“You’re fine,” I whisper as her eyes open. As she sucks in a breath. I feel her relax against me.
Then she looks up and into my eyes. “Thank god you’re okay,” she whispers. “I wasn’t sure there for a moment.” She sits up, looking down at me. Her hair is all curls. Wild and untamed. Beautiful.
“I’ll live,” I push out, trying not to wince.
She looks me over. Her eyes glaze, and her throat works. “For a second there, I thought you were a goner.” I can see that the thought is upsetting to her.
“I’m not that easy to kill.” I lift my arm, surprised when I can do it. It still hurts, but it’s bearable. I thread my fingers into her hair. I see that nothing changes. She doesn’t get a vision.
“Don’t joke. It’s not a laughing matter.” Her eyes are blazing. “I thought you might die.” Her eyes fill with tears.
My arm is weak. I gently touch a finger to the side of her face. Something I’ve been wanting to do. “I didn’t.”
Raven sighs, she leans into my touch.
I take my arm back because I’m already feeling worn out from such a simple movement. “Did I dream about the blonde woman?” I frown. “The one with the very long hair?”
She smiles. “That would be Star. She can teleport.”
“Daughter of Hades,” I say.
“One and the same. She teleported us out of there. It took her a while to find you. She almost left you because she was so weak from searching for you.”
“Where is she?” I turn my head, but it throbs between my temples. I grit my teeth and take in a deep breath until the pain dulls.
“She left.” Raven looks down. Her eyes are hazy. “She’s in love with a dragon shifter. She didn’t want to cause trouble for either of them since she plans to stay with the weyr. Star didn’t have the strength to take us home. We’re on our own out here.” Raven looks around us.
“I need a few more hours to heal…a day at most,” I say.
“I will go and fetch us help now.” Determination shines in her eyes.
“No!” I don’t like the idea of her going out there alone. “We are doing this together.”
“They’re going to send a search party…maybe more than one,” she says. “I need to go right now so that I can avoid them.”
“You could be captured. What then?” I ask.
“If we go together, then we will both be captured. At least this way, if I am captured, you might still get back. We have more of a chance if we’re apart.”
Raven makes a good point. “Are you sure? I don’t like it.” I fucking hate it. I’m in no shape to argue. To do much of anything. I hate how weak I feel.
“I’m sure. If I’m not back with the others in a couple of hours, you’ll know I’ve been taken. When you heal, you can head back and fetch help.”
“Where are we?” I look around us. There are trees and thick undergrowth as far as the eye can see. No wonder Star chose to leave us here. We should be safe as long as we stay below the canopy. As long as we keep very quiet.
“We’re in a forest to the south-east of my weyr’s territory.” Raven goes on to describe our location in greater detail, giving me landmarks to go by to ensure that I will make it back to civilization if she doesn’t return.
“I still don’t like this.” I want to sit up, but I’m still too weak. I want to argue, but Raven is right.
“I don’t like it either. I got you into this mess. I’ll get you out of it.”
“You didn’t get me into anything. It’s not your fault that your weyr is fucked up.”
“I’m not sure why they even took you, Stephan. I can only think that they wanted information out of you. That they were keeping you long enough to get it.” Her eyes are blazing with anger. Her cheeks are rosy. “Will you be okay until I get back with help?”
I nod once. It hurts, but I don’t show any outward signs of discomfort. There is still pain, but thankfully my biggest problem now is weakness. The worst is over. “Don’t worry about me. It’s you who needs to be careful. I would never forgive myself if something were to happen to you.”
“I will be fine. I’m small, but I’m fast.” She leans over me, her eyes on mine. Then she’s smiling. Before I can think…react…do much of anything, her soft mouth is on mine. A quick brush of the lips. “I had to do that. Just once,” she murmurs as she pulls back a few inches.
“Just once?” I say, cupping her cheek with my hand. “Then, it’s best we make it count.” I urge her to come closer. Raven slants her mouth across mine. Holy fuck, but she tastes good. I thread my fingers through her hair as I pull her closer. I moan into her mouth.
All too soon, she’s pulling back. Regret in her eyes. “I need to go,” she whispers.
“You’re not getting any visions when we touch?”
She shakes her head. “My ability comes and goes.” She shrugs. “It doesn’t mean I won’t get another vision. It doesn’t mean that your future has changed. I have no control over it, which is a pain in the ass.”
I nod. “I’ll keep it in mind. Take care of yourself.”
“Thanks, I will.” Raven stands. “You too.” She peels her shirt over her head, turning away.
Jesus fuck, but she’s beautiful. I can’t stop staring. I should stop. I really should. Her legs would be considered muscular for a human. I can picture them wrapped around me. Her hips are flared. Her ass… Holy fuck! It’s full and yet pert. Raven turns around again. She must be able to hear how my breathing has changed. I sound like I can’t get any air into my lungs. Her stomach is flat and toned. Her tits. Lord, up above. They’re heavy. So lush that I want to groan. Her nipples are like ripe cherries. My mouth waters for a taste. My cock is filling. My balls are tightening.
“You shouldn’t look at me like that.” She’s smiling.
“You’re so fucking beautiful.” I savor the sight of her for a few more seconds. “Maybe it’s a good thing you’re going, Raven. My willpower is at zero.”
“You’re injured.”
“Some parts of me. Others are just fine.” My voice is deep.
She laughs softly but then her eyes cloud with sadness. “I had hoped we’d be able to settle down. To stop running.” She gets this wistful look. “I see now that it can’t happen. I need to fix this, and then we need to leave. We need to get as far away as possible and stick to ourselves.” She sighs. “The last thing I wanted was for you and the others to be pulled into our mess.”
“We’ll talk about it when we get out of this.”
Raven shakes her head. “There won’t be anything to talk about. We need to leave. I’m hoping they don’t know where you live or who you are. I’ll see you soon, Stephan. You rest and heal.”
“Be careful,” I whisper. The thought of something happening to her has adrenaline coursing through me. “Promise me.”
“I will. I’ll see you soon.” She waves a hand. Then she’s walking through the thick undergrowth. I’m amazed at how silent she is. I know she’s looking for somewhere to shift. A break in the trees where she can take to the sky.