Under Fire by Marie Alexander

Author:Marie Alexander
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Inspirational marriage of convenience history sexy, Military army soldier civil war Victorian novel, New adult regency with sex rake romantic hot, Historical romance regency Victorian first time, Suspense older man innocent younger woman, Action mystery Adventure strong female, Alpha male love protector steamy guardian
Publisher: Steamy eReads
Published: 2020-01-23T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twelve

The battlefield had long since cleared of artillery smoke, but Mae had not been able to relocate her unit. By the time she could see the battlefield clearly, it was a mass of blue and gray visible only in the distance. The fence at the opposite end of the field had been overrun. Hand to hand combat waged to the east side just beyond the fence while the western edge had given way, and Union soldiers pursued an organized retreat of Confederates.

What she could see strewn across the open pastureland weakened her at the knees and made her legs tremble. Dead horses, dead men, shattered wood, discarded rifles, the smell of blood and gunpowder, men crawling and groaning, bleeding prisoners gathered in bunches, soot stained officers rushing on horseback.

By mid-day, the sun was torturous. Mae’s woolen uniform clung to her body, and the water in her canteen turned to a tepid, unsatisfying warmth. Men trickled in — ashen faced and cradling belly wounds, men limping and supported by the shoulder of a comrade, men unconscious and carried on the backs of weary, dirt stained friends. Young boys with tearstains down dirt caked cheeks. Men who stumbled with a faraway set to their gaze.

Mae leapt into action the only way she could. Her mother and Shannon had been right – she had no medical knowledge, and even if she had – these wounds – the cannon and shot tore the men apart, and there was nothing she could do. Mae slung canteen after canteen crisscross over her body, and she skidded down into the sunken road. They must have stretched for a mile – the men laying and flies swarming as they awaited evacuation to the field hospital. There were so many — some seemed not to be wounded at all but sat on the grass above, mutely staring into the distance with vacant eyes. Some were already stilled in death, their wounds too great for any doctor to mend. Others cradled arms and legs which were only half there.

Mae waged her own battle then — a battle against her desire to flee from the horrendous sight before her, from the smells of blood and waste. The length of the road was covered in pain and misery. The men – her men – lay in devastation, and she wanted nothing more than to have a place where she could cry and cry until she slept. And yet, the sun beat down on her bare head, and the sweat trickled down her back. She couldn’t go. How could she go?

She stooped and knelt with her men – one after the other – offering water and comfort with trembling fingers. Some wept, some prayed, some died. As the midday heat broke with the lowering of the sun, Mae was covered in gore and dirt. Her boots were heavy, and her trousers were stiff with dried mud. The stench, dear Lord, the smell of death. Her nerves, which had threatened to break under the continual pounding of the artillery cannonade, were now numb.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.