“Me, too.” Nikhail gestured to his chest. “This was courtesy of the other rebels. They came at us, giving him a chance to escape.”
“Us?” She picked up another bandage.
“My team.”
“Oh.”
“No one was seriously injured, and we captured two rebels, but neither was the man we were seeking. We have another lead, but we won’t be able to follow up on it until tonight.”
Another lead.
Another mission.
Another opportunity for him to get hurt.
River’s breath caught in her throat, and her hand froze mid-air. What if next time, Nikhail didn’t get back in time? What if he bled out in the field, and he just… never came back?
A sob crawled up her throat, and it took everything she had to force it back down.
Nikhail’s fingers laced through hers. He tugged her onto his lap, despite her protests about his injuries.
“It’ll be okay, River. This is a minor setback, but I meant what I said earlier. You’ll be safe here. I’ll make sure of it.”
Clearly, he’d misinterpreted her silence.
“I’m not worried about myself, Nik.”
His brows knit together. “You’re not?”
“No, you foolish fae.” She shifted on his lap, looking up at him. “I’m worried about you. About what might happen to you. What if you get seriously hurt, or worse?”
“No.” He silenced her with a kiss. “No what-ifs. No wondering about what might happen. We don’t play that game. There’s no need to borrow trouble before it happens. I’m taking every precaution I can.”
She noticed he didn’t refute her claims. He didn’t tell her it would be okay or that he wouldn’t get hurt.
“Enough about me, Princess. How are you?” Nikhail looked her over, concern etched onto his features. “Can you see the stars?”
Even now, after everything, he was worried about her.
No one had ever made River feel the way Nikhail did. Loved and cherished in a way that barely made sense.
And that, more than anything else, made her next words come easily to her lips. River kissed Nikhail softly, relishing the fact that he was here, safe and with her. She rested her head against his shoulder, avoiding the worst of his injuries.
“Yes,” she whispered, tears of gratitude sliding down her cheeks. “I can see them.”
CHAPTER 26
Frustrated and Tired
“Hit me, Nik.” Therian Firebreath lifted his wrapped hands and made a ‘come get me’ motion from where he stood on the other side of the large gym mat. His long blond hair was in a bun, and he wore a threadbare navy-blue T-shirt and loose shorts. One might think his attire was due to their location, but dragon shifters always ran hot. “You know you want to.”
Nikhail eyed his friend. They were alone in the apartment complex’s gym, and even though Nikhail knew River was upstairs on a video call with Ember, he still felt an ache in his chest from being away from her. It seemed to be constant, this urge he felt to be near her.
Still, he needed this. A week had passed since they’d first arrived, and frustration had been steadily growing beneath Nikhail’s skin. Frustration and exhaustion.
By the Blessed Obsidian Sands, Nikhail was so. Fucking. Tired.
Tired of being gone from dusk until dawn, returning in the early morning, exhausted and defeated. Often injured.