Her head tilted to the side for a moment. “I’m not sure. Bruising is a bigger deal than just bleeding but I’m not sure how bad the repercussions of this will be. Worth it though.” She looked at me, a smile playing on her lips. “Worth it if it means you come out of this ordeal alive.”

Shaking my head, I sighed. “You say that like my life means more than yours.”

Her chuckle reverberated through the quiet night of the forest. “It always has. Back then and now.”

“How? How ...