The Wolves and the White Bird

16. The Death Clock

"Where are the others?" asked Draven, ignoring Finn's comment as he finished untying Cora's wrists.

"Out scouting for you guys," said Kimiko. "Everyone made it out of the flood in time. We've set up a temporary camp nearby. We're limited on supplies, though."

Cora took a good look at the group with her still murky eyes and noticed they weren't as wet as Draven and herself. The rain had made them partially damp, but compared to her, at least they didn't look like a drowned cat.

Cora's weary eyes scanned the faces of the group, her gaze lingering on Kimiko, who stood before her with a mix of concern and relief. Despite the fatigue that weighed heavily upon her, she was happy that everyone made it out safely. Well, perhaps not Johar. He could fall into a sinkhole for all she cared.

Once her wrists were untied, Draven scooped Cora up in his arms and she rested her head against his chest. The steady sound of feet hitting the ground was soon the only sound she focused on as they made their way back to the rest of the team. Her eyes fought hard to stay open, but soon they forced themselves closed and she succumbed to the exhaustion.

The next time Cora woke she found herself still cradled in Draven's arms, walking through the thick dense jungle as the sun shone down heavily upon them. The only thing that had changed were Cora's clothes, which had been replaced by a very large, dry, grey shirt which draped down to her knees.

When she looked up at Draven, she noticed his stern, focused expression on the path ahead. Within a few moments, his gaze had wandered down to her, noticing that she was awake. Draven didn't stop and put her down like she expected. Instead, he focused again on walking over the unsteady path.

"I'm glad you're finally awake. You've been out for two days. How are you feeling?" asked Draven.

Two days? Cora's mind reeled at the realisation, struggling to comprehend how she had been out for such a long time. Nevertheless, she was surprisingly feeling quite well, all things considered.

"I'm feeling good. I think I can walk."

With his assistance, he carefully shifted her weight, placing her on the ground as she tested her legs, finding them steady beneath her. Despite the lingering fatigue, she felt refreshed. She stretched her arms up to the sky before realising that her oversized shirt had ridden up, exposing more skin than she intended. Blushing, she quickly pulled her arms back down, tugging the shirt into place.

"I'll grab your clothes and boots. They should be dry by now," said Draven, disappearing back down the path where she noticed Ronan carrying a backpack with her clothes tied to the outer of his backpack.

As Draven returned, handing Cora her clothes and boots, she ducked behind a nearby tree, putting on the pants and shoes and keeping the oversized top but tying it into a knot so it didn't fall so far down her knee. The shirt held an intoxicating scent, and she couldn't bring it to herself to take it off.

When she had returned, the others had stopped, clearly waiting for her and for Draven, who was still shirtless to give his next instructions.

"We'll continue walking," said Draven to the team. "We've made good progress, but we still have a way to go."

And with that, Talon took the lead, and the others followed behind. As usual, Cora took a place somewhere in the middle of the line with Draven walking next to her. The others seemed to place more of a distance around them than normal, making her nervous and edgy beside Draven.

She had no idea how far they had walked, or anything that had happened in the past two days that she was asleep. Was Alpha Oren still chasing behind them? How far had they walked? And more importantly, what the hell was up with that kiss from Draven? Did he actually harbour feelings towards or was it just a spur of the moment, imminent danger type of kiss?