And then she gritted her teeth and began pulling him towards the stream.
It wasn’t far. The water was only a few steps away—but those were the longest steps she’d ever taken in her entire life.
By the time they reached the stream, she was utterly exhausted and out of breath. The darkness had spread over more than half of Timothy’s chest now.
But Liana ignored the terror in her own heart. Maybe she wasn’t a shifter—but she knew about dragons, in her own way. Mainly from games and books, true. But that was enough to know that there was only one thing that could heal him.
Taking a deep breath, Liana closed her arms around Timothy’s powerful body. Then she tumbled them both into the river.
The water was cold as it closed over her. Liana didn’t struggle or kick her feet. Keeping her arms still tightly wrapped around Timothy, she gave herself up the river. Slowly, they sank to the bottom of the stream.
She ignored the panic of being unable to breathe. All that mattered right now was Timothy.
It was dark at the bottom of the river. She could no longer make out the darkness infecting his chest. Was it still spreading?
And then, all of a sudden, there was a gentle glow. She couldn’t say where it had come from, but it was illuminating the water with a soft blue light.
In the eerie glow, she could see that Timothy’s body had relaxed. As she watched, the light intensified. She watched as it concentrated in two spots.
Timothy’s wrist and his chest were enveloped by the light, which grew in intensity.
At the same time, the tendrils of darkness that had crept over his skin began to writhe, almost like they were fighting back against the light.
Liana was still holding him. As she watched, little by little, the darkness was forced back. Timothy tensed in her embrace all of a sudden, his mouth opening so that bubbles of air escaped. For a heartbeat, she could feel a terrible, dark presence, like a shadow that wanted to smother all joy and life.
And then the light-filled water began to swirl. It lifted them both, up and up and up, until at last their heads burst through the surface of the water. Even now, the light surrounded them.
As Liana gasped for air, still holding on to Timothy, the light pulsed so brightly that she had to close her eyes for a moment.
Even from behind her closed eyelids, she could see nothing but the overwhelming, blue light.
And then Timothy was coughing and twisting in her arms. When she opened her eyes again, the strange darkness had disappeared from his body. There were only raw-looking patches of reddened skin left.
But most importantly, Timothy had regained consciousness.
His eyes were filled with light again. They gleamed like sapphires with the deep, clear blue of the ocean.
Despite the earlier terror, she suddenly found herself smiling. She couldn’t say how she knew—but something told her that he would be all right now.
No. I know because he knows.
The connection between them was pulsing with that reassurance. Where before, the darkness seemed to have leeched his strength out of him, now the bond was filled with his power once more.
“You saved me.” His voice was still rough, although he was returning her smile.
Carefully, she rested her hand against his chest. There was no trace of the darkness left—just the comforting beating of his strong heart against her palm.
“You saved me, too.” She tilted her head at him. “I figured it was time to return the favor.”
He laughed at that, his voice deep and warm. It made her shiver with sudden desire—and made her realize that she was still naked.
They were both naked, in fact. And she wasn’t the only one filled with sudden, overwhelming need.
Against her thigh, Timothy was hard, his length hot where it pressed against her skin. It made her swallow, her nipples suddenly tight and aching while her stomach twisted with need.
“We’re not safe here,” Timothy said a moment later, his voice husky. “Come. The river told me of a place where we’ll be safe while I heal.”
Worriedly, she gave his chest another look.