**Valiant—Dream Cave**
"It's me, Little Thing."
Even before he spoke, Ember already knew it was him. Maybe it was his presence behind her that pressed on like home, or the cold of his hands over her lips that she had now long mastered after being held by him a countless number of times.
She twisted in her seat to look at him, but before she fully did, he had already appeared before her.
The sight of him was….
The gods.
She swallowed, staring at him like the alien he actually was. He looked delicious in a way that should be a crime. The kind that would call for execution.
Today he was not wearing black. But a dark brown that literally melted into his skin. His dark hair thoroughly ruffled like he had run his fingers through it a good number of times. She found herself thinking that she was jealous of his hair—to have enjoyed his touch when she starved from it for what? A day? Two days?
