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She’d only been able to save herself back there. Avenay had been brilliant, literally and figuratively. Using her powers of light had saved all of them. A keen sense of pride burst in Enid’s chest, spreading warmth through her limbs. Enid needed to thank her properly for that.Many ideas of how to accomplish that floated into her mind, and not a single one was tame.

Enid had trained for the last decade, relentless in her pursuit of strength and power. Clearly, though, she needed to train more. Using the shadow shroud for an entire group had never occurred to her. It was too tricky of a technique. Maybe Vasu could enchant some sort of object to amplify her shadow casting?

Enid dipped below the water again, letting air out and watching it bubble on the water before she floated up again. Still, she hated being this vulnerable. She’d become one of the strongest warriors in the Darkened City, maybe even the entire Realm of Wind, yet she’d been felled by vines. No wonder Dryston hadn’t let her join the special forces.

Sticks cracked in the woods and Enid jerked up, standing in the water and whipping her head about. Nothing appeared.

Shit.

Her daggers were too far from her.Wonderful.

A grunt came from the bushes as they rustled. Enid fanned out her wings, ready for whatever came through. The bushes parted and out stumbled Avenay, swatting at the limbs and picking the leaves off hershoulder with a grimace. Avenay stood upright, her gaze finally finding Enid. Her eyes dipped, slowly tracing over Enid’s bare body.

Enid’s pulse raced even faster, but now from the look of pure appreciation the female had. When her eyes came right below Enid’s navel, where the water came up, Avenay startled and yanked her eyes back up to Enid guiltily.

A grin bloomed across Enid’s face,and she ran her hands through her hair, walking forward, letting the water fall away, inch by inch. “I don’t mind you looking. Take your time, Little Bird.”

Avenay made a hmph of indignation and promptly looked anywhere but at her, though it wasn’t lost on Enid the way her eyes darted once, then twice to her as she came up to the bank and grabbed her clothes.

“I’ll get dressed so you can have your turn cleaning up,” Enid said, pulling her shirt on.

“Oh… um…” Avenay turned, eyes trained too ardently on Enid’s face, her gaze refusing to dip to Enid’s mostly unbuttoned blouse. Even if Enid wished she would. Wished that she herself could see Avenay’s bare body and get lost in the bliss of her curves and softness. Avenay thrust her hand out, holding a glass bottle. “I brought a salve. Vasu enchanted it to help cleanse and heal you quicker.”

“Did Vasu say it was so urgent for me to have this that he sent you down here?”

Avenay swallowed. “No. I told him I wanted to bring it to you.”

Enid’s chest tightened wonderfully at the words, her heart flipping and dipping in a funny way. Enid was silent, thinking, as she pulled her trousers on. Vasu could have brought it. Or Kaemon or Dryston. They could have waited for her to return. But Avenay had volunteered to bring it to her.

“Thank you,” she said.

“You have a big gash on the back of your wing,” Avenay said, pointing.

Enid craned her neck but couldn’t see. Her whole body burned from cuts, gashes, and slices, all healing, so she had no doubt that Avenay was correct in what she said.

“I can get that spot for you, if you like,” Avenay said.

Enid nodded, taking a seat on the boulder so Avenay could reach her wings easily. Moonlight hit the river, making it twinkle like diamonds. Avenay’s hands ran along her wings, careful as if touching silk. A glowing heat cascaded through Enid’s limbs, tumbling over her lower belly like the sensation of plummeting mid-fight. She looked tothe lake, keeping her eyes trained on the water, her mind wandering to a million different worlds of thought than the silvery light there.

Thoughts of Avenay’s hands on her face, her body, tangled in her hair, her horns. Thoughts of her own hands on the seraphe’s body, tumbling through places that would make her moan…

Avenay’s careful fingers found the wound, pressing it gently, making a sharp pain rouse her brain back from the sensual musings she’d been entertaining.

“Sorry,” Avenay said.

Enid shook her head, wincing. “It’s fine. It’ll hurt, but I’m a big girl.”

She flashed a grin at Avenay, whose eyes dipped to her mouth, then promptly back to her wound.

What was this between them?

A silly question.

Enid knew what it was even if she couldn’t fully face it.

For it sang like the light of a star in the void of her heart, or a rhythmic beat that found its home next to her pulse.

“So, I take it you know the firebird well?” Enid said as Avenay continued finding new wounds to put the salve on.