Chapter 35 - 34 - Echoes of a Dreamed Cut
Riven’s voice trembled as he whispered to himself, "What... what was that dream? Who was that man?"
His breath caught for a moment.
"Why did he feel so familiar... like someone I’ve lost but can’t remember?"
A cold unease settled in his chest, as if the memory was clawing at the edge of his mind—just out of reach.
Riven became aware of something warm draped over him—a thin blanket he hadn’t used before, and a jacket wrapped around his body, both slipping off as he sat up abruptly. His brow furrowed slightly. He turned to one side, where Mira still lay fast asleep, curled up like a small cocoon in the oversized jacket she’d claimed for herself. Her breathing was steady, lips slightly parted, completely unaware of anything happening around her.
Riven shifted his gaze, and on the other side... he saw Ashtoria.
The woman slept in silence, dressed only in the thin clothes she’d changed into earlier. Her body was curled slightly, as if bracing against the biting night chill. Her crimson hair spilled messily across the grass, some strands veiling her beautiful face—so peaceful in slumber, stripped of all pretense.
Riven watched her quietly, and something warm unfurled in his chest.
’No question... she’s the one who covered me.’
The thought made his chest tighten with an unfamiliar feeling. Tender. Warm. And... complicated.
But the warmth lasted only a moment before his memory betrayed him, flooding back with images of Ashtoria’s bare figure by the lake. Those delicate curves. Moonlight gliding over pale skin. The hidden scars that only deepened her mystique. His breath hitched, slow but heavy, his body burning despite the frigid night air.