Page 88 of Soul Redeemed

“Thank you. For everything.”

“Don’t thank me yet.”

*

Perhaps an hour had passed, Calix had no concept of time, as the water chilled their bodies. The prune of Ava’s fingertips passed beneath his own as he stroked her hands.

Wrapping his arms around her, he stilled and closed his eyes, breathing in her scent.

A twitch jerked beneath him.

His eyelids shot open.

Had she moved?

The answer arrived in a second twitch, with an accompanying arch of her back that pressed into Calix’s chest.

He swallowed back the excitement, careful not to get his hopes up too soon. After all, her twitches could’ve been brought on by the fever, though she hadn’t moved since being set in the water.

A gasped breath brought a smile to his face, though, as Calix watched her come to life.

38

Ava pushed through the void, to a soft tha-thump pulsing through her eardrums. Every muscle in her body ached, and she flinched, willing her arms to move. Like a dream where she had no control over her limbs.

A warm band around her stomach lifted her up, and the muted sounds from before sharpened into the distinct splashing of water. She didn’t want to open her eyes, didn’t want to move.

“Baby, I’m going to get you out of this tub, okay?” Calix’s voice climbed over the thoughts running through her head, and she mustered a nod in response.

“Water,” she rasped. “Thirsty.”

“I’ll get you some water.” His lips pressed to her cheek, a slight scruff tickling her skin.

Shifting from beneath her, Calix exited the bathtub, leaving a cold rush in his wake, but only a few seconds passed before he lifted her up into his arms as if she weighed nothing.

Warmth blanketed her as he covered in her the soft cotton, and Ava tucked her head into his neck, opening her eyes in time to catch the mirror’s reflection of his naked form carrying her towel-wrapped body from the bathroom.

The plush mattress captured her fall, as Calix set her down on the bed and ran his hand across her forehead. “You’re still pretty warm.” From beside the bed, he cracked a bottle of water and set it to her lips.

The cold, crisp fluids trickled down her throat, coating the parchedness in a soothing blanket of relief. Once half the bottle had been sipped, Calix set it back down beside her and crawled into the bed.

“What happened?” Her voice didn’t hold as much gruff as before, but remained weak.

“The Sang illness had … consumed you. Drechler said it spread into your bloodstream. You weren’t expected to live.”

“And I did?” Recalling the intense pain from before, it wouldn’t have surprised her if everything around her were some kind of dreamlike state before death.

“You did.” Calix’s smile beamed through the darkness, and Ava caught a shine in his eyes. “Ferno saved your life.”

“Ferno?”

“The Fallen female used hellsfire to sterilize your blood. Killed it off.”

“Is that why I’m hot?”

A chuckle lit up Calix’s sad eyes. “No, you were born that way.”

With a heavy blink, Ava smiled, nuzzling her head into Calix’s chest. “I only remember … the baby. And the Sang.”