Chapter 18
Eva gripped the bark of an oak tree as she peered around its base into the open landscape of the mountain. The sun was shining, making them visible to their lurking enemy.
They had been traveling for hours, dodging two small groups of the Others. Fortunately, Cillian knew the route to Stone Haven and the lay of the mountain better than the Others. Evading them had been easier than she had thought it was going to be.
Eva scanned the area, the glare off the snow hurting her eyes, but her heart hammered in her chest as the seconds ticked by and Cillian still hadn’t returned.
He was injured from the fall in Everwood, and carrying her on his back wasn’t helping his pain. He tried to hide it from her, but she could see the strain crease his brow and the tightness in his jaw. He was hurting. He had insisted the gate into Stone Haven was just up ahead and that she should stay hidden until he scouted the entrance and guards.She wanted to trust Cillian, wanted to believe he was still the man she had come to know, but the revelation that he was the son of her enemy twisted her gut.
Eva couldn’t help but be distrustful of Cillian. He was from the settlement she had villainized for years, but if she had to work with him to save Everwood, then that’s what she was going to do.
As she was deep in thought, a shadow appeared on the horizon—a moving figure headed in her direction. Her hand instinctively went to reach for her knife. She swallowed hard, realizing it was gone. Like everything else she cared about.
She needed her mind to stay clear, so she shook her head of the thought. The future of her settlement rested on her shoulders—she had to stay alive for them.
As the moving shadow drew closer, Eva let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. It was Cillian.
Not wanting to waste another second, she moved around the tree. Her ankle throbbed with the movement, but it was feeling a little better today. It most likely was only sprained. The wrap Cillian had provided the night before kept the swelling at a minimum.
Cillian came to a stop before her, his cheeks red from the wind’s biting cold. He reached out a hand to her, and his rich pine scent sent her heart racing for a whole different reason than fear.She accepted his help, leaning on him as she stepped around the shrubbery covered in snow.
“Okay, there are two guards on duty, I know them. We shouldn’t have any problem getting home.”
“Stone Haven isn’t my home.” She spit the words at him. They left her lips before she could stop them.
He studied her a moment, then nodded. “I meant inside, Angel.”
Cillian turned his back and bent his knees, lowering himself to her level. “Shall we?”
She hesitated. She was about to enter Stone Haven, the place she dreamed about destroying for the last seven years. Now, they were her only hope to save Everwood. What a fickle bitch fate was.
With her goal in focus, she took hold of his shoulders and jumped on her good foot, then wrapped her legs around his hips. He tried to suppress a grunt as he took hold of the back of her thighs and adjusted her weight, but she heard it.
“Maybe I should try to walk—”
“Don’t even think it,” he growled.
The corner of her lip turned up as she laced her hands just below his neck, and her head bobbed next to his as his feet crunched through the snow.
He lifted his hand and pointed. “It’s just over this ridge.”
He gripped her thighs tighter as he moved up the incline. The warmth from his hands seeped into her, causing her insides to squeeze. Being this close to him, reminded her of the night of the full moon—she shook her head to rid her mind of the thought.
When he came to a stop at the top, she squinted against the sunlight, lifting her hand to shield her eyes. A hundred yards from them were stone pillars and a wooden gate. A tower rose above the gate, with two figures standing at the rail. The mountain peak stood tall in the distance, looming over the settlement protectively. She let out a sigh. They had made it.
With no warning, Cillian crouched low, and her weight fell forward before he dropped her onto the snow-covered ground. She wasn’t sure what he was doing until a gun blast ricocheting off the terrain met her ears and she heard men yelling and the sound of snow crunching as men raced toward them from the tree line. The Others had found them.
As more shots were fired, the snow kicked up as the bullets embedded into the banks. Cillian jerked her arm, pulling her to her feet. She almost cried out as pain seared her ankle, but she stopped herself when he yelled, “I need you to run, Eva, now.”
Adrenaline filled her veins as they raced over the fluffy snow. Cillian had her arm tight in his hold, and when he turned to look over his shoulder, he yelled “Get down!” just as a bullet whizzed by her ear.
The air rushed by her face, the chill causing her gooseflesh to rise as her body flattened against the ground.
She tried to turn around, but Cillian was in front of her, yanking on her arm and drawing her to her feet once more. Her ankle screamed for her to stop, the adrenaline only numbing so much of the pain.
Then they were running again, and out of the corner of her eye, she saw a man. He was close. Too close.When he aimed his gun, everything seemed to slow down. She held her breath as he pressed the trigger.
The snap of the trigger met her ears, but no bullet left the pistol. Confused, he slowed and examined the gun. He was out of bullets.
They quickened their steps, and at last, the gate came into full view.
“Open the gate! I am Cillian Beck, and I command you to open the gate!”
A man on the tower pulled a rope, and another had a shotgun aimed in their direction.
“Cillian, I don’t—” Eva started.
“Bitch!”
All of a sudden, her body was slammed into Cillian and they were rolling. When they came to a stop, her one hand was on the icy terrain, and the other was pinned under Cillian’s body.
When she got her bearings, she saw a man straddling Cillian with a knife inches from his neck. His arm was the only thing keeping the blade from sinking into his flesh.
Fear and rage consumed her as she forced her hand out from under his weight. The rocks below sliced at the delicate skin, but it didn’t matter. Shots fired all around them, the other two men gaining ground on them—they didn’t have much time.
Once free, she leaped onto the back of the feral man and yelled, “Get off him.”
Using the crook of her arm, she squeezed with all the strength she had. The man gurgled as he let the knife fall and reached for her arm, trying to pry it from his throat.
Her muscles ached as she watched Cillian pick up his knife and bury it in the man’s gut. She released his neck, and Cillian freed the blade, then shoved the man’s body off his torso.
When her eyes met his, a smile played on his lips as he grabbed for her hand. He was okay—alive.
Then his smile dropped, his other hand reaching for her as pain erupted in the back of her head. Her knees buckled as she sank to the ground in a heap.
Eva reached for the scorching pain and winced as her fingers met warm, sticky liquid. She brought her hand back into her view—blood dripped from her fingertips onto the ground, staining the white snow a rich burgundy.
Somewhere nearby, one man screamed as another approached Cillian. He was fighting the Others. Using the knife, he slit one man’s throat. His moves were graceful even in the deep snow. Cillian Beck was a skilled fighter.
Movement in the distance caught her attention. The gate had opened and three men with weapons walked toward them. A shotgun fired in the distance. The deep booming echoed off the mountain as a man dropped to the ground dead to her right, startling her.
Her breaths were coming hard and fast as she watched Cillian stab the last man in the chest. Before the body even reached the ground, he was moving to her.
Her vision blurred as he skidded to a stop. She rolled to her side and tried to sit up, but nausea consumed her, forcing her back to the ground.
“Eva?” he said, tilting her face and examining her.
The world started spinning, and she reached for him and cupped his face. “I knew you were a warrior,” she said.
Then her body felt weightless and her vision speckled with black and white spots. She closed her eyes in hopes of clearing her sight. The pain was agonizing, and her head felt like it was going to burst.
She heard Cillian’s voice, but she couldn’t make out the words over the ringing in her ears. She felt hot and cold all at once, and a sheen of sweat broke out on her forehead. Hold it together, Eva.
But darkness took over. There was no pain in this black hole of nothingness, so she leaned into it and let herself fall further into the abyss.
She could hear their screams, smell the smoke as embers filled the air. Her heart raced in her chest—the sound pounding in her ears. They needed her. She had to get to them, yet she could barely move. It was as if she was stuck in quicksand. The more she struggled, the deeper she sank.
Frantically, they called her name. “Eva!”
Their voices echoed around her. Fear tightened her chest as she continued to sink deeper and deeper. Her head was about to go under—she screamed.
Eva jolted up with a start and clutched her chest as a dark blue blanket pooled around her waist. She was still wearing the clothes she had on when they left Everwood, minus her jacket and boots.
Her breaths came fast, and her heart was hammering in her chest. Looking around at her surroundings—she was in a cabin, but whose? The room smelled like fresh-cut pine, reminding her of Cillian. Was this his house?
A fire burned in a stacked stone fireplace on the far wall—a single chair sat beside it. In one corner, there was a kitchenette. A large bowl and pitcher sat atop the counter, along with a decanter filled with a dark liquid.
In the other corner sat two wood shelving units overflowing with books. A shotgun hung above the front door, and a chest of drawers sat under the window next to the bed—a lantern with a single burning candle sat on top of it. Was it nighttime or early morning? How long had she been out?
With slow motions, she swung her feet over the edge of the bed, her hand going protectively to her head, where she felt a cloth bandage. The burning pain had eased off, but her skull still throbbed. Who had tended to her injury?
Movement caught her eye as she inhaled hard and skirted across the bed. Her eyes darted around the room, looking for something she could use for a weapon.
Beside her, a wolf sat up. He must have been asleep on the floor. He tilted his head at her sudden movements but didn’t move toward her. She froze, studying the beast, when the front door opened, a gust of cold air nipping at her skin.
It was Cillian bringing in cut wood. He set it in a stand next to the fire, and as he unbuttoned his coat, he said, “I see you met Axel.”
“He’s yours?”
Cillian hung his coat and sat in the wood chair. He leaned forward and held out his hands. “Come here, boy.”
The wolf-like dog got up and went straight over to Cillian, his gray tail wagging and his tongue sticking out of the corner of his mouth as he panted with excitement.
Eva took a deep breath and moved back to the edge of the bed. “What happened?”
Cillian looked up from petting Axel, his eyes meeting hers. “One of the Others hit you over the head with the butt of his gun. You have a concussion. Our healer fixed up your head wound. How are you feeling?”
She laughed, then hissed as the movement caused her pain to intensify. “Like I’ve been hit over the head with the butt of a gun.”
Cillian smiled, and she swore her heart stopped for a second.
She gazed around the room again, noticing mounted antlers hanging from the wall and a few pictures on top of the bookshelves. But she couldn’t make out the images from her place on the bed. It reminded her of the only photo she had left of her mom, back in Everwood...
The cabin was small but cozy, and a warm feeling settled in her chest. She liked it here; it felt a lot like home.
“Is this your house?” she asked.
He nodded, not taking his eyes off her. “It is. I built it about five years ago. There are some things I’ve been hoping to add—a separate room for the bed and a closer washroom. Speaking of which, there’s a bathhouse just out this door to your left. Feel free to use the water in the pitcher on the counter for drinking or washing. There are some clean towels in the chest next to the bed.”
She smiled as that warmth in her chest grew bigger. “Thank you, Cillian.”
He looked back to Axel, his eyebrows pulled together as he pet his head gently. “You shouldn’t have helped me yesterday—you put yourself in harm’s way and look what happened.” He stood, strode to the kitchen, and poured some of the deep bronzed liquid from the decanter into a glass.
After tossing the blanket aside, she stood, putting most of her weight on her good leg. “He was trying to kill you!”
Her ears rung, and a sharp pain streaked across her forehead. She gripped her head, a moan escaping her lips.
In no time, his hand was on her elbow, easing her back onto the bed. He sat on the edge next to her. “You shouldn’t be moving around yet. Here, take a sip, it’s the closest thing we have to a pain medicine around here.”
Her eyes glossed over, blurring her vision as she stared at the cup. She took it from his hands, brought it to her lips, and took a generous pull, grimacing as it burned going down her throat. What she would give for the last two days to not have been real. If only...
He put his arm around her shoulder, and instinctively, she rested her head against him.
As he rubbed her arm, he said, “I need to see my father and speak with him about what has happened. We need to make a plan.”
She sat forward and faced him. “I should go with you.”
He shook his head. “No—”
“How is he gonna understand the gravity of the situation—”
He took hold of both her shoulders. “Angel, listen to me. Most of the residents here don’t know who you are yet. The one guard at the gate recognized you, I’ve sworn him to secrecy. My brother and Becky, the healer that tended you, are loyal, they won’t speak a word of your presence. But not all of Stone Haven agrees with the peace treaty we were trying to create with Everwood. I don’t want to scare you, but you need to lay low until we can form a plan.”
She took a deep breath. He was right. She was in enemy territory, and in this moment, as far as the people of Stone Haven were concerned, there was no peace treaty. She was their enemy. “You’re right.”
The sun was starting to rise, the light streaking through the cabin and around his form as he stood and said, “I need you to rest and heal, got that?”
Cillian was much bossier than Krieger, but as her insides fluttered at his words, she decided she liked him better this way.
“Okay.”
She needed Stone Haven’s help if she had any chance of getting Everwood out from under General Rush’s control. She needed to be at fighting capacity and fast. Who knew what the general was doing to her people, her crew—her father. She had already lost her mother to violence, was she destined to lose her father in the same way?
Sensing her mood shift, he touched her chin and tilted it up so she would look at him. “You all right, Angel?”
“I just need to save Everwood as soon as possible. Who knows what he’s doing to them—my father especially.”
He nodded, his lips pressing into a thin line. “Your father is a military man. He will know the rules of being a prisoner of war. I think the general needs your father alive. My fear is he will use him against us somehow.” He took a deep breath and stood. “That will be tomorrow’s problem though. I’ll be back before lunch. Try and sleep. If you’re hungry, there are some canning jars of mixed veggies in the cabinet and smoked venison.”
Her throbbing head begged her to close her eyes, so she set her glass down on the stand next to the bed and rested her head on the pillow.She couldn’t help but watch as he put his coat on and made to leave.
“I’m locking this door, don’t open it for anyone but me. I’m leaving Axel with you. He will protect you if need be. Right, Axel?”
The dog barked in response, causing Cillian to smile.
She eyed the beast. “So, I take it he won’t eat me while you’re gone?”
Cillian laughed, the deep sound reverberating from his chest. “Not unless you taste like venison, right, boy?”
Her eyes widened at his words, but Cillian winked as he stepped outside. She heard him lock it and then his footsteps disappearing as he left the cabin property.
She looked to Axel, who lay near the fire. “I guess it’s just me and you for a while, boy.”
In response, Axel stood and walked over to the bed and sat with his back to her.
“You want some pets? I don’t know your favorite spots, but I can give it a try.” She hesitated with her fingers over his fur. “Just don’t eat me, okay?”
Slowly, she ran her hand along his gray and white fur. As she slid her hand down his neck and back, she felt the tension release from her shoulders, and her heart felt a little lighter. Axel backed up once more, his body braced against the bed frame.
“You must like that, but I don’t think you can get any closer, buddy.”
As her eyes started to get heavy, she smiled and hummed the song “You Are My Sunshine.”
She let the effects of the liquor and the stress of the last couple days take her back under into darkness, her hand resting against Axel’s soft fur. She would hold on to the small comfort this beast brought her and cherish it, a tiny reprieve from the dark days that lie ahead.