Chapter 28
Chapter 29 Storm and Shadows
“Where exactly were you touching p>
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She snatched her hand back. The tears that had been brimming finally spilled, pattering onto his bloodied face.
Hot. Wet.
The next second she flung her arms around him. “You’re alive… thank God, you’re alive!” For a moment he went blank. Her warmth seeped into him, covering the cold in his chest.
A strange, unfamiliar feeling stirred.
He didn’t know how to handle it, so his tone turned harsh. “Alive. No need for a funeral p>
She let go quickly, wiped at her tears, and blurted apology after apology. “Sorry, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean p>
He forced himself upright. The pain in his head was piercing; blood trickled faster from the wound on his forehead, frightening to see.
“Your head… you need a hospital. There’s no one here. I was trying to find your phone, not… not take advantage of you p>
Realizing belatedly how her earlier fumbling must have looked, she stammered the explanation.
Jasper’s expression was grim, though not directed at her. “I don’t have it p>
The phone was still in the car. When he’d seen her slipping toward the cliff, he hadn’t thought twice before running–no time to grab anything.
“Then what do we do p>
His vision swam from blood loss. He tried to stand but collapsed when a shot of pain tore through his ankle.
“Your foot’s swollen. Don’t move. I’ll help you p>
He meant to push her away, but before he could speak, she was already bracing him, her thin frame steady as a crutch.
He swallowed his words and said instead, “Over there. Flat ground p>
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Chapter 29 Storm and Shadows
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They were still at the base of the slope, the loose carth dangerous. A safer spot was needed.
“Okay. Don’t strain yourself p>
In truth, Jasper had no strength left. Barely holding consciousness, he managed, “Wait for my people. Don’t run.” Then his head dropped, and he blacked out again.
“Jasper p>
She lowered him carefully to level ground, checking his face.
Pale. Bloodless.
If he kept bleeding, he’d die.
And if he died, the Jackson family would never spare her.
He couldn’t die.
Tatiana forced herself calm. In the weak moonlight she searched.
The slope still held wild herbs. She recognized those that could staunch bleeding. She stuffed them into her mouth, chewing until bitter pulp filled her tongue, then pressed the paste to his wound. Ripping his shirt into strips, she tied it tight.
Not stopping there, she found two sticks, lined them against his ankle, and bound them firm.
Jasper groaned in his unconsciousness, brows knotted, skin even paler.
When it was done, she slumped down, wiping sweat from her face. She looked up often, waiting.
Surely someone would come. Jasper’s status was too high for him to vanish unnoticed.
But instead of rescue, the storm broke.
Thunder cracked. Rain poured.
Out here, with no shelter, he could catch fever and die.
She thought of how he had shielded her during their fall. Thought of what his death would mean. Gritting her teeth, she dragged him downhill, inch by inch.
Lightning split the sky. Rain lashed down.
When Jasper opened his eyes again, he was lying on something warm.
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Chapter 29 Storm and Shadows
A lap.
He lifted his gaze. Her profile was pale, sleeping beside him.
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She was thin to the point of fragility, her jaw sharp, skin so light he could see the veins at her neck. She looked like a porcelain doll ready to shatter.
Her brows were drawn tight. She was dreaming–no, trapped in a nightmare. Her lashes trembled, casting shadows, her lips bloodless as they moved.
He leaned in, listening.
“Don’t hit… it hurts… please, stop hitting p>
Her voice was broken with whimpers.
His face darkened. His voice cut like steel. “Who hit you p>
Tatiana jolted awake. Seeing him, she scrambled back until her shoulders hit stone. For original chapters go to.net
Her panic looked like rejection in his eyes.
He swallowed his anger, forced the question again. “Tatiana. Who hit you p>
She stared blankly, then her eyes reddened, waves of buried pain breaking free.
Those four years in the reform school–nightmare years she had never told anyone about.
But then memory struck. That stormy night, when he had sent her there himself. His face colder than thunderclouds, his words sharp as knives:
“Tatiana, scrub the malice out of yourself. Stop thinking only of hurting others p>
Her swelling grief ebbed away, leaving only calm emptiness.
“No one. I’m fine p>
Jasper saw the shift in her face. He didn’t believe her. But the words to press further stuck in his throat.
And so he said nothing at all.
Sara Lili
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.