I was telling the truth. My body and my heart were pulling me closer to him. I loved our debates and even our arguments, and I looked forward to peeling back another layer of who he truly was on a daily basis. I enjoyed the discovery, and he surprised me every time.
Each time he looked at me, and I lost myself in his gray eyes, it all disappeared, leaving just the two of us standing in front of each other. There was an invisible line connecting us, ribbons of our souls intertwined and tugging, yearning for more. All the contradictions went away, leaving only Draven and me together.
He took me in his arms and held me tight, breathing against my neck. I could feel his heart beating frantically, resonating with what was going on inside my own chest.
I was beginning to consider the idea of a different life from what I'd been accustomed to. Even a different home. In another world. Draven had changed me in ways I'd never thought possible, and I was starting to think that what I felt for him was too deep to relinquish when this war was done.
"What are we doing here, Draven? What am I doing here, with you?"
As giddy as I'd been at the concept of nobody seeing us so close to one another, I disliked being unable to see the look in his eyes. All I had to go on was his labored breathing, the thudding in his chest, and whatever I sensed in him with my sentry abilities. It all spoke of something similar, if not identical, to what I was feeling.
And it all pointed to a four-letter word I was afraid to pronounce. I'd only read about it in books and seen it in my parents. I'd never considered feeling it myself. I'd had other ambitions to focus on-a career in journalism being my priority. Still, Draven had managed to stomp into my life and change my perception entirely, to the point where all my previous plans seemed superficial.
What was the plan after we defeated Azazel? We'd go back to The Shade, and I'd go on to study journalism? It all seemed so far away. I'd found more meaning in freeing the people of Eritopia, in saving my friends and destroying the evil that had corrupted a beautiful world. My whole ethos of being was gradually maturing as life revealed itself as much more complex than I'd initially believed.
"I don't know yet, but I think we're close to figuring this out," Draven replied gently.
He made me smile, and I pulled his head closer so I could feel his lips on mine again.
"Either way, I'm so addicted to you that you'll most likely be the end of me," Draven chuckled lightly, while his hand gripped the back of my neck and pulled me upward for another delicious kiss.
This time, he kept it short and sweet, holding me close and filling me with ribbons of his golden energy.
"Do you feel this, Serena?" he asked, his lips against mine.
My heart vibrated in my chest. I gradually regained my senses and walked away from the edge where he'd taken me. I was buzzing with warmth, but I could feel something cold and sharp poking the back of my mind. I closed my eyes and tried to identify that emotion. I had sensed it before, just seconds before we'd kissed.
I breathed him in, a heady scent of musk and deep birch forests invading my nostrils and filling my lungs. It was fear that I was feeling.
"I feel a lot of things coming from you right now, Draven."
"I'm aware," he replied. "But I've yet to identify them all myself, even though they're all aimed at you. What is it you recognize, from what you can feel?"
I took a deep breath, as he leaned his forehead into mine. His fingers caressed my face and ran through my hair.
"A bit of fear."
"Indeed, Serena. It's fear I'm feeling. The fear of losing you. The fear of never seeing you again … the fear of being unable to save you."
"Don't-"
"You can't tell me to not feel this, Serena. I've tried. Believe me. It only gets worse, unless I embrace it. Which is why I'm here now, standing before you, nearly begging you to be careful and not get hurt or killed once we reach the dungeons. Do you hear me?"
I held him, nestling my head against his chest, enjoying his strong arms around me.
"I promise, I'll do my best to not get hurt or killed," I mumbled against his shirt.
He groaned, but before he could respond, Hansa's voice shattered our bubble.
"Are you two okay?" She was standing merely five feet away.
Draven cleared his throat, and we stepped apart. His hand found mine and clasped it firmly.
"Yeah, I'm good," I said, a little too loud and high-pitched.
"Good," she replied. "Let's move. We're losing moonlight."
Jovi
We traveled south on foot for several miles before we reached a nomad marketplace. Bijarki told me that merchants often settled in the riverbank areas in those parts, as many travelers crossed the region over the year.