There’s definitely nothing between them now. Other than his leathers and her shimmeron gown.
Before she can respond, he leans near her ear. “Focus on me. I’ll never let you fall.”
With a lurch, they lift off the platform, and the ground looms ever closer. Arisanna buries her face against his shoulder as she focuses on his heart beating within her chest.
And then it’s over. Her feet hit the forest floor, and Cerian’s vines hold them steady while she recovers.
“Are you all right?” he asks softly.
“I think so. Just a little dizzy.”
“I’ve got you. I won’t let you go.”
She looks up into his warm eyes as his vines loosen, but his arms continue to hold her steady.
And then he dips his head and kisses her, his embrace full of affection and devotion and protection. Every kiss means something new. Something different. And she melts in his arms.
“Cerian,” she murmurs against his lips.
“Mmm?”
“My answer is yes.”
“Yes?” He nuzzles her nose. “What was the question?”
“I want to wake up in your arms every morning and fall asleep there each night.”
His breath catches, and his lips find hers again, a little hungrier this time.
And a little warmer.
He tastes like berries and sparks and...and himself. It’s utter perfection.
They’ll never make it to Feressa at this rate.
“We should go,” she eventually whispers. “We need to make sure Elowyn is all right.”
With a soft sigh, Cerian releases her, and suddenly the forest is a lot colder.
After letting off more heat, he offers her his hand, and they turn south toward Nunia as he leads the way through the woods.
Rominypacesthehotelroom as Dr. Fulton examines Elowyn. She still hasn’t stirred. If Rominy couldn’t feel her heart beating in his chest, he’d worry it had stopped. But he can, and it hasn’t. It feels as strong as ever, and he tries to hold on to that.
“She wields fire magic?” Dr. Fulton asks.
Rominy clears his throat. “Yes. Fire and water magic.”
“She has a raging fever, Your Highness. Higher than any human fever I’ve ever witnessed. But her body seems able to handle the heat, so I don’t want you to worry about how hot she is.”
Stars above. He wasn’t too worried about the heat before. Now that thought fills his head, adding to his terror.
“What’s wrong with her?” Rominy asks.
“Come here, and I’ll show you.”
Rominy wanders closer again, and Dr. Fulton points to the wound on her arm. A web of purple tendrils extends from it beneath her skin, and Rominy frowns.
“Now, I can’t say for sure, Your Highness, because I have never witnessed a reaction quite like this, but her body is either rejecting some foreign substance, or this is what an infection looks like in an elf.”
