When I’m done, I set the bowl aside and wipe my mouth with the back of my hand.
I pull one of the furs up and over Sebastian, tucking it around him. I peer at the door opening.
No one seems to care about nudity in this place, so I pull off my boots, then my tunic, chemise, and breeches. I put them in a pile next to the furs. Once completely naked, I lie down next to Sebastian, as close as I can get.
He’s colder to the touch than he should be. I put my head on his shoulder and my leg over his middle, trying my best to inject some warmth into him.
“Stay with me,” I tell him. “Please, Sebastian.”
After the day we’ve had, it doesn’t take long for sleep to take me.
I wake up, and I’m not sure how long I slept. I’m confused for a few breaths. The fire is burning low. The cave is dim and quiet.
I immediately sit up, turning to Sebastian. I hold my breath for a few seconds because he looks...he…
Then his chest moves and I heave out a sigh that sounds too much like a sob. His face is the same gray as before. The fur has slipped, exposing his bare chest where the paste has dried to a dark crust. The eclipse marking beneath it is all but invisible now.
I have to do something or I will lose him.
I say a silent prayer to Kakara.
Then I sit back on my heels. My hands are shaking. I press both palms flat against his chest, one over the eclipse marking and the other over his heart. I close my eyes.
I go down into that hollow space inside me.
Please!
Please!
I push harder, digging into corners I’ve never reached before. And there, right at the bottom, is a spark so small I almost miss it.
I grab hold of it.
Heat floods my palms. It moves through my hands into his skin. It isn’t much, but maybe it will be just enough.
It lasts a couple of heartbeats, then it’s gone.
No, no, no, no!
I open my eyes, huffing out a breath, and try again, but it’s to no avail. I groan in frustration, looking down at Sebastian.
He hasn’t moved. His color hasn’t changed. His breathing is still just as shallow and slow.
I sag forward until my forehead rests against his chest. My palms are still flat against his cold skin.
“It didn’t work.” My voice is hoarse.
The cave is quiet. The low fire glows.
I lift my head just enough to look at his face. At the dark sweep of his lashes against gray skin. At his mouth, colorless and still. At the stubble shadowing his jaw.
“Come back to me.” I press my lips to his chest, right over his heart. “Please.” My voice breaks.
There is nothing else to say, and nothing left to give.
I stay where I am, my cheek against his chest, listening to the long pauses between his heartbeats and praying to Kakara that each one won’t be the last.
Sebastian
