod to Anna. “I’ll also look for some water.”
Before she could stop to think about it, Anna reached out and gripped Kael’s muscular bicep. “Be careful.”
For the first time since the night of Elin’s injury, Kael met her gaze with eyes full of naked emotion. Anna could see the bone-deep weariness, the guilt, the fear; she could see a struggle to maintain the distance that had been killing Anna, and for a moment, she thought that the stoic façade might crumble.
Instead, Kael raised one shoulder in a half-shrug. “Take good care of Elin.” Anna let her hand slide down the length of Kael’s arm, briefly entangling their fingers. “Of course.” Without another word, Kael left the room and closed the door behind her.
The office was one of the most luxurious places Anna had ever seen. An enormous wood desk sat in front of the windows in the center of the room, a layer of dust obscuring the heavy polish. The couch where Elin rested was positioned at one side, and two bookcases full of binders and various hardcover books flanked walls hung with framed artworks. Between them sat two comfortable-looking leather chairs. Anna got the medical bag and brought it to Elin. She settled on the plushly carpeted floor and dug through Elin’s bag until she found the aloe. She contemplated removing the bandages from Elin’s hand so that she could apply more of the soothing fluid to her burn. I could let it air out for a while. Before Kael gets back. Still, she was loath to wake Elin.
Anna leaned back against the couch, resting her head on the arm with a tired sigh. Closing her eyes for just a moment, she allowed her mind to wander.
That’s a computer on the desk. I wonder what it looks like inside. Maybe I’ll take it apart tonight after Kael gets back. Or maybe I’ll wait until Elin can help me. I bet she’d have a good time with that.
“Anna?”
Anna opened her eyes and gave Elin a surprised smile. “Elin. Baby. How are you feeling?”
“I’ve been better.” Elin blinked at the surroundings. “Where are we?”
“Downtown Owensboro. We got here just a little while ago. Kael went out to the hospital down the road for supplies. He should be back soon, and then I can change your bandages again.”
Elin sat up, alarmed. “The hospital?”
Anna also sat up and faced Elin with a puzzled frown. “Yeah. The hospital. We need more bandages, and antiseptic, and we want to try some antibiotics to deal with the infection in your leg—”
Elin put her uninjured hand to her throat.
Anna laid a soothing hand on Elin’s shoulder and pushed her back against the cushions. “It’s not a big deal. It’s maybe two blocks away. Kael will be fine.”
Elin shook her head and tears rolled down her cheeks. “No, he’s terrified of hospitals. Most of his nightmares…the Eve Institute was housed in an old hospital. He’s so scared of them—”
Anna swallowed. “Goddamn it. I could have gone.”
“Just make sure he’s okay when he gets back.”
“I can try, but…it’s not like Kael is talking to me much these days.” She couldn’t meet Elin’s gaze, embarrassed by the admission. “Or looking for me to comfort him. I’ll wake you up, though, if you’re sleeping when he gets back. You can talk to him.”
“Sweetheart, what do you mean Kael isn’t talking to you?”
Anna leaned her head against the cushion, sighing when Elin rolled closer to drop a gentle kiss on her hair.
“He’s just…distant. He’s upset. He…I don’t know.”
“Upset about me?” At Anna’s nod, she said, “He’s scared.”
Anna didn’t even have to think before agreeing. “Yes.” Terrified. I can see it in his eyes every time he can bring himself to look at me.
“He’s scared of caring about something that could be taken away from him.”
“I know. But everyone’s scared of that, right?” Anna packed some cannabis into the bowl of their pipe. It was about time to top up Elin’s pain relief.
“Yeah. Different people just have different ways of dealing with it, I suppose.”
“Well, Kael’s way sucks. You really need to work on him with that.”
“We’ll work on him together, sweetheart.” Elin took the pipe gratefully. “I’ll just give him a kick in the right direction to start.”
“I want to unwrap your hand, put more aloe on it, and let it breathe for a while.”
“I hate seeing it. It’s ugly.” Elin lay back against the pillows and offered her injured hand to Anna. “I just hurt and feel disgusting and horrifying—”
“You’re beautiful.” Anna carefully unwrapped the bandage. “You’re always beautiful, Elin.”
“Just a little banged up right now.” Elin’s eyes were foggy again, though the tight grimace of pain that she had worn after waking was gone. “And cold.”
“You’ve got a bit of a fever. We’re hoping that Kael can find something to help bring that down. Are you hungry?”
Elin blinked and watched Anna uncover her hand. She stuck out her tongue in disgust as the raw flesh was revealed. “I was until I saw that.”
Snickering, Anna gathered some aloe on her fingertips, then began the painstaking process of spreading it over Elin’s sensitive skin. “Then don’t look. I’m going to try to get some food in you once I finish with this.”
In the end, Anna managed to feed Elin half an apple and some dried meat before she succumbed to exhaustion. Listening to her lover breathe, Anna lay back and soon slipped off into sleep with her. She had no idea how much time had passed when she jerked awake later. She hissed at the stiffness of her neck as she looked out the office window with bleary eyes and studied the overcast sky. Elin was still sleeping.
Her mouth hung open and she snored softly.
Anna got to her feet with a low groan. Not the most comfortable nap I’ve ever had, but I’ll take it. She placed her hands on her lower back and stretched. On the large wooden desk, a silver picture frame caught her attention. She picked it up and smiled at the sight of a young man who had his arms wrapped around two sandy-haired children. After a moment of silent scrutiny, she put the picture down and looked out the window again.
Kael, where the fuck are you? You expect me to just sit here and get worried sick about you?
It took only five minutes of internal debate before Anna decided to venture outside of the office, if only down the hallway, in an attempt to divine when the hell Kael would return. Hiding out was going to drive her crazy. As soon as she opened the door, she spotted Kael only fifteen feet down the hallway, facing the wall, forehead pressed against the cool surface. An overstuffed plastic bag sat at her feet, and her backpack lay behind her.
“Kael?” Anna could see the controlled rise and fall of Kael’s chest, and the way her fists were clenched tight at her sides.
“Get back inside, Anna. I’ll be there in a minute.” She turned to stare at Anna with hard eyes. “Where were you going, anyway? You weren’t going to leave Elin alone, were you?”
“She’s sleeping. I wasn’t going to leave the building or anything.” Biting her lip in indecision, she approached Kael and touched her shoulder. “I was just worried about you.”
Kael shrugged and pulled away with a quiet snort.
“You’re barely talking to me. You’re exhausted. You’re…you’re scared of hospitals, and you didn’t even fucking tell me.” Anna’s voice rose as she spoke, all of the anger and frustration of the past few days finally crashing over her. “I thought you were my lover, too, Kael. I thought you were my friend.”
With an uncomfortable look, Kael shifted, then shoved her hands in the pockets of her jeans. “I am your friend. Please, just get back in the office. I’ll be right in, I swear.”
Releasing an exasperated sigh, Anna wrapped her arms around Kael’s tense shoulders. “Stop it, please.”
Kael pressed both hands against Anna’s shoulders in a half-hearted shove. “I’m fine.”
Anna tightened her embrace. “Stop it. Kael, I know about the nightmares. I know what going into that hospital must have done to you. And I promised Elin that I would make sure you were okay when you got back. Just let me be your friend, okay?”
Kael released a defeated sigh. “I threw up…at the hospital. But I got everything we need.”
Anna brought her hand up to cradle the back of Kael’s head. “Thank you for going.” And for telling me, and for letting me hold you for even just a minute.
“I’ve got about twenty-five bottles of water, and the Ohio River is just a few blocks away. I figured maybe we could try washing her at some point soon. I’m sure she’s craving a bath.”