Page 43 of The Hero Within
I am what he made me.
It made him feel sick, even now. Especially now. He tried to move again, but Eden leaned forward, her weight resting on his thigh. "Don't," she said.
A chill ran down his spine.
"He hurt you, didn't he?"
"What part ofnodon't you understand?"
Grabbing her by the hips, Johnny threatened to tip her onto her ass in the dirt. Eden grabbed a fistful of his shirt, and glared at him as if to say;I go. You go.
Somehow she was almost on his lap. She straddled his thighs, using her weight to keep him there, but his gut churned with too much emotion to let himself enjoy the experience.
"I thought I'd be the last person you'd ever want to roll around on the ground with."
"You are."
"Do you want to check my wound or not?" Johnny snapped. "Because if you do, then fine. Check it. But I'm not talking about Cane. Not now. Not ever. Your choice."
Eden's lips pressed together. "I'll check your wound."
As she climbed off him to fetch her kit, he almost thought he heard her mutter, "But don't think I'm going to give up."
Colton slumpedon the bedroll with his hat over his face, the blankets drawn up under his chin. His chest rose and fell in steady movements, and he began to snore softly. Eden watched him from across the fireplace, still not quite certain how to take the day's revelations.
Colton had wanted to take first watch, but she'd taken one look at him and put her hands on her hips.
"You'll be no good to anyone if you keel over from blood loss and lack of sleep."He'd started to protest so she'd held her hand up."Five hours. Give me five hours of sleep, and I'll let you out of bed. Otherwise, I'll simply get CJ to take you down and I will tie you to your goddamned bedroll. We'll both keep watch."
She wasn't going to think about his reply about beds and just who'd be tying whom down, but at least he'd finally complied.
And started snoring almost immediately.
Stubborn bloody men.
Eden glanced to where CJ was keeping watch, and kept sewing the hem on his shirt. It was the least she could do, and she needed to keep her hands busy.
Four days down.
Halfway across the Divide.
One warg injured; two dead shadow cats.
Guess I can call that a win, she thought with a sigh as she tied off her last neat stitch. Adam had taught her how to sew when she was a kid, and she needed to keep her hands busy, or else that internal clock would start ticking loudly again.
Hopefully Lily's okay.
Argh. Don't think about it. There's nothing you can do for her—except keep pressing on.
Finishing CJ's shirt, she set it aside and glanced to where Colton's sat folded beside him.
Sewing the rips in his shirt felt a little too personal, but she didn't know how else to thank him. Plus there was the queasy feeling inside her whenever she thought of how bitchy she'd been toward him.
Guy nearly passed out because he didn't think you'd care if he were bleeding or not.
Then there were those bloody scars.
And the violent churn of emotion in him when she brought up Cane. She recognized fear when she saw it, which only added to the mystery.
