I coughed as Tavian placed me back on the soil gently. I was trembling in his hold, and as he loomed over me, feeling the unsteady beat of his heart thrumming in his chest.
Tavian reached a hand out, carefully pushing some stray strands of hair away from my face. He had a certain look in his eyes that I couldn't quite place.
Relief? Worry? Satisfaction?
I wasn't sure, but I couldn't deny the fact that it made a warm feeling bloom in my chest.
Tavian took a step back, his breathing ragged as he stared down at me.
My head was pounding from the previous constriction of oxygen, and I struggled to sit up. "Tavian–"
And then, just like that, he was gone.
My friends suddenly crowded me, their eyes teary as Mira grasped my face, turning my head from side to side. I gripped her wrist as I stood up on shaky legs. "Wh-Where's Tavian?"
Talia looked at me with a hint of concern, shuffling closer to me. "What?"
"Where's Zavian?" I asked, looking around myself more frantically.
