Page 101 of Nothing But Air

Teague took a step closer. “Eden?—”

“I said not now.”

She knelt beside Liam’s sleeping bag, watching the shallow rise and fall of his chest. The bruise on his temple had darkened to a deep, angry purple, spreading toward his cheekbone. His dark hair was matted with dried blood—rust-brown against black—and even in the dim firelight, she could see how pale he was.

Too pale. Too still.

Teague sat on Liam’s other side, checking his pulse. His jaw was tight, his eyes shadowed with something that looked like grief—even though Liam was still breathing.

“Eden, please?—”

“What part of ‘not now’ is confusing to you?”

She pulled out her flashlight, her movements jerky.

Be professional. Keep the focus on Liam or you’ll lose it.

“He’s going to be okay.” She kept her voice low. Steady. Clinical. “Head injuries are scary, but?—”

A groan from Liam made them both freeze.

His eyes fluttered open—unfocused, glassy, like he was seeing something none of them could see. His hand came up toward his head, but Teague caught it gently.

“Easy. Don’t move too fast.” Teague leaned closer. “Liam? Can you hear me?”

“Teague?” Liam’s voice was slurred. Confused. His eyes tried to focus but kept drifting. “Where…? What…?”

“You’re in the canyon. A rock fell on you. Hit your head pretty hard.” Teague’s voice stayed calm despite the tension Eden could see in every line of his body—the rigid shoulders, the tight jaw, the fist curled against his thigh. “But you’re going to be okay. Help is coming.”

“No…not…” Liam’s eyes went wide. Panic flickered across his face. “Have to…” His breathing quickened, words tumbling over each other. “Saw something. Teague, I saw…”

“What did you see?” Eden moved into Liam’s line of sight. “Did you see the gold?”

“No. We were…” Liam’s eyes squeezed shut, his face twisting in concentration as if he were trying to grab hold of smoke. “Wrong. There was…” His hand gripped Teague’s arm. Desperately. Knuckles going white. “Where’s Trey? Is Trey?—”

“Trey’s okay. Broken leg, but stable.” Teague kept his hand on Liam’s shoulder. Anchoring. “Can you tell me your name? Do you know what day it is?”

“Liam. I’m Liam.” But uncertainty flickered across his face. “Wednesday? No, that’s not…”

His eyes went wide again. Wild. “Kyle. Where’s Kyle? I have to?—”

“Kyle’s fine. Right over there.” Eden tracked the disjointed thoughts, looking for patterns. “So is Sierra. Everyone’s okay.”

“You’re here. That’s good. I don’t…” Liam’s words trailed off, his eyes losing focus. “Saw…wasn’t…”

His breathing started to even out, consciousness slipping away.

“Saw what?” Teague leaned closer. “Liam, stay with me. What did you see?”

But Liam’s eyes had closed again, his grip on Teague’s arm loosening, going slack.

“That’s not good.” Eden sat back on her heels. Her heart pounded too fast. “The confusion, the panic, the way he keeps trying to tell you something but can’t get the words out.”

“Typical for head trauma.” Teague’s voice was tight. “Thoughts fragmenting. Memories jumbled. He might not even remember what he’s trying to say.”

Sierra appeared from near the fire, her face drawn and pale beneath her pixie cut. Dark circles shadowed her eyes. “How is he?”

“Awake for a minute but confused. Agitated.” Eden stood, her legs protesting. “He kept trying to tell us something about the climb but couldn’t finish the thought.”