Chapter 184: In the Shelter of Survival
Aristea woke first. The cold had seeped into her bones during the night, but she'd kept herself wrapped tightly around Eva, sheltering her little huntress with all the warmth she could offer. When she stirred, it wasn't from discomfort but from instinct — the same one that had been honed through years of relentless training as a Rousseau – Parnassos heir. She shifted slightly and looked down.
Eva was still asleep, her head nestled against Aristea's shoulder, her arm draped loosely across her middle. Her breath was warm against Aristea's skin, her lashes casting soft shadows over flushed cheeks. Even in the bruised haze of the cave's gloom, Eva looked beautiful. Innocent. Whole.
Aristea stayed like that for a while, just breathing with her, feeling each rise and fall of Eva's chest like the rhythm of home.
But she had things to do.
Carefully, Aristea slipped from beneath Eva's arm, cradled her leg so it wouldn't jar her sprained ankle, and began tearing the hem of her already ruined dress into two long strips. She gently took two sturdy sticks she'd gathered the night before, positioning them alongside Eva's ankle.
Eva stirred and whimpered, her eyes fluttering open. "A - Arry…?"
"Shh," Aristea murmured as she crouched beside her, her voice low and soothing. "I'm fixing your ankle, mon cœur. It might hurt."
"I'm fine," Eva muttered, already biting her bottom lip to brace herself.
"You're not fine," Aristea said gently but firmly. "You saved my life yesterday. Let me take care of you now."
With slow precision, Aristea began wrapping the bandage around Eva's ankle. Every time the fabric tugged a little too tightly, Eva flinched, pressing her hand against her mouth to keep from crying out.
"I'm sorry," Aristea whispered each time, kissing the pain away — first on her cheek, then her forehead, then both eyes. "You're so brave, my little huntress… It's okay now. Sleep again, you need it."
When the makeshift splint was done, Aristea laid down beside her and pulled Eva into her arms, murmuring soft nothings and wrapping her cloak tightly around them both. The night had been cold and biting, but now, wrapped up together, they were warm — warmer than either of them had felt since the chaos began.
"Arry?" Eva whispered against Aristea's neck.
"Yes, mon amour?"
"…thank you. For staying."
Aristea kissed the top of her head. "I'd stay in hell with you if I had to."
They didn't speak after that, just held one another in the comforting hush of the cave. It was the kind of silence that held meaning — no fear, no loneliness, only presence.
The morning came slowly. The forest outside their cave flickered with birdsong and light filtered in through the overgrowth. Eva was the first to wake this time, her eyes fluttering open only to find herself still wrapped up tightly in Aristea's arms.
Her face immediately burned crimson.
Her lips… were touching Aristea's.
She froze, mortified, unsure of how to move. But before she could even attempt to escape, Aristea's eyes cracked open with that unmistakable gleam.
"Well, good morning, kiss thief," she whispered, voice sultry with amusement.
"I didn't!" Eva sputtered, pulling back in a panic, her face now the color of ripe berries. "I didn't! I swear I didn't! I - I woke up like this — I didn't kiss you!"
Aristea was laughing now, low and melodic. "Are you sure, little one? Because it really felt like a very loving, tender, maybe slightly desperate sort of kiss. You know, the kind you give someone when you think they're your one true —"
"Stop!" Eva buried her face in her hands. "I hate you!"
"No you don't," Aristea teased, reaching out to brush Eva's bangs from her eyes. "You love me. You just don't know what to do with it yet."
"I know what to do with it," Eva grumbled. "I hide it and hope it goes away."
That only made Aristea chuckle again. "Let's stay like this for a little while longer, hmm? Just until the sun is fully up. Then I'll scout the area, see if there's anything we can eat."
Eva stilled at that, panic flashing in her eyes. "No. Don't go hunting. We can't build a fire. It'll give our location away."
Aristea nodded, already serious again. "I know. I was thinking the same."
"Just look for fruits," Eva said softly. "There are things that grow in this kind of climate. Berries, maybe wild citrus. But don't eat anything unless I've looked at it first."
"You a botanist now?" Aristea teased.
Eva looked away. "Not exactly."
The truth was, she didn't know how she knew. When she closed her eyes, her mind flicked through an invisible catalogue — images of leaves, notes on toxicity, growth seasons, flavor profiles. The knowledge wasn't from books she'd read or lessons she'd studied. It was simply there, like instinct… like memory.
It was the Codex.
She didn't know much about it, not yet. Only that somewhere in her bloodline — de Mercière — was a system of ancestral knowledge, preserved and passed down like a secret language embedded in her DNA. It was waking up now, and Eva wasn't sure why.
But it might be what saved them.
"Just promise me you'll bring it back here to the cave," she said firmly. "Let me look. I don't want you getting sick."
Aristea looked at her for a long moment, then nodded.
"I promise."
She stood and tucked her knife into her waistband. "Get some more rest. I'll be back before you can miss me."
"I already miss you," Eva mumbled into her sleeve.
Aristea paused at the mouth of the cave, turned, and smirked. "Hopeless romantic."
She lingered for a second longer, then tilted her head, her voice suddenly softer. "Hey… give me a kiss. For luck?"
Eva blinked. "W - What?"
"Just a little one," Aristea said with a grin. "A good - luck charm from my favorite huntress."
Blushing furiously, Eva sat up slightly and leaned forward, pressing the lightest, most hesitant butterfly kiss to the corner of Aristea's mouth — so soft it barely counted.
"There," Eva whispered, heart racing. "Good luck."
Aristea chuckled low in her throat. "That's barely a kiss," she murmured, tilting Eva's chin up with her fingers. "Let me show you what good luck really feels like."
Before Eva could protest, Aristea leaned in and kissed her fully — still gentle, but deeper this time. Her lips moved slowly against Eva's, savoring the warmth, the taste of her breath, the lingering citrus on her tongue. It wasn't demanding. It wasn't rushed. It was sure, and tender, and entirely Aristea.
When she finally pulled back, her voice was a little breathless, eyes bright.
"Now I'm lucky," she said with a wink.
Eva just stared, dazed, lips parted slightly. "…That wasn't fair."
"Love rarely is," Aristea teased, brushing her thumb along Eva's cheek. "Be good while I'm gone."
Then she turned and slipped into the forest, cloak fluttering behind her like the last trace of a dream.
Then she vanished into the forest.
Eva laid back with a soft exhale, the ache in her ankle pulsing gently. She stared at the ceiling of the cave, listening to the birds, the wind in the trees, the distant rustle of wildlife. Her body ached, but her mind was alive.
She couldn't sit idle.
She started to move her fingers through the dirt, tracing out patterns. Lines. Theoretical escape paths. Guard posts. Weaknesses in structure. She visualized the compound they had escaped from, recalling every detail she could — the placement of cameras, the cadence of the guards' shifts, the way one of the exits faced the eastern sun.
They'd been sloppy. Amateurish. Which made it even more bizarre — they didn't know who they had taken.
That thought still gnawed at her. If they'd known she was Maxwell — Lioré — or Aristea was Rousseau – Parnassos — they'd have locked them in steel and surrounded them with armed guards, not three half - drunk men with loose tongues and no training.
Maybe they were targeting someone else. Maybe…
Her breath caught.
The British ambassador's child — that's what she heard.
She remembered the flash of blonde curls, the scream before everything went dark. It hadn't been her they were after. It had been that girl. Which meant the entire operation had been an accident — and the moment those men realized who they had actually taken?
They'd come hunting.
Hard.
Eva curled into herself, trying to swallow the lump of fear in her throat. She had to stay calm. For Aristea. For both of them.
Soon, footsteps returned at the cave entrance. Aristea appeared, mud - streaked and grinning, holding her skirt like a makeshift basket.
"Breakfast," she announced.
She knelt beside Eva and presented a collection of fruits — pale orange citrus, small clusters of yellow berries, and two purple - skinned pods.
Eva's eyes flicked over them, her mind clicking through Codex entries.
"Good… good… mildly sour but edible…" she paused, picking up the purple pod. "This one — throw it."
"Poisonous?" Aristea asked immediately.
"Not deadly. But it'll give you cramps and vomiting."
"Right. No fun at all."
She chucked it into the forest behind them and helped Eva sit upright. Then, like it was the most natural thing in the world, Aristea began peeling the citrus with her teeth and hands, feeding small pieces to Eva one by one.
Eva blushed but didn't stop her.
"Thank you," she said softly after a moment.
"For what?"
"For taking care of me. For not leaving."
Aristea cupped her cheek. "There's nowhere else I'd rather be."
Eva didn't look away this time. Her eyes stayed on Aristea's lips — uncertain, hopeful, nervous.
Aristea smiled. "May I?" she asked softly.
Eva gave a shaky nod.
Their lips met.
It started soft, slow — an exchange of breath and warmth. Then Aristea kissed her again, longer this time, her hand slipping behind Eva's neck, drawing her closer. No tongue, no urgency — just a deep, open kiss filled with tenderness and trust. Again and again, their lips found each other, slow and searching.
"You can kiss me back, you know," Aristea whispered against her mouth. "I don't bite. Unless you ask nicely."
Eva's face flushed scarlet. "O - Okay," she mumbled, and kissed her again — lightly at first, then deeper, more confident.
Aristea let out a pleased hum. "Mmm. That's it, little huntress. Kissing like you mean it."
Eva pulled back slightly, breathless. "You're teasing me."
"I always tease the girls I like," Aristea whispered, eyes gleaming. "Especially the ones who kiss like that."
"Kiss like what?"
Aristea leaned in again, brushing their noses together. "Like you're scared you'll never get another chance."
Eva swallowed, then pressed another kiss to her lips — braver this time. "Then I guess I really like you."
A soft smile touched Aristea's lips. "Call me Arry."
Eva hesitated, then murmured, "Arry…"
And Aristea kissed her again, long and tender, one hand curled into Eva's hair like she never wanted to let go.
Between kisses, Aristea murmured against her lips, teasing, "Does Seraphina kiss you like this?"
Eva flushed scarlet. "Y - yes… but not like this. A bit different."
Aristea tilted her head, brushing her nose against Eva's. "Different how?"
Eva's voice was barely a whisper. "She never… she never nibbled my lips."
Aristea kissed her again, gently tugging at Eva's lower lip between her teeth, then whispered with a grin, "That's good."
And she kissed her once more — slow, sweet, and sure.
Outside, danger crept closer with each passing moment.
But inside, in that cave of shadows and citrus light, there was only warmth.
And as the forest chirped around them, and the morning sun reached into the cave's shadows, the two girls sat side by side — wounded but alive, hunted but unbroken. Whatever came next, they would face it together.
Little did they know, their enemies were already close behind.