Ian fires off a few more blasts of his laser pistol in response, and judging by the two screams that sound in quick succession, he actually hits a couple of people. Which I might be happier about if there weren’t so many of them. And if I could actually think past the agony tearing through me.
I take a couple more deep breaths, and finally the pain abates enough for me to open my eyes and meet Ian’s worried gaze.
“Now you can take a drink,” he tells me.
“I’m beginning to think I should have done that first,” I tell him before taking a long swallow.
At least the pain is taking my mind off the cold. I hold the bottle out to him with a trembling hand. But before he can reach out and take it, another volley of shots come at us, and the accompanying shouts sound closer, like the mercenaries who are after us are getting braver.
Even Ian spinning around and firing several blasts off above the barrier doesn’t seem to make them retreat. Which makes me wonder how much longer it’s going to take before they decide the risk is worth the reward and just rush us.
How much longer before it’s all over.
Chapter 44
Kali
“I’m still glad you came along, Princess,” he says, holding up our wrists.
“I thought I could help,” I say, wondering what I was thinking. “I bet you wish you didn’t give Merrick the key right about now.”
“Probably,” he says with a face that’s hard to read as he reaches into his pocket and pulls out a silver key. “Except I do happen to have a spare.”
I stare at it and grit my teeth, not sure if I want to laugh or cry. “Then why didn’t you use it when we first left the boardinghouse?” I growl. “Or before that, when we were hiking through the storm?”
“Maybe I was enjoying your company.”
“Yeah, like I believe that.” I take a deep breath and shake my wrist. “Well, Ian, it’s been grand, but maybe it’s time to part company.”
He slides the key into the lock, and the cuffs click and spring open.
I force back a sniffle.
I guess this really is goodbye.
Ian is uninjured. He’s got a gun. He can get himself out of here and get back to the Starlight. Me, not so much.
I try to push myself up, and a little sob escapes my throat at the pain. But I refuse to die lying on my back.
Ian looks bewildered at first, but when he finally realizes what I’m doing, he leans over me and helps me lever myself into a sitting position so that I’m propped up against the steel with my legs stretched out in front of me.
I have a much better view of my leg in this position, so I pull down the poncho so I don’t have to look at the hole in it—or the blood that continues to ooze out of it.
Another volley of shots come at us, and the accompanying shouts sound closer still.
There’s a part of me that wants to beg him not to leave me. I don’t want to die. And I especially don’t want to die all alone on this freezing, shitty planet. Maybe, if he’s feeling generous, he’ll leave me the booze and I can just drink myself into oblivion before they get to me.
Considering how close they are, I don’t think that’s going to happen. And I don’t want to be incapacitated when I die, either. I just don’t want to be scared and alone, and honestly, I don’t think there’s anything I can do about either of those things.
Besides, as much as I don’t want to be alone, I don’t want Ian to stay about a hundred times more. Because if he stays, he’ll die, too. And Ian is the most alive person I’ve ever met. The thought of him dying hurts worse than my leg does and way worse than the thought of dying myself does.
Besides, Ian needs to live to rescue Milla from the Wilds where she’s being held against her will and forced to do truly terrible things.
“You’re looking pretty sorry for yourself, there, Princess,” Ian says. “Chin up.”
He’s right. I raise my chin. Time to end this pity party—for good this time. “You’d better go,” I tell him. “Maybe if you leave me your pistol, I can hold them back while you get away.”
“Like I’m going to leave you my pistol.” He snorts. “So you can take out a couple more walls before you die?”
“Hey, haven’t we been over this already? First time holding a gun and all that?”
There’s another barrage of bullets, and he blasts back at them one more time. But again, their voices are closer, and it’s only a matter of time before they decide to do a full-on attack and take us out.
“Fine,” I tell him. “Take your stupid pistol and get out of here before it’s too late.”
“I don’t know. I’m pretty comfortable here—I like this wall—so I think I’m going to stay.”
“You can’t stay!” I tell him. “You’ll die.”
He lifts his brows. “There you go underestimating me again.”
“It’s not underestimating you if it’s the truth. And there’s no need for us both to die. You have to go!”
He smirks. “Princess Kalinda, the martyr. Not sure the look suits you. Besides, I’ve always been a sucker for a damsel in distress.”
“No, you haven’t!” I tell him, and the desperation is growing inside me. Because time is running out.
“Okay, you’re right, I haven’t.” He blasts some more laser fire in their direction, then looks at me, his expression serious for once.
“Just go, Ian! Please. Go.”
He studies my face for several seconds, like he’s trying to decide what or how much he wants to say. But in the end, he just shrugs and says, “I can’t do it.”
“Yes you can! The cuffs are gone. You can totally—”
“It’s not that kind of can’t, Princess.” He shakes his head. “The truth is, part of me is screaming at me to run. But I can’t do it. I don’t know what the fuck it is about you, but pretty much from the first moment I saw you, I’ve had this really inconvenient urge to keep you safe. I hate it, but it’s not going away, so neither am I.”
“Well, you’re doing a great job so far,” I tell him with a roll of my eyes. But even as I give him a hard time, his words fascinate me. They also make me feel warm and fuzzy inside—or at least as warm and fuzzy as I can feel when blood is leaking out of my leg at an alarming rate and any second a mob is going to attack us with the express purpose of making us dead.
So maybe it’s not warm and fuzzy at all. Maybe it’s more like cold and sad and a little bit grateful. Because he’s staying. I would have sworn he’d have been the first one to vanish on me, and yet, here he is.
Tears prick the backs of my eyes, and I blink. If I’m going to die, I’m not going to do it bawling my eyes out just because some hot guy says something nice. I’m tougher than that. Anyway, it’s probably the gerjgin.
Another barrage of bullets with a bunch of shouts intermingled. Ian blasts with his laser gun, then peeks over the barrier.
“Shit,” he mutters, reaching out to squeeze my hand. “It looks like this is it, Princess.”
Chapter 45
Ian
I never thought it would end like this.