Four hours in a snake nest felt like four years.
Ren lay still, staring at the ceiling of the cavern. The heat radiating off Syris was incredible. He was no longer a human popsicle; he was a human radiator set to 'High'.
The jasmine oil she had applied earlier had soaked in, leaving his skin tacky and smelling like a perfumery.
"Syris," Ren whispered. "Are you awake? My left leg is asleep. It has pins and needles."
"Pins?" Syris mumbled, his face buried in the red puffer coat. "Why do you have sharp things in your leg? Take them out."
"It's a figure of speech, you noodle. It means I need to move."
Syris grumbled, but he loosened his grip slightly.
He sat up.
Ren blinked. The change was startling. The patches of skin she had oiled on his back and chest had peeled away completely, revealing fresh, pristine scales that looked like polished obsidian. But his lower half—specifically where his legs merged into the massive tail form he favored for sleeping—was looking rough.
