Cabin of Axes - Bea Paige Page 0,53

without any understanding of what they’ve done, they simply do what they were born to do, pollinating flowers, and producing honey. “I have something here that will help you. I’m a nurse, I can help.”

That seems to penetrate a little deeper and his head snaps up. “Help them, help them first,” he cries, grasping at thin air as though clutching the lifeless bodies of his friends.

“I will, but I need to deal with your injuries first so both of us can help them, okay?” I say gently.

He nods. “Okay.”

Drawing the bottle and spoon from my pocket, I unscrew the lid and squeeze some of the viscous liquid onto the spoon. “Berrin, open your mouth,” I order, firmly. “Take this and then we can help them. I promise, I can fix this.”

My words seem to penetrate, and he opens his mouth so that I can feed him a spoonful of honey, then another and another until I’ve given him his dose. It takes time for the honey to enter his system, ten minutes, maybe more, and all the while I’m terrified that Franklin and Mathieson will return from wherever they are, see us as enemies, and attack. But this time, luck seems to be on our side, because Berrin slowly comes around and when his eyes clear, and his pupils revert to their normal size, recognition flashes across his face.

“Goldie?” he questions tentatively. “Is that really you?”

“It’s me. Yes, it’s me,” I respond, my voice breaking because it’s like he’s seeing me for the first time since I returned here.

“Oh, darling. I remember. I fucking remember everything!” He throws his arms around me, hauling me into his chest as he rains down kisses over my skin. A sob escapes my throat, relief washing through me as we cling to one another, not daring to let go in case what we’re seeing and feeling is just an illusion. His hands work their way into my hair as he murmurs words of love against my lips and kisses me with a passion and reverence that has me momentarily forgetting that we’re not out of the woods just yet, literally.

“It’s not over yet, Berrin,” I say, pulling away reluctantly. “Franklin and Matt are out here somewhere trapped in a nightmare. We need to find them, give them the honey…” My voice trails off as I see the look on Berrin’s face.

“Fuck!” Berrin swears, pulling me up to my feet, and tucking me behind his back in a move that has my head spinning. I peer around his arm and see Franklin moving towards us, a manic look on his face. He’s holding an axe, swinging it lazily even though there’s nothing lazy about the intent in his eyes.

“Oh God,” I exclaim, tapping Berrin’s arm and drawing his attention away from Franklin to Mathieson who’s just stepped into the clearing too. He’s not holding an axe, but he does have his flick knife in his hand.

“God damn it!” Berrin covers my hand with his and squeezes. “I want you to run. Double back to the cabin and lock yourself in the basement until I come find you. Understand me. Do not come out of the basement until I return.”

“I’m not leaving you. You can’t do this on your own. They could kill you.”

“I can deal with them. I was in the Marine Corps…”

“So were they,” I argue.

“But they weren’t as badass as me,” he responds, and despite the dire situation has laughter in his voice. “I can’t deal with them and protect you at the same time. You run and you don’t look back. Understand?”

“But…”

“I said you run!” Berrin growls under his breath.

“Okay,” I reassure him, my voice cracking and my fear amping up to unbearable levels. “They need five spoonful’s each of the honey, okay? Five. Please don’t get stung again. Draw them away from here.”

Berrin grunts, slowly dropping to the floor and picking up the bottle of honey and the spoon, and stuffing them into his pocket before forcing me backwards with his steps as both Franklin and Mathieson step closer. He draws up close to a thick tree. “Hide here, I’ll draw them away. Then run.”

“Be safe,” I whisper, tears pricking my eyes.

“I’ll bring them home, darling, I promise you,” he says, then runs towards them with a loud roar. I don’t wait to see what happens.

I run. Again.

Chapter Eighteen

I’m not sure how long I’ve been pacing up and down in the basement, but by the time I hear footsteps above me,