Of course you don’t. You grew up rich. You’re still rich. Princess Ilsa. Back home everyone knew who my dad was, what he did. They knew we were trash. Unless I got a scholarship and left for college, I wasn’t going anywhere.”
Yeah, things did tend to work that way. I don’t say anything, not wanting to lead him to things I’d rather not remember.
“Back home, all I had waiting for me was a meth lab and a string of prison sentences.” He says it almost like I’m not even there. “Here? Now? I’m going places. I’m not shit. General Barry respects me, Ilsa. I’m a first lieutenant. Three goddamn years and I’m an officer. A guy like me never would have gone this far in the old life.”
The anguish in his voice says everything. God help me, but I don’t like it that he’s suffering.
“I’m sorry.”
“Fuck! If I’d never seen you again, life would have been great. Now I’m back to being some nameless piece of shit.”
“Why do you keep helping me when it’s ruining your life?” It’s not like I’m some great prize. He’s not going to get thanks from anyone for this.
He sighs. “It’s not like I have a choice. They blew up the trailer.”
“Yeah, but you could have left me somewhere. Or killed me.”
“I told you I don’t want to kill you. I want to watch you suffer. Or did you miss that part? I own you, and that means I’m responsible for you.”
“Thanks, but seriously, Talon, I’m not worth the—”
“I swore I’d take care of you, goddamn it!”
My eyes go blurry, and I hold my eyes open until the moisture dries.
He stalks ahead of me as though he’d like to put as much space between us as he can. I know the feeling. I wait a couple beats and then follow. I step down, and there’s something hard and slick under the snow. My foot goes out from under me and I yelp, and the next thing I know I’m tumbling down the steep embankment toward the creek.
“Talon!”
My head smacks against something hard. Now I’m dazed. I land ass first on the ice, and something gives. There’s a loud crack , and then another. The block flips, and I go under.
Immediately I suck in a mouthful of water. I can’t help it. My lungs burn and my body convulses as it tries to expel the liquid, but all that does is cause me to pull in more water.
Frigid knives stab me from all angles, and the weight of my clothes pulls me under. I flail, trying to find something, anything to grab on to, but there’s nothing.
I’m drowning. I know it. My chest feels like it’s going to explode, my skin feels like it’s being flash frozen, and even my hair is on fire. I’m beyond panicked; I’m dying.
Talon dumps me onto the shore face-first and begins pounding my back. At first I just gag, but then I lung-puke buckets of water. And then more. Even when no more water comes up, I can’t stop coughing. And shaking. Shaking like I’ve never shook before.
“Come on, Ilsa! Come on!”
More pressure-pounding, and this time I throw up.
I’m so cold. My fingers are numb, and my limbs are getting there too. As soon as I can take in enough breath, I start crying.
“Oh my God! Ilsa!”
“I thought I was going to die,” I sob.
He flips me over, and it’s not the horror that gets me. Talon’s eyes are watery, and he looks about as frightened as I feel. I reach for him.
He doesn’t disappoint. Pulling me to his chest, he buries his face in my neck, rocks me like I’m a baby, and mutters, “You’re okay. You’re okay.”
“I’m so cold.” I can hardly get the words out. “I need a cat.”
“What?”
I have no idea. I’m just not right. I’m still crying, or sort of crying. I’m shivering so hard I think I’ll break my spine.
Talon tries to toss me over his shoulder, like he did that other time, but he keeps sliding back down the embankment. I can’t figure out why he doesn’t just find a set of stairs. And why am I lying here?
I try to get up, but
Yeah, things did tend to work that way. I don’t say anything, not wanting to lead him to things I’d rather not remember.
“Back home, all I had waiting for me was a meth lab and a string of prison sentences.” He says it almost like I’m not even there. “Here? Now? I’m going places. I’m not shit. General Barry respects me, Ilsa. I’m a first lieutenant. Three goddamn years and I’m an officer. A guy like me never would have gone this far in the old life.”
The anguish in his voice says everything. God help me, but I don’t like it that he’s suffering.
“I’m sorry.”
“Fuck! If I’d never seen you again, life would have been great. Now I’m back to being some nameless piece of shit.”
“Why do you keep helping me when it’s ruining your life?” It’s not like I’m some great prize. He’s not going to get thanks from anyone for this.
He sighs. “It’s not like I have a choice. They blew up the trailer.”
“Yeah, but you could have left me somewhere. Or killed me.”
“I told you I don’t want to kill you. I want to watch you suffer. Or did you miss that part? I own you, and that means I’m responsible for you.”
“Thanks, but seriously, Talon, I’m not worth the—”
“I swore I’d take care of you, goddamn it!”
My eyes go blurry, and I hold my eyes open until the moisture dries.
He stalks ahead of me as though he’d like to put as much space between us as he can. I know the feeling. I wait a couple beats and then follow. I step down, and there’s something hard and slick under the snow. My foot goes out from under me and I yelp, and the next thing I know I’m tumbling down the steep embankment toward the creek.
“Talon!”
My head smacks against something hard. Now I’m dazed. I land ass first on the ice, and something gives. There’s a loud crack , and then another. The block flips, and I go under.
Immediately I suck in a mouthful of water. I can’t help it. My lungs burn and my body convulses as it tries to expel the liquid, but all that does is cause me to pull in more water.
Frigid knives stab me from all angles, and the weight of my clothes pulls me under. I flail, trying to find something, anything to grab on to, but there’s nothing.
I’m drowning. I know it. My chest feels like it’s going to explode, my skin feels like it’s being flash frozen, and even my hair is on fire. I’m beyond panicked; I’m dying.
Talon dumps me onto the shore face-first and begins pounding my back. At first I just gag, but then I lung-puke buckets of water. And then more. Even when no more water comes up, I can’t stop coughing. And shaking. Shaking like I’ve never shook before.
“Come on, Ilsa! Come on!”
More pressure-pounding, and this time I throw up.
I’m so cold. My fingers are numb, and my limbs are getting there too. As soon as I can take in enough breath, I start crying.
“Oh my God! Ilsa!”
“I thought I was going to die,” I sob.
He flips me over, and it’s not the horror that gets me. Talon’s eyes are watery, and he looks about as frightened as I feel. I reach for him.
He doesn’t disappoint. Pulling me to his chest, he buries his face in my neck, rocks me like I’m a baby, and mutters, “You’re okay. You’re okay.”
“I’m so cold.” I can hardly get the words out. “I need a cat.”
“What?”
I have no idea. I’m just not right. I’m still crying, or sort of crying. I’m shivering so hard I think I’ll break my spine.
Talon tries to toss me over his shoulder, like he did that other time, but he keeps sliding back down the embankment. I can’t figure out why he doesn’t just find a set of stairs. And why am I lying here?
I try to get up, but
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