She groaned, slowly standing, pulling him with her. His weight was half on his own feet, which dragged on the ground, and half on her back as she held both his arms and dragged him slowly forward, taking it step by step.
Luckily, it was late and no cars were passing through this little side street. She crossed it, her heart pounding, every muscle in her body whining in agony, and when she reached the glass doors, she set him down with a sigh and took deep, heavy breaths.
That was the last of her strength.
She looked to the side of the door and saw a doorbell and intercom. The last thing she wanted was to draw more attention, but she had to let this man’s friends know he was injured before she took off. It was the least she could do, even if she’d never asked him for help.
Well, not out loud.
She pressed the intercom button and heard a buzz, but no answer. She pressed it again. Again, longer, and finally heard a groggy voice on the other end.
“Adrien, is that you?”
She glanced at her rescuer. Adrien, was that his name? It was unique, like he was. “No,” she said in a voice that was hoarse from exertion. “I’ve got your friend down here. He’s badly hurt.”
There was a short pause. Then the voice returned. “I’ll be right down.”
She let go of the intercom button and sank next to her rescuer. He was slumped awkwardly, so she lifted his head and rested it on her lap. She couldn’t resist pushing damp hair off his brow and taking a look at his beautiful face. His hair at the front was matted and blood streaked down his forehead and over his face.
The rain had let up momentarily, thankfully, and she looked up at the dark, cloudy sky as she waited for his friend to show up to get him.
She didn’t have to wait long.
The man who opened the door was as striking as her rescuer. He had neck-length, dark-brown hair and an exotic, tanned face with eyes that almost seemed gold and were tilted up at the corners. He wore silk pajamas, a loose tunic over flowing pants, but she could still see he was tall and muscled like her rescuer. Adrien?
He motioned for someone behind him. “Sever,” he said. “Come out here.” He knelt in front of Adrien and gave her a curious glance before looking his friend over. He sighed. “I’ll need to take him upstairs.” He looked at her. “I’ll need you to come with.”
She gaped, then shook her head. “No way. He needs to go to a hospital, and I need to get out of here before the men who did this come back.”
“No,” he said. “You need to come with us until we figure this out. You could be in danger.” He put a hand out for her to shake it, but she hesitated. “I’m Citrine by the way.”
She took his hand and shook it, surprised by the gentleness there. When she looked into his eyes, a surprising warmth went through her.
“I promise you’ll be safe with us,” Citrine said, motioning to the man behind him. “This is Sever.”
She squinted up at the giant who had just appeared through the door. He was the oddest yet. Tall and Viking strong, with a long gray braid that swung down his back and hair that was shaved on the sides.
He folded his arms and looked down at her, and a small shiver went through her. “Who are you?” he asked. He nudged Adrien with his foot. “And how did this happen?”
She just gaped at him as he bent to pick up Adrien and then slung him over his shoulder, standing easily as if his friend’s weight were nothing.
Like his friends, he was incredibly handsome. The type women would be naturally drawn to.
“She isn’t going to talk until we get her inside,” Sever said. “I can tell.”
“I’m not going with you,” she said stubbornly.
“You want us to call the local authorities?” Sever asked. “Because we can do that.”
She bit her lip. She didn’t trust men, let alone people in general. But if they were going to call the cops, what choice did she have? She hadn’t done anything wrong, but she had no proof of that. Cops scared her.
“No,” she said. “But I need my things.” She pointed at the alley, and Citrine looked up.
“I’ll get them. Wait here a moment.”
She watched as he stood and jogged across the road. He paused, picking up her things, and she saw him spend a moment processing her situation as he observed how little she had.
It was slightly humiliating.
He came back with her stuff in hand. “Come on. Let’s go inside. We can talk there.”
“This is kidnapping,” she muttered.
“I think of it as you getting some free shelter and us getting some much-needed info on our friend.”
“He really should go to a hospital,” she muttered.