"Would you sit down for one minute?"

It seemed his strained tone finally got through to her. Loryna turned to give him a look, groaned loudly, and sat heavily against the wall. "Fine. Just…hurry it up."

Now was not the time for propriety; she was hurt. Anders shoved her shirt up, baring the painful slash across her stomach. His brows knit: if it were a few centimeters deeper, she'd have been disemboweled. "This is really bad, Loryna. You shouldn't even be walking…"

Her breath blew his hair into the air with her sigh. "Well, Anders, the next time we're trying to free a mage from a bounty hunter, I'll be sure to ask him to not slice my stomach open." She shifted a bit further down, letting him get a better view of the gash.

His hands softly glowed as he began to will her skin to mend itself. The warmth of his healing magic made Loryna sigh softly, breaking his concentration momentarily. A mental shake of the head later, he focused again. Healing her was top priority right now.

Moments passed as he slowly closed the injury. When he deemed that it was suitable enough for travel, Anders carefully tucked her shirt back down.

"There. I still want to inspect it when we get back to the clinic, but I think you'll be all right to get there." He started to stand up but her hand gently reached to still him. He kneeled in front of her again, worried. "Do you need help up?"

Loryna shook her head slowly. "No." A tender smile slowly curved her lips upward. "Thank you."

Minutes ago, she was angrily limping in pain after helping free another mage; now she smiled at him with serene fondness. The woman in front of him never ceased to amaze him. His heart twisted as it finally dawned on him.

He loved her.

Her unyielding determination, the endless patience, and bright, indomitable spirit…the way she snorted when she laughed.

We have no time for such foolishness.

Justice's thought burst through his haze, snapping him out of it.

"Come on…we need to get moving."

He carefully helped her up, ever conscious of his arm around her waist. They had to get to safety before he'd allow himself to dwell on it further.