Protecting Tova (Iron Mountain Book 1)

by Havana Wilder

  “Seriously, why are they here so early?” I snarl under my breath.

  They jog for a few minutes after stretching, and wouldn’t you know it, Pierce ends up sprinting right behind me. At least this time, I know his name; I grin outwardly. He doesn’t pace up beside me; I guess he likes the view.

  Try not to think about him; just keep trotting along.

  Glancing up the hill that leads from town down to the track, I see Adi, Dani-Jo, and Cora finally making their way here. I throw them a quick wave, eager for them to join me like they promised yesterday, and they return it with mild enthusiasm. Then I notice Adi cover her mouth, trying to hide a smile or laugh. Confused for a second, I scrunch my eyebrows together. My neck and face heat as I realize they notice Pierce is running several paces behind me.

  Good grief!

  I shake my head. These girls are going to give me one hell of a time. Refusing to think about that, I reminisce about our conversation last night, and a smirk forms at the corners of my mouth as I remember Cora’s bantering.

  Her initial response was to refuse with as much snark as possible. “Run spelled backward is NUR, so it’s a nur from me.” I can’t help the giggle that slips out. Thankfully, after much deliberation, I convinced them to join me anyway.

  Adi and Dani-Jo want to get a head start on training, hoping to make it a little less brutal when we officially begin. True to their words, they are here today, and even if I end up having to do more than the planned ten miles, I don’t mind. These girls are my everything. I’ll do anything for them, even bust my butt till I drop, and I’ll do it with a giant smile on my face.

  For the past year, I’ve run alone, and now they’ll keep me company, all except Cora, that is. She’s only begrudgingly agreed to run, claiming it’ll help her stay fit. We all know it’s because I threatened to throw icy water on her to wake her up this morning if she disagreed, though. She ultimately told us yesterday she is going to choose Naturopath. Being a Naturopath doesn’t require her to do physical training, but I care about her health and well-being.

  Last night before it was lights out at the cabins, she finally gave in, saying, “Fine, I’ll agree to run, but I’m complaining the whole time.” So here she is, pouting all the way to the track.

  They make it down to the pavement and stretch. I keep running, giving them time to warm up a little. They know, and I know they won’t be up to my speed, but just having their company around does my soul good.

  As I’m running along the straight away opposite them, I close my eyes. I frequently do so to absorb the sun's rays kissing my skin. Suddenly, my eyes pop open when I hear the most ferocious snarl, unlike anything I’ve heard before. As I glance in that direction, I notice something large flying toward me out of the corner of my eye. I tumble to the ground in a flash, and everything goes dark.

  8

  Pierce

  “What the hell? Everybody get down!” I hear Kage shout as I run straight for Tova.

  Damn it! Tova’s body is sprawled across the pavement, seemingly lifeless, when I reach her side. Her friends' panicked cries and questions fill the air as they rush toward us. Fighting to control the rush of adrenaline coursing through my system, I drop down next to Tova and immediately begin checking her over. Taking deep breaths to slow my racing heart and cool my heated body, I reach for her neck to check for a pulse.

  Her pulse is faint but steady, thank God. I assess her face, cupping her head in my hands. “She has a contusion and laceration on her right eye, a deep gash on her right shoulder blade, bumps, bruises, and road rash all over. I’m pretty sure she has a concussion as well. She’s unresponsive,” I yell toward Kage. Pausing for a moment, I continue to examine her. “I need bandages and some water to clean up the blood and assess how deep the wounds are.”

  As her friends and medical assistants surround us, my focus is solely on Tova. “Come on, Tova, I know you’re in there. Open those beautiful blue eyes. It’s okay. Your friends are here; we’re all here.” Lowering her head gently back down, I continue explaining, hoping my voice will bring her back. “If you can hear me, my name is Pierce. I’m going to put a pressure bandage on your back and place you on the backboard, then take you to the clinic.”

  Kage approaches me, holding an arrow. “Where did that come from?” I ask him.

  “Your guess is as good as mine, but it appears to have come from outside the protection wall. It sounded as if that Lynxwolf gave a warning growl while a hawk crashed into her, getting her out of the way of the arrow. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think these animals were working together trying to save her, but the bigger question is, why is someone after her?”

  Her friends share a look between them like they may know something we don’t, and it sets my hackles rising. “Do you girls know who would want to hurt Tova?” I ask them directly, calling them out.

  Larson, standing with his arm around the petite girl, counters, “I don’t think it’s them you should ask.”

  “What are you talking about? We need to know who did this so we can bring the asshole to justice,” I bark, sneering in the arrow's direction.

  “Look, man, I know you want to know, we all do, but she’s the only one who would know that,” he says, nodding toward Tova.

  “Fine,” I glower. Still kneeling beside Tova, I roll her on her side to slide the backboard under her. As we get her settled on the board, she lets out a pitiful groan. I immediately stop what I’m doing to see if she can respond to me. “Tova, answer me. If you can hear me, say something.”

  She blinks rapidly and mumbles, “Wha… What just happened? How...how in the world do you know my name?” Blood trickles down the right side of her swollen face as she slowly scans the crowd now surrounding her, finally landing a scowl on Larson.

  “Hey, it wasn’t me,” he defends, throwing his hands up in submission.

  “Okay, then who?” she gripes.

  “It’s not important how I learned your name. I just need to know you’re okay,” I interject. “Can you tell me how many fingers I’m holding up?”

  “Three,” she sneers, pushing my hand away. “Ouch. What in the flyingflitterflotter happened to my shoulder?”

  “An arrow slashed you open.” I point out.

  “An arrow?” she questions, mostly to herself. Taking her right index finger, she rubs the gaping wound in her brow. “And my eye…is this gash from the pavement?”

  “No, I think one of the talons from the hawk accidentally sliced you when it flew into you,” I explain.

  “A freaking bird took me out?” she asks, jerking her head in my direction.

  “Umm, it seems it was trying to save you, and maybe the Lynxwolf was too,” Kage interrupts from his position, standing close by.

  “What!” Tova exclaims, clearly still in shock.

  I reflect, “The Lynxwolf gave a warning growl so intense it vibrated my chest, then a hawk appeared out of nowhere and dove into you. The arrow narrowly missed your head, thanks to the damn hawk, but the arrow still sliced open your shoulder blade as you fell. If you hadn't fallen, I’m certain we wouldn’t be here having a conversation right now,” I state, attempting to keep to the facts as much as possible. “You’ve been out cold for at least five minutes. We need to get you to the clinic to be checked over and stitched up. If that’s alright with you?” I say, making it sound like a question, at least.

  “Do I have a choice?” she snaps, rolling her eyes and smearing blood into her right eye in the process.

  “You always have a choice, but I recommend getting it tended to before infection sets in,” Kage encourages, crouching down beside us.

  Squinting in his directions, Tova asks, “Alright, fine, but can’t I walk?”

  “You shouldn’t right now, at least until we fully examine you and make sure your cervical spine is okay,” I answer.

  “Great. Just great. Okay then, let’s get on with it,” she huffs, raising her good arm to shield her eyes from the bright sunlight.

>   Glancing at her friends, I reassure them, “She’ll be taken care of, I promise. We’ll make sure Larson is there, so she has a familiar face around while we tend to her injuries.” They all nod and back out of the way. Kage, Larson, Jace, and I strap her to the backboard, leaving her arms free. As she puts pressure on the wound above her eye, I instruct her to keep her arms against her chest as we lift the board and start carrying her to the clinic.

  “It’s about a two-mile hike, and it’ll take some time assessing and tending to her injuries. She should be able to leave around lunchtime, if I had to guess, we should be wrapping things up by then,” I inform her friends. They all nod their understanding and wave weakly as we pass.

  It’s eerily quiet as we trudge up to the clinic, none of us saying a word as we focus on our surroundings. I don’t know about the other guys, but if they are like me, I can only assume we are all keeping a keen eye for any further threats. Tova presses a section of gauze to her brow, attempting to staunch the flow, all while trying to shield herself from the blaring sun. She’s going to have one hell of a headache when this is all said and done.

  Finally, arriving at the clinic, a Naturopath is holding the door open for us. Crossing over the threshold, we’re instructed to take her straight to the treatment room down the hall. Inside the treatment room, there’s a lone x-ray machine we managed to keep up and running along with other various items. My eye catches the lidocaine and stitching materials that we’ll definitely be needing.

  My heart races, palms start to sweat, and hands begin to shake because I know the Expert Naturopath, Mr. Hughes, will ask me to suture Tova’s wounds. He helped train me to recognize and treat injuries from my first two years of study and enjoys giving his students hands-on experience whenever he can. I need to; I know I do. It’s only a matter of time before I’m required to stitch someone without an expert guiding me, but I’d rather my first time not be on the most beautiful woman alive. What if I scar her? I can’t do it. I have to bow out and let one of the others handle it.

  The Expert Naturopath barrels into the room and immediately looks over at me, gives a small smile, and nods. He then shines a light in Tova’s eyes, causing her to wince and grumble in protest.

  “I’m Mr. Hughes, Expert Naturopath. Sorry to blind you, but I needed to inspect your pupils to make sure they are the same size and react to light equally. Your pupils give no indication that you have a potential brain bleed, but I need to ask you some more questions to assess you further. Then we can tend to your other injuries. Can you tell me your full name and date of birth?” he asks with calm, professional efficiency.

  “Um, yeah. Tova Jensen Campbell. November twenty-first.”

  “Ms. Campbell, do you know what happened to you?” he inquires.

  “Not really. I remember the hair on the back of my neck standing up and hearing a loud growl. I think I remember seeing a large object coming toward me out of my periphery. Then everything went blank from there,” she explains.

  “She was shot at by an arrow; it grazed her right shoulder blade. A hawk flew into her, lacerating her right eye. She did roughly two somersaults as she hit the ground and rolled a few more feet. She was unresponsive for about five minutes, but she never stopped breathing nor lost a pulse,” I inform.

  Mr. Hughes’s eyebrows raise in minor surprise. “Sounds like you took quite a tumble.” Tracing his finger over Tova’s forehead, he notices the blood has stopped trickling down her face from the pressure she’s holding on it. “The bleeding seems to have blunted. We need to x-ray your neck to make sure your spine is okay, but first I’m going to do a few more neuro. Follow my finger with your eyes.”

  She does as he requests, and he continues his examination.

  “Okay, good. Close your eyes for me. I’m going to rub a soft cotton ball on each arm and each leg. Let me know if you can’t feel anything or if one side feels any different.”

  As he wipes the cotton on her in various places, she replies, “I feel everything the same.”

  “Can you tell me how many fingers I’m holding up?” he asks, moving to the next test.

  “Two,” she answers, squinting up at him.

  With a nod, he clasps his hands behind his back and informs her, “Before I do the rest of my examination, we’re going to get you x-rayed. You won’t need to move. We’ll bring the machine to you. Just lay as still as you can.”

  “Okay,” she replies with a raspy voice.

  “Gentlemen,” Mr. Hughes says, turning to address the rest of us, “I’m going to ask you to step out for safety reasons.”

  We all turn to leave, shuffling toward the door reluctantly. I’m almost to the door when I barely catch Tova murmur, “Um, Mr. Hughes, can someone stay with me? I don’t want to be alone in here.” I don’t turn around, as I’m sure she wants Larson to stay. They seem to know each other already.

  “Sure, who would you like to have stay?” Mr. Hughes obliges, “I need to get them a lead apron.”

  I stop in my tracks when I hear in the faintest voice, “Pierce…do you mind?”

  I answer without a second thought, “Of course I’ll stay.”

  Turning back around, I walk over to Tova, and the x-ray operator gives me a lead apron just as Mr. Hughes instructed. As I don the heavy apron and stand at her side, I ask, “Tova, would you like me to search for your special someone and let them know about your incident?”

  Looking confused, she replies, “Huh?”

  I silently gesture to her left hand.

  She glances over and sighs, “Uh, well about that...there isn’t really a ‘someone.’ I just started wearing this to keep from being pestered while I ran. It worked...for the most part.” She slides the ring off, tossing it into the trash can beside the exam table.

  “For the most part?” I ask, my brows furrowing in confusion.

  Eyeing me up and down the best she can through a bloody, almost-swollen-shut right eye, “Well, you didn’t seem to care one way or another that the ring was on my finger,” she explains.

  Holding up my hands in surrender, I admit, “I’m not one to dishonor any man’s wishes. But when you looked at me, my heart skipped, and it felt like someone knocked the breath out of me. I knew then that I needed to know if you were seriously involved with someone else. I’ve never had someone look into my soul the way you look into mine.”

  She carefully turns her head to look at me, full-on. “That’s deep for a first conversation, but I’m not going to lie. You intrigue me too.”

  Folding my arms across my chest, I retort, “Intrigue you, huh?”

  Closing her eyes, she turns her face toward the ceiling. “What? I may not be as forthcoming as you are, but yes, you ‘intrigue me.’ So, what’s your story?”

  A voice sounds through the room, interrupting our exchange. “Ma’am, take a deep breath in and hold until I say breathe,” the x-ray specialist announces.

  She does as he says, then exhales deeply. Opening her beautiful blue-green eyes, she squints them as they wander to my face, trying to read it like a map. I see the questions cross her mind, wondering who I am and what my intentions are as she waits for my reply.

  Clearing my throat, I bite the bullet and give her an answer, unwilling to let this moment pass. “Well, my story is simple. I’m twenty years old. My full name is Pierce Leo Stetson. Farming was my first choice when I made my Decision at eighteen. My family has a large farm on the east side, near the protection wall. I wanted to make sure I knew how to tend to it and appreciate every aspect of all the hard work that goes into taking care of it before moving on. Now that my two years have been completed, I can redirect my attention to another task. I chose Protector, if you haven’t already guessed. My dad is Supreme Senior Elon, my brother is Superior Protector Kage, and my mom is Brecklyn, a homemaker.” Coughing out a little laugh, I add, “Dad would describe her as a blonde-haired beauty. She has crystal blue eyes that you can see through, like the ocean on a bright sunny day. She’s the best cook in Iron
Mountain. She makes the finest tea in the south and wears her heart on her sleeve. She taught us boys to love and respect just as fiercely as she does. But most importantly, to always stand for what is right and don’t let love go without a fight.”

  Interrupting us again, the x-ray tech cuts in. “Once the films develop, Mr. Hughes will be back to discuss the findings,” he explains before slipping from the room.

  “Thank you.” We both acknowledge as he exits.

  Turning my attention back to her, I remove my lead apron. “So, tell me a little bit about you. What’s your story?”

  Biting her bottom lip, she hesitates, “Let’s see, you already know my full name and birthday. Hmm, my favorite color is purple, like sunset purple. Those girls at the track are my best friends. Adi is the petite one. Dani-Jo is the other brunette, and Cora is the blonde.” Pausing for a moment as if trying to decide what to give away next, she resumes scrunching up her nose, “I loathe tea. It’s absolutely disgusting. I love my horse Lightning with all my heart. I’m an only child. My mom has the most delightful name, Shenandoah, but she goes by Shenan.” She falls silent, and I guess she’s told me all she’s going to for the moment.

  Placing the apron on the hanging rack, I walk back to her side. “Wait, did I hear you right? You detest tea? Are you sure you’re even from here?” I tease.

  A little smile forms at the corner of her mouth. “Born and raised. And yes, I abhor tea. It tastes like the earth!”

  Chuckling, I pester, “The earth? Ate one too many mud pies growing up?”

  “Ha, maybe.” Changing the subject, she closes her eyes and sighs, “Thank you, Pierce.”