Don't Touch My Men - Helen Scott Page 0,59
said what I meant.
“Do you still hear it?” she asked.
“No, I think you destroyed it.”
Relief washed over her face. I pushed to my feet and held my hand out for her. She took it and pulled herself up, but not without me catching a glimpse of the red ruin that was her wrists and probably her ankles as well. “That looks like it hurts,” I said, sounding like an idiot. Of course it hurt. I wanted to slap myself upside the head, but instead, I reached across my body and hooked both hands into the holes that had been left in my shirt from her hands, ripping them off.
Once I had them free, I gently reached for one of Mae’s hands and pushed the cuff back as far as I could before wrapping the sleeves around the wound, then I repeated the action with her other hand. I knew I should probably do her ankles as well, but I didn’t have any more material. I swiftly unbuttoned my shirt and tore a few sections of material off. Mae was oddly silent as I knelt down and wrapped her ankles.
As I was standing back up, I noticed the gashes in her stomach which were bleeding freely. I folded the rest of the shirt and placed it against the wounds on her stomach. “You’ll have to hold it there, but it should at least help stop the blood flow.”
“Thank you,” she said quietly. Her voice sounded so sorrowful that it drew my gaze to her face, distracting me from my hunt for any other wounds. It was only when I saw where her gaze had landed that I understood.
“You didn’t cause this,” I said, touching the wound on my chest. The skin had an odd silvery quality to it, and I knew it looked scarred and gnarly. Ever since I’d woken up after Ellis had saved me, I’d felt more connected to both of them, more connected to life. I wasn’t sure how to say anything like that, or if it was even worth bringing up, since I actually enjoyed it, so I’d kept quiet. I hesitated another moment before I reached out and tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear, letting my hand linger on her face. “I’d do it all again to have you here.”
“You would?” she asked, wonder shining brightly in her eyes as she looked up at me, finally focusing on something other than the scar on my chest.
“I would. I know we haven’t had much time together, but I care about you, Mae.”
She stepped a little closer to me. “I care about you too. I was so scared for you when I found you against that tent.”
“I’m okay, thanks to you.”
I knew it wasn’t the right time or place, but the need to reassure Mae, to reassure myself, that we were both somewhat safe and sound drove my actions. So I leaned down and brushed my lips against hers. It was meant to be a quick kiss, one that was enough to get us through this situation, but when I went to pull away, Mae followed and pressed her lips firmly against my own, questioning and demanding all at the same time. I couldn’t leave her unanswered, so I kissed her back, slipping one hand into her hair and the other behind her back as I pulled her close, crushing her to me so I could feel her warmth and solid presence.
When we broke apart a few moments later, I felt starstruck, or maybe it was lovestruck. Either way, it felt like something had finally shifted between us in the right way. I cleared my throat and said, “We should get the piece of the skull you uncovered.”
“There’s a part here?” she asked.
I nodded toward the podium and the contents that had been hidden within it before I turned and looked for the backpack I’d dropped earlier. When I turned back after I’d grabbed it, I saw Mae leaning over the podium. “Don’t touch it!”
“I wasn’t going to, but I can see markings on one part of it. The minotaur was right,” she said, her voice dropping to a reverent whisper at the end.
I swooped in and scooped up the piece of skull with the glove that had been in my backpack before depositing both back where they were safe and slinging the pack over my shoulders. “We need to find Hunter and Ellis.”
Mae nodded and the two of us set off, but I could