“All Nightwatch casualties are being housed in Red-five. I’m sure you’re capable of finding him from there.”
I didn’t thank him. I simply saluted and got the hell away from him. April’s ward was on the fifth floor of the hospital, in the area reserved for serious but stable injuries. Nine others were in the ward with him, most of whom I knew. They all greeted me cheerfully, but my attention was mostly on April and my replies somewhat absent. His face was puffed and bruised, and there was a large gash down the left side of his face. His right arm and left leg were both immobilized, suggesting he’d broken them.
“You,” he said, a wide grin splitting his bruised features, “are a sight for sore eyes.”
“I’d like to say the same about you, but that would be a lie.” I picked up his good hand and squeezed it gently. “How are you feeling?”
“Probably as bad as I look, but I get the last lot of treatment from the healers tomorrow, and should be mobile by the beginning of next week.” He grimaced. “I’m mightily pissed that I’m missing all the damn fun in the Upper Reaches though.”
“Trust me, the Upper Reaches isn’t all it’s cracked up to be—especially when it’s nothing more than standing watch rather than getting involved in festivities.”
“While that might be true, it would still be a welcome change of scenery.” His gaze skimmed my length and he frowned. “Why are you wearing a Blacklake uniform?”
“I’ve been temporarily transferred to Commander Stone’s command. Listen, were you still on watch or celebrating when the attack happened?”
“I’d just finished my shift—why?”
“Did you actually see the Adlin approach this time? I mean, they’ve been howling for nights, but none of us could actually see them and they seemed to disappear every time we tried to attack.”
“Very true.” He frowned. “The command didn’t give any indication there was any sort of movement out in Tenterra until the last moment, which is damned unusual. As far as I’m aware, the sensors weren’t down.”
“Can you remember when—and where—they were first sighted?”
He hesitated. “We were doing quarter-shifts so that everyone had a chance to attend the harvest festivities; mine was from ten to two, so it would have been a few minutes before then that they were first spotted.”
“At the walls or further out?”
He snorted. “Nightwatch may have been running a skeleton crew, but there’s no way known the Adlin would have gotten that close without someone seeing them.”
They could have if they were using tunnels, but I wasn’t about to tell him that. “Where then?”
“Just over half a mile out from the wall.”
Meaning in the time since they’d first started howling, the tunnel—if indeed there was a tunnel—had gained roughly half a mile. “Did they all appear at the same location, or was there a couple of different streams of them.”
“One, according to command.”
Which hopefully meant that there was only one tunnel to find and shut down. “Did command pinpoint any particular location?”
He gave me the coordinates, which were slightly to the east of the main gate, and somewhere between April’s tower and mine. “So how come you managed to do so much damage to yourself?”
“Because, as I said, my shift had ended but I’d been ordered to the gatehouse to back up the crew there when the damn gate mechanics all but exploded. Don’t remember much after that, but they apparently found me under a mess of stone and metal.”
“Meaning you’re lucky to be alive.” I leaned forward and dropped a kiss on his lips. “And I’m totally glad that you are.”
He wrapped a hand around my neck to stop me from pulling away and then kissed me more thoroughly. “It’s just as well there’re some pretty nurses to occupy my time in this place,” he said eventually, “otherwise I’d be rather put out.”
I smiled. “You’re here to heal your broken body, not to seduce pretty nurses.”
“It’s only the unimportant bits that are broken. Everything else is in full working order.” He paused, his expression contemplative. “And there is one very pretty redhead who has, in fact, been very obliging. I wouldn’t mind spending a whole lot more time with her once I’m out of this place.”
I raised my eyebrows. “That’s sounding a bit more serious than a mere flirtation.”
“Hardly, given we’ve only just met.” His grin flashed. “And never fear, I will not deprive either you or Ava of the wonderment that is my body until seriousness does happen.”
I snorted and lightly slapped his good arm, even as sadness slipped through me. Things were indeed changing, and not just for me. While I’d always known the day would come when the relationship between the three of us would have to end, I wasn’t entirely sure I was ready for that ending to happen so soon. Not that it was just yet, but still….
I forced the sadness away and released his hand. “I’ll catch you later, April.”
“You will. And be careful, Neve.”
“Always.”
I headed out. Trey was waiting near the secondary gatehouse. The carriage that had initially taken us into the Upper Reaches was waiting on the other side of the gate. “Did you find any dead patches?”
He fell in step beside me. “Not in the immediate vicinity, but there is a reluctance in the earth’s voice, so something is near.”
“According to April, the Adlin who attacked us appeared on the sensors at about half a mile out.” I gave him the coordinates. “If that’s the case, then the tunnel has progressed half a mile in about nine days. And that means we still have some time to stop them.”
“But it is totally dependent on just how many earth-capable children they are willing to deplete unto death to get that sort of speed.” Once we’d climbed into the carriage, he gave the order to move, then picked up the clothes that sat neatly folded on the seat next to him. “We both need to change. Kiro doesn’t want anyone suspecting anything untoward has happened.”
I accepted my dress but didn’t immediately start stripping off. “Why? They’d have to be aware of the Adlin attack, even if they had no idea what else might be going on. And as an outpost commander, wouldn’t they think it natural for you to seek out details of such an attack?”
“Yes, but I’d hardly take my lover to such a meeting, hence the need to pretend it was nothing more than a brief outing.”
“Brief?” I snorted. “Anyone with any sort of eyes would know otherwise. We’ve been missing half the night and most of the day.”
“Which is very easily explained away, given it was the night of the masque reveal and a time when alliances—new or old—are sexually celebrated.”
“Meaning I missed out on the fun again?” I mused. “Damn.”
“Indeed.” His gaze swept me, and the heat of his desire washed tantalizingly across my skin. But he didn’t move—didn’t reach for me. Instead, he resolutely pulled his gaze away and began stripping off.
Stone by name, stone by nature. At least when it came to giving way to any attraction to me.
“So is he planning to tell the Forum about the attack on Blacklake?” I leaned down to untie my boots, and then shucked them and my socks off.
“He’ll have to once we’ve shown him the Irkallan’s head. I guess the timing of the revelation will depend on whether he’s uncovered any other traitors aside from the three women.”
“Hence the need for an update before we attend the masque.” I pulled off my shirt then undid my bra, tossing it onto the pile of clothes.
“Yes.”
He continued stripping off, and it wasn’t very long before we were both naked. The heat in the air had increased to the point it felt like I was being bathed in desire, but he still refused to look at me or even acknowledge what was rising between us.
“And there is good reason for that, Neve,” he said softly.
“Then tell me what it is.” My voice held an edge of anger that was not quite contained. “Make me believe it’s not my stains or my station.”
His gaze jumped to mine at that and there was no hiding either his desire or surprise. “Knowing what you know about me, how can you even think that?”