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