Page 127 of Reaper's Quest

“Raven.” His voice sounded rough, his tongue dry.

He raised a hand to nudge her, and his muscles ached with complaint.

“Did it work?” Her voice rumbled across his chest. Without lifting her head, she shifted to meet his gaze. Herear pressed to the space above his heart. “Are you back? Like, really back?”

He pushed up onto his elbows, forcing Raven to shift, but not rise. “I’m awake, if that’s what you mean.”

The world morphed, tilting and adjusting.

Not so quick, he warned himself.

Raven blinked wide and sat up straight. “Thank the?—”

She swayed, her face blanching.

“Steady.” He grabbed her elbow to help her balance.

Then he pulled himself upright and swung his legs over the side of the bed to better face her. Drawing her close, he cradled her in his arms, sliding a hand along the curve of her neck.

She yawned, and the action stretched through her entire body. “Thanks. I guess I’m pretty tired.”

She’d extended herself too soon after her healing. He should have prevented her from going into the tunnels.

Although he couldn’t recall how he had ended up laid out on a bed in a weakened state, whatever the reason, his gut told him Raven had rescued him.

So strong.

She was strong and beautiful and powerful…

She had accused him of having a savior complex, but this felt like something different. What, though?

He leaned in and kissed her. His lips pressed to hers in a celebration of life and accomplishments—of moments earned and savored.

Her palm flattened against his chest and pushed him back. “What are you doing?”

“Thanking you.”

She shook her head. “You don’t need to thank me. And you definitely don’t need to thank me like that.”

He hummed, then his lips pulled into a tight line, and he stared at her for a breath. Last he could recall, they had traveled beneath the citadel and explored the tunnels.

“What happened?”

The door flew open, and Aoes stepped into the room. “Holy gods. You’re better!”

His entire face brightened.

He snapped his gaze to Raven and moved to the foot of the bed. “I can’t believe you did it. Well. I guess I can, but…damn. Look at him. Even his clothes…”

Winter glanced down at his attire. His shirt, jacket, and pants were dirty and wrinkled, but he saw nothing odd about them. Maybe slightly damp and toasty, but otherwise normal. He frowned and glanced from Raven to Aoes.

“What exactly did she do?” Winter asked.

With a shiver, Raven dropped a glove in her lap, raised her hand, and stared at her fingers. The tips were blue.

Winter couldn’t stop himself. He wrapped his hand around hers and attempted to summon the chill from her skin into his own.

“You’re not going to believe this.” Aoes pressed his weight into the baseboard. “She healed you from a mostly dead state.”