Page 107 of Soul of Fire

I know, I know. Fuck, I’m trying.

I decided the best course was to submerge his whole arm, and it took more effort than it should to drag his limp body to the water’s edge. Once his arm was fully submerged, I fished my dagger out of my pack and cut away the sleeve of the jacket.

He wakes.

“Yer fucking naked, you she-devil.” It shouldn’t have been such a relief to hear his voice. I didn’t even care that I was practically straddling the man, naked but for the mud covering large swathes of my skin. “Why is my arm wet?”

“Garmr blood,” I panted, finally feeling like I could take a moment to breathe while I waited for the river to do its work. It was flowing rapidly, which I hoped would make the wound cleaner and prevent infection. “It burns human skin.”

“Why are ye–fuck.” Arne’s cheeks went a shade of pink, and I realized exactly how naked I was.

I scrambled off him, trying not to think about it as I pulled bandages from the bottom of the pack.

“I need to see it,” I said, holding out my hands. “Your arm,” I clarified when he looked at me with wide eyes. “My dragon can try to heal some of the damage, but the longer we wait, the more permanent the injury.”

Arne grunted, hissing as he rose to sit and pulled his arm from the freezing water. “Fuck. That’s–”

His face drained of color, and I had to catch him as he nearly passed out. I wrapped my hand around his injured bicep so Kindra could push her magic into him. “This will help. Don’t look at it. Focus on me.”

Arne made a burbling noise.

“My face, you ass.”

“Usually take a lady to dinner before she sees my ass,” Arne muttered, color creeping back into his cheeks as Kindra’s magic began working.

“Hearthmother above, I don’t know how Arik put up with you for so many years.”

“Winning personality.” Arne glanced at the injury, and I followed his gaze. The deepest burns were knitting over, the flesh gouged and raw, but more whole than it had been a moment ago. “Didnae know dragons could heal.”

“Only sometimes.” I didn’t feel like now was the time to explain, and I could feel Kindra flagging. She’d flown all day, and we still had to make it to Stormhold and back. “That’s all I can manage for now. Here.”

I wrapped the bandages around his arm. I wished I carried a salve or poultice to ease the pain and stave off infection, but drage rarely needed them. I supposed I’d be carrying them from now on, as long as I had a human mate to keep alive.

“It’s going to scar,” I said as I wrapped the section of his forearm that had burned down to the bone. “Badly, if we don’t get you to a healer soon.”

“I can survive another scar.” Arne’s face was almost back to normal, his coloring better. I tied off the bandage, but before I could turn away, he caught my hand. “Thank you, Revna.” My eyes met his, and there was something almost like recognition behind thegreen of his irises. “I reckon that’s twice now yeh’ve saved my life. I owe you a debt.”

“Live until we rescue the queen,” I said, rising and preparing to shift. “Are you ready?”

“That was the Rift, wasn’t it?” Arne stood, cradling his bad arm. “What Arik feared would happen. We’re too late.”

I pressed my lips together in a thin line. “Yes.”

“Fuck.” He said it matter-of-factly. Wewerefucked.

Kindra screeched, relief mingling with fear.It is Baldur. He and Idunn fly to Stormhold.

Fuck. They were flying straight to the center of the destruction.

“We need to get to Ingrid. I can’t be sure, but I think the direction the Rift was taking leads straight to Stormhold.”

“Double fucking fuck.” Arne swiped his good hand over his face, looking haggard. “Ye should go back to yer friends. I’ll carry on from here.”

“Absolutely not.”

Arne lifted a brow in surprise, and I searched for a reason I could give him that wouldn’t reveal the truth. “Arik and Eisa are on their way to Stormhold. They might need my help. Plus, I made you a blood bargain, remember?”

Arne grumbled something about technicalities. “Better make it damnably fast then.”