All I saw was darkness.
I surfaced slowly, as though through water.
Heat.
Strength.
The steady rhythm of a heartbeat beneath my cheek.
The scent reached me first, sharp pine, smoke, something achingly familiar. I could breathe again and his scent was healing my lungs.
I blinked, half-aware, and caught a glimpse of him.
Alex.
Carrying me, his arms strong, his jaw set, his eyes shadowed with something that looked far too much like worry.
But before I could move, before I could even form his name on my lips, another presence was there.
Chris.
He came forward without hesitation, and Alex handed me over wordlessly.
For a moment, I thought I saw something flicker in Alex’s blue eyes something wild, but then Chris’s warmth surrounded me, and the thought slipped away.
I curled insti
