Dismounting, I wheel around and pull her into my arms, shoving my face into her neck and breathing deeply. “I thought I was going to lose you tonight.” “But you didn’t,” she whispers, twisting her delicate fingers in my hair. “I’m here. I’m fine. See?” Her lips lift in a sad smile as she gestures to her frame. My eye catches the dried blood on her palm, and grief pushes all the air from my lungs. “How could I let this happen?” I whisper, pressing my lips to her bloodied palm. “Nothing was supposed to happen to you. Not ever. Not while I was there.”
