Free Ravyn's Flight by Patti O'Shea Page B

thought of hiking through them was daunting. Still staring off in the distance, Ravyn stumbled over an exposed tree root, making enough noise to capture Damon’s attention. He stopped and raised his eyebrows.
    “I’m fine,” she told him, blushing slightly.
    His eyes traveled the length of her body, then he nodded and continued walking.
    Ravyn made sure to watch where she put her feet this time instead of worrying about the terrain ahead. At least here the ground wasn’t clogged with undergrowth the way it had been most of yesterday. The easier walk was a relief.
    For a second, Ravyn thought she smelled coffee. Her mouth watered before she realized the odds of finding coffee brewing on Jarved Nine were about on par with waking up and finding the last few days had been a bizarre nightmare. She turned her head to examine the path they traveled, to distract herself, but the first thing she saw was a patch of sinestas. The flower Sondra’s wreath had been made from. She could still see them spattered with blood.
    The reminder of her dream sent a quiver of desolation racing through her body. It hadn’t been a replay of when she’d found her friends’ bodies, although some of it had really happened. This time Damon had been killed, laid out on an altar as a sacrifice. She was still shaken by the depth of pain that image evoked. Just thinking about anything happening to him...
    Ravyn shuddered. Only the embarrassment of breaking down again kept her from wailing. She struggled to close the door on her memories and finally visualized erecting a brick wall to keep them contained. She watched the ground, focused on putting one foot in front of the other. This time she couldn’t block her thoughts. Flashes kept sneaking past her barriers. She’d no sooner banish the image of the bodies, when she’d recall yanking the flowers from Sondra’s hair or the feel of blood coating her.
    Somehow it was worse, though, when she thought of how she’d seen Damon in her dream. It made Ravyn feel guilty.
    After all, she’d only known him for a few days and she’d known her teammates for months, and in some cases, years. Yet her soul felt ripped apart when she thought of anything happening to the captain.
    Her hands curled into tight fists, her nails digging into the palms, as she fought against the tidal wave of remembrance. Even with her eyes open, though, she couldn’t focus on the vibrant life surrounding her, only the emptiness of death.
    Surreptitiously, she wiped her eyes. Her thoughts slid to Sondra’s birthday party. The guys had been giving her a hard time about turning thirty. Ravyn smiled slightly even as more tears fell. Sondra had laughed and told them all that getting older was better than the alternative. Ravyn turned a sob into a cough, hoping Damon wouldn’t notice.
    The evening had been boisterous and full of laughter. After dinner, they’d gathered in the communal room to watch movies and that had been when she’d slipped away. Ravyn bit down hard on her lower lip, hard enough to draw blood. She wasn’t aware that Damon had stopped, that she had automatically stopped as well, until he took her by the shoulders and gave her a gentle shake.
    “Come on, sweet pea, snap out of it.” The insistence in his voice made her curious how many times he’d tried to get her attention before this.
    The second shake wasn’t quite as gentle and she blinked up at him in surprise. The sun was up now and Ravyn guessed she’d been lost in thought for hours. Finally, she focused on Damon and realized he was concerned. “I’m okay,” she assured him, but the shakiness of her voice did not inspire confidence.
    The warmth of his touch anchored her and she brought her own hands up, gripping his forearms almost desperately. Ravyn could feel the play of his muscles under the long-sleeve shirt and that distracted her. She stared at his tan throat, watched his pulse beat. For the first time, she noticed his ears stuck out a little