Chapter 23
Lambda stalked the edge of the woods they were hiding within. Vallie, Verona, and Natya tried to rest. He was certain Natya slept, but Vallie and Verona had been speaking in hushed tones when he left.
They couldn’t stay long. Only long enough to keep them from collapsing. The dragons had to know by now that Bedek was dead, and Verona and Natya had escaped. Hopefully, his scent had cleared, otherwise they’d also know a wolf had been involved. He pricked his ears to the wind but heard nothing. Yet.
The wolves didn’t want a war, but maybe they needed one. When Lambda heard the way those dragons spoke to his mate and Verona, plus how malnourished Natya was, how fast she still managed to run escaping that place, he knew that war was inevitable. They couldn’t sit idly by while the dragons were allowed to treat humans so poorly. If they couldn’t yield to a treaty, give up their human captives, then a war would come.
And when monsters fought, there was no mercy.
After a couple hours, the light began to fade. Lambda wasn’t certain how well dragons saw in the dark, but they couldn’t forfeit a possible advantage.
“Vallie,” he whispered as he approached.
“I’m up,” she answered. “Natya and Verona are both sleeping.”
“We need to start moving. It’ll be easier for the three of you if we start walking before it’s full dark.” Lambda gave Vallie his hand and pulled her to stand, then wrapped his arms around her.
“We’re so close,” she said, her voice muffled against his neck. “I wish I could blink and be back in Luven.”
“Same. But we’ll get there. By this time tomorrow, we’ll be over the wall. May the Moon Goddess watch over us.” Lambda pressed a kiss against her cheek. “Are you going to be able to walk on your own?”
Vallie nodded. “I can do it. Natya needs you more. I’ve had months of good food and medical care.”
“Natya wasn’t almost murdered a few hours ago.” Lambda brushed his hand over the purpling swirls on Vallie’s neck. “Are you dizzy?”
“I swear, I’m ok to keep going. The faster we get to the wall, the faster we get to the hospital, and we can both rest easy about the status of my neck and head.” Vallie stretched her arms overhead. “I can’t wait to have a big meal and fall into an actual bed. Those two months in the hospital really spoiled me.”
“If you think hospital beds are nice, wait until you see what I have waiting for you.” He ran his thumb over her jaw. “Piles of quilts, the softest pillow—”
“You beside me,” she interrupted with a smile. “Best part of it all.”
Lambda hummed. He could feel the wolf pressing against him, wanting to get her home, get her safe, so he could mate her. He hushed it, took a deep breath, and released her.
“You wake Verona, I’ll wake Natya.”
*
Lambda kept Vallie and Verona ahead of him, with Natya on his back. They moved more slowly now, with the sun setting and Vallie on foot. He wouldn’t make her run unless he smelled or heard a dragon. It was too risky.
This incident had cemented Lambda’s resolve. He never wanted to live outside the city. While a night or two under the stars was lovely, he liked the comfort of a hospital and doctors nearby. He wanted a place to take his mate when she was injured. Not a two-day walk wondering if she was going to be ok.
He shifted Natya on his hips and she yelped. He skidded to a stop and slid her off his back.
“What? Are you hurt?”
“It’s nothing,” she answered quickly. “We should keep going.”
“Natya, are you hurt?” Vallie asked, coming to stand beside her. She set her hand on Natya’s forearm, and the woman immediately started crying.
“It’s from yesterday,” she began, peeling down the waistband of her pants. On her lower hip was a terrible wound, angry and bright red.
“Shit!” Vallie exclaimed. “Why didn’t you say something?”
“We need to keep going. You said there’s a hospital. The doctor can help once we get there.”
“Yeah, but that looks infected as hell.” Vallie took the pack from Verona and pulled out the canteen.
“We need marigolds. Or yarrow. Damn it. Wash it out with water, put some clean cloth over it if you have any, and get us to some tree cover. At the very least I should be able to find some early coneflowers.” Lambda watched the women go to work, cleaning out the wound while Natya bit her lips shut, then bandaging it with the extra shirt he’d packed.
“How… How do you know how to do this?” he asked.
Verona raised an eyebrow. “No hospitals in Maidenhead. If you want to survive your wounds, you learn how to at a young age. There was a reason Bedek let me sleep in his room. A free healer, even a human one, is a commodity.”
Lambda nodded and let them finish bandaging Natya. He kept his eyes behind them, searching the sky for dragons.
“Be careful where you hold her,” Verona said as Lambda gingerly lifted the newly bandaged Natya. “When we hit the next trees, I’ll look for herbs for a moment, but we can’t waste much time. It’s clean now. Hopefully the infection isn’t in her blood.”
“Is this painful?” Lambda asked Natya, hooking his hands beneath her knees while she clung to his back.
“I can manage.”
Lambda nodded. He looked at Vallie. Her eyes were serious.
“Let’s get you to Luven, then. Dr. Tau can work miracles.” Natya laid her head against his shoulder, and the four of them took off.