Anya froze in place as Raven's words continued to echo through her thoughts. I killed Tris. Her seken was dead. Murdered by the woman she loved.
"Why?" Anya croaked.
"Why what?" Raven sounded exhausted now.
"Tris. Why? Why would you kill her? She was your friend!"
Tears welled behind Raven's orbs. "I didn't know who she was at the time. Mountain Men are cruel, Anya. They made us into reapers. You can't imagine what it's like to be so dependent on that drug. They made me and Tris fight to the death for it. In the beginning, when you make the transition, memories are incredibly distant. It's like they aren't even a part of you. By the time I realized what happened, it was too late."
A few stray tears escaped, but Anya quickly wiped them away. She stayed quiet for several long moments as she processed what Raven had said.
"We should sleep," Anya said finally, her tone emotionless.
Raven looked confused when Anya held her hand out.
"You want to sleep beside me? After what I did?"
Anya couldn't afford to be angry. She'd spent the past few months worrying over Raven's safety. And from what the brunette had said, Tris' death was a good one. Although, the pain of the young girl's fight being over was a dagger to Anya's heart.
The drug Raven kept referencing must have been very powerful to pit friends against each other. She did her best not to think about Raven killing Tris as she opened her mouth to speak again.
"I do not blame you, Reivon. I blame Mountain Men. Come to bed with me. We can talk more tomorrow."
Raven took Anya's hand but did not follow. Instead, she shook her head, that pained expression on her face again.
"I don't know how lucid I'll be tomorrow. When the drug wears off…"
She didn't finish her sentence. Anya stepped closer, quickly wrapped her arms around Raven's waist and held her close. At first, Raven resisted as if by instinct, but then relaxed in Anya's arms and leaned into her.
"We might only have tonight," Raven whispered.
"You need rest, Reivon," Anya insisted. "As soon as death cloud is gone, we leave for Arcadia. I will not lose you. Not again."
With a tear-stained gaze and a sad nod, Raven pressed her lips to Anya's.
The kiss was slow, sensuous. Gently, Anya walked them backward, drawing Raven with her toward the bed. Their movements stayed slow and careful, their steps cautious and silent as they continued to kiss to their destination.
Anya crawled on the bed first before turning around to pull Raven down in front of her. Raven smiled a real, affectionate smile for the first time since Anya had found her before stripping her clothes away and slipping in bed beside the warrior.
Anya wrapped her arms around Raven once more as the brunette settled against the warrior's chest. Warmth spread through her as Raven made herself comfortable and their breathing fell into sync.
In a matter of moments, the two women drifted off to sleep, arms latched tightly to one another for the entirety of the night.
OoOoO
To say Raven was groggy the next morning would be a vast understatement. The brunette could barely lift her lids open long enough to meet Anya's gaze.
"Reivon? Wake up, Reivon."
Although the reaper was making a conscious effort, her eyes continued to roll up into her skull, her head lulled back, unable to hold herself upright.
The withdrawal had started. Which meant they were running out of time.
Anya looked to the hatch above, relief flooded her when she noticed sunlight shining through. The death cloud had lifted. It was safe to go outside again.
The first issue of the day, however, would be getting Raven dressed.
And Raven wasn't the least bit helpful as Anya pulled the reaper's tattered shirt back over her head, lifted limbs, angled arms, and shimmied pants on. She even pulled and twisted the brunette's socks and shoes on. It was all very… sweet.
Raven couldn't stand on her own, so Anya laced the reaper's arm around her neck and held her close while ascending the ladder.
Thankfully, Raven managed just enough energy to crawl out of the hole and collapse in the dirt outside. Anya wasted no time scooping up her lover and carrying her the rest of the way to Arcadia.
The sun beat hard on the determined warrior. Dehydration became a problem hours later when her water skin emptied. Her muscles grew tired, but she refused to rest, adamant about doing everything in her power to make sure Raven's fight would continue.
It wasn't until morning curved into late evening that Anya arrived at the Sky People's camp. The military officers must have seen Raven in her arms and had rushed to find the doctor because Abby and Clarke were at the gate entrance within moments of her arrival.
"What happened?" Abby asked hurriedly.
"Red Drug… Mountain…Men… m-made her r-reaper…" was all Anya could manage. She was so tired, exhausted, dehydrated. Not once did she stop on the journey.
"Clarke, get Anya some water. I'm going to get Raven on some fluids right away and do some blood tests."
With a nod, Clarke hurried off. Anya passed Raven's limp body to another doctor, a tall male with dark hair who followed Abby inside the large structure the sky people called The Ark.
When Raven disappeared from view, Anya crumbled to the ground.