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n~ Zev ~

nThank you. Thank you. Thank you, he prayed, his pounding heart fluttering and rolling over with relief.

nSasha sat in front of him, one cheek red where it had rested on her arm, strands of hair falling over her forehead and cheeks and waving in the breeze of her too-fast breath.

nThank God.

nWhen she hadn't woken up hours ago he'd worried that he had overdosed her.

nWhen she hadn't woken up an hour ago—and still hadn't moved—he'd worried that he'd killed her.

n

"Zev?

" she said, her voice too high as she looked around the cave, it's walls a deep, worn gray and bare here, deep within it. Though vines crept around the walls and ceiling closer to the opening.

nHe put a hand to neck and made her focus on him.

"I'm right here. You're fine. Look at me, Sash, you're fine. Okay? You've been asleep for a while, that's all. Just let yourself wake up.

"

nCurse **ing Nick and his **ing dosing instructions. Zev hadn't thought about how Nick would always be planning from the angle of an enemy whose life was forfeit to the greater cause.

nFucking Nick.

nHe combed Sasha's beautiful mahogany hair off her face with his fingers, letting them trail down her back over and over again until she stopped looking like a fish that had been smacked in the head, and started focusing on him.

nShe swallowed, then put a hand to his chest. His chest tightened when he saw how she touched him so easily.

"Where are we?

"

n

"We're home,

" he said quietly, waiting for the question to enter her eyes.

"Where I grew up,

" he explained.

nShe looked around again, turning her head left and right. He'd lit one of the torches on the wall, but only the one in the deepest part of the cave where he'd curled Sasha up on a thick fur until she woke. He hadn't wanted to give anyone a warning that they were there. This reunion was going to be tough enough as it was without letting them prepare for it.

nShit. What was she going to think when she met—

n

"Home?

" she said faintly.

"Where's that? Massachusetts??

"

nHe spluttered a laugh.

"No,

" he said, dryly.

"It's home. I'll show you once you've got your feet under you. It's early morning. Once we start moving you can see for yourself.

"

nShe kept blinking and looking around.

n

"Can you see okay?

" he asked quickly. He hadn't thought about side effects of the drug.

n

"I think so,

" she said, her forehead furrowing.

"I just… this isn't what I expected when you said we were losing creature comforts.

"

nThen her eyes went back to him, glinting with mischief and he almost kissed her then and there—half in hilarity, half with relief.

n

"This isn't home-home,

" he chuckled.

"This is where we… start our hike,

" he said carefully.

nShe frowned.

"We have to hike?

"

nHe'd forgotten how skeptical she was of anything

"country

" as she called it. Oh dear. She was going to find this place very… different.

n

"It's worth it, I promise,

" he said.

nNow that she was awake he was having trouble containing his joy. His entire body sang with the return to his home, to the clean air and freedom of the valley. No matter what else might happen, he was overjoyed to be there again. And with Sasha! It was literally everything he'd ever wanted. He was still struggling to believe it was actually happening.

nAt least if he died now, he'd die happy.

n

"Are you okay?

" she whispered, putting a hand to his face. The leather of her gloves was warm and smelled like her and he closed his eyes and put his hand over hers.

n

"I don't think I've ever been better, Sasha,

" he said honestly.

"Do you think you can stand up, or do you need a minute?

"

nShe made a little irritated noise that he'd forgotten about. He bit back a grin when she yanked her hand back and started pushing to her feet to prove to him that she was more than capable of standing.

nHe caught her elbow as she got up, just in case. Sometimes the drugs could leave you a little dizzy.

nThen she was up, stamping her feet in her boots and brushing off her ass, even though there was nothing on her. He'd kept her curled up in the fur the whole time they'd been here.

n

"You okay?

" he asked.

nShe nodded distractedly, still brushing at herself, then she froze and her forehead furrowed. She looked up at him and frowned.

n

"What's wrong?

" he asked quickly, scanning the cave for signs of a threat.

nZev reached for Sasha to support her, in case she was going to topple, but she smacked his hand away and shook her head..

"I'm fine,

" she said, looking at her hands and down at her jacket.

"But… how the hell did my clothes get changed?

"

n