Page 58 of Midnight Moon
On one hand, the ability to shield one’s body from the damage caused by silver was nothing short of amazing. However, losing consciousness was what forced Asher to be in contact with the offending metal for so long.
What would’ve happened if I hadn’t found him?
Would the spell eventually run out of juice and leave Asher drained of energy to fend for himself?
“You need a healer.” Asher’s strained statement brought my thoughts back to my burning wounds.
He continued to stare at my stomach, but I was too afraid to look.
“I’ll be fine. Help me up.” I tried to stand.
“Absolutely not,” Asher moved his hands and pressed on my shoulders, keeping me on the ground.
“We have a game to win,” I pointed out, determined to distract myself from my pain. “And we can’t win from down here.”
Hardness crept into Asher’s expression. “Who cares about winning? You’re hurt. You need help.”
“I’mfine.”Once again, I tried to stand, glaring at the shifter when he pushed me back down. “Asher, seriously! We need to get out of this pit. I tied my pants to that root over there. We can use it to climb out.”
Asher looked up to see my makeshift rope. He pulled his hands off my shoulders. “There’s no way you can climb out in your condition.”
“Yes, I can.” To prove my point, I got to my feet. I only winced when the skin on my abdomen pulled taunt. Asher, of course, noticed.
“I’ll carry you.”
I scoffed. “You can’t. The fabric won’t hold both of us at the same time.”
Asher didn’t look too happy about that.
He frowned. “Fine. You go first. I’ll catch you if you fall.”
I wanted to object, but I shoved down my pride. Now was not the time for it.
I nodded. “Good idea.”
Then, ignoring the sharp pain lingering over my stomach, I made my way to the hanging fabric. I tugged once to confirm it would hold. Satisfied, I took a deep breath, and used my arms to climb up the pit.
Fresh waves of agony washed over me when my feet sought footing on the dirt wall. I’d forgotten they’d been damaged by the net. I pushed through the pain.
My arms flexed as I pulled myself up. I flopped over the edge when I reached the top, sweating from the painful exertion.
“You good?” Asher called from below.
“I’m good.” Just catching my breath.
Using my last bout of energy, I brought my legs over the edge and crawled away from the pit. I made it three feet before my arms collapsed. I turned my head just before it met the ground.
I’d touched silver before—curious about how it felt—but I’d never sustained wounds like these. I felt like the poisonous metal had sucked all the energy out of me. My eyes shuttered closed as I focused on breathing through the pain.
I didn’t know how long it would take to recover, but I prayed to the Mother it wouldn’t be too long. I wasn’t lying when I told Asher we needed to turn our focus to the game. I couldn’t afford to lose again.
I wondered what had transpired in the game while in the pit when a growl reached my ears.
My eyes popped open, and I lifted my head off the ground.
I scanned my surroundings. Air lodged in my throat when I met a pair of wild, orange-red eyes.
Before I could blink, the wolf lunged over the bush separating us, opening its sharp-toothed mouth to attack.
