Raven POV

The instant change in Harlee's demeanor was a little scary; I had to admit. And a tad hot, which I refuse to. She looked utterly relaxed, crouched in front of me, elbows resting on her thighs, hands dangling loosely, and a natural smile on her lips. Lips that had a bottom lip that begged to be bitten.

Stop thinking about her lips, I ordered myself, tearing my gaze from them.

I did, just in time to see her head snap towards the forest and stand. Harlee's body slightly tensing as she blocked my view, revealing a tight ass in form-fitting pants. I had thought her unarmed, but her hand moving to rest just above that gods-be-damned ass…

Seriously, Rae. Stop, I scolded myself.

…revealed a large hunting knife sheathed at the small of her back. Harlee's hand gripped the knife handle firmly as I watched her head tilt slightly. Almost as if she were listening to something that I couldn't hear.

I stood up and moved to her, "What is it?"

Harlee glanced at me before looking back at the forest, "Someone's coming."

"I don't hear anything," I said, feeling fear starting to creep up my spine.

Harlee sighed, "Well, I do" -grabbing my hand and tugging me back to the pod- "and I need you to get back in the pod."

I tugged my hand free and stopped, glaring at her, "Wait a minute. What if it's someone from your camp? What if it's Finn?"

I turned to walk towards the forest, a need to find Finn building in my chest, but I was stopped when Harlee tugged me back, spinning me around to face her.

Grabbing my shoulders to hold me in place, "You can't just go tearing into the woods, Raven. It's not safe. I don't know who's heading this way, and that's the problem. There are people at camp that don't want the Ark to come down. Some of them are dangerous. They will do anything to get this radio. Then there are the Grounders to consider. Your arrival has disrupted whatever we have going on between us. That's why I want you and this radio back in the pod until I can find out if it's safe or not."

"What about you?"

Harlee smirked, "I can hold my own if it comes to it. But my concern is your safety so, please, for my peace of mind. Can you please get back in the pod?"

I sighed, relenting, "Fine, but the moment it's safe…"

"I'll get you," she promised as a hand slid down my arm until it entwined with mine.

Then she was tugging me back to the pod. I followed, glancing over my shoulder every few steps, somewhat expecting to see someone burst through the trees with murder in their eyes. Harlee let my hand go, and I instantly missed the warmth while scolding myself once more. I really needed to get over this insta-crush on Harlee. It was ridiculous and unneeded. I had Finn. I love Finn.

Harlee bent, grabbing my suit and tossing it into the pod before unslinging her bag and throwing it, albeit more gently, after. She bent over again, revealing she had a second knife tucked into her boot.

Shocked seeing the second knife, I blurted, "Just how many knives do you have on you?"

Harlee's chuckle sent my stomach fluttering, and "I love Finn" mantra started up in my head again.

"Just the two," she replied, interrupting my inner panicked mantra. Harlee held it out to me, handle first, "Here. Just in case."

I took it and immediately appreciated the weight of it. It felt solid and made me feel safer to have it on me.

"How will you let me know it's safe?"

"I'll knock three times and then nine times," Harlee replied after a moment. "Those are two of my three favorite numbers. Significant to me."

"Anything else?"

"Two things. If nobody comes for you after a couple of hours, it'll most likely be safe to leave. The camp is an hour away southeast of here" -she pointed in the direction- "But most importantly, if this hatch opens without those knocks, you need to be prepared to use that knife. Don't think about it. Just stab first and fast. Then run back to camp. Got it?"

"Got it," I replied and started to climb back into the pod, but Harlee stopped me once again.

Before I knew what was happening, I was up against the pod, and Harlee was kissing me. I couldn't form a coherent thought the moment I felt her lips against mine. I gasped in shock, and Harlee deepened the kiss. I couldn't help myself, and I kissed her back. My hands were reaching up to cup her face with a mind of their own. A small part of my brain registered that I had never been kissed so thoroughly, so completely in my lifetime. And I did not want it to stop, but it eventually did. Our bodies demanding oxygen broke the exquisite kiss.

I hadn't realized that my eyes had closed, but I felt Harlee lay her head against mine as a thumb brushed almost lovingly over my kiss swollen lips. When she spoke, her voice was deeper and sultrier than before. Sending shivers and heat across my body.

"If this is the only chance I get to have, I had to take it. I had to know your taste, Reivon. My Valkyrie," she whispered, her breath hot against my skin.

I opened my eyes to see pools of black looking back. I nearly drowned, staring into their depths. I took a shaky breath and then another. I was going to say something, but her head snapped to look over her shoulder and let out a curse.

She turned back to me, "You need to get in the pod, Raven. They're close."

"We're talking about this when this is over," I replied, glaring up at her. "You can't just go kissing people."

Harlee smirked, "I have been warned about that before, but they stop complaining soon enough."

"Jesus, you are full of it, Casanova," I huffed and pushed her lightly away so that I could move. Getting into the pod, I turned to look at her, feeling suddenly nervous, "You'll knock when it's safe."

Harlee nodded, her hands on the hatch, "Three then nine. But whatever happens, I swear to you that you will be safe. And I rarely, if ever, break my promises, my Valkyrie."

Our gazes held until the hatch blocked our view of each other. Then the hatch was closed, and the lock shut with a thud. I sagged in the seat, leaned my head against it, and tried to figure out what the fuck was going on with me.

I had never felt such a strong reaction toward anybody before. Not even Finn. I felt her even before I was fully conscious. Her warm hands were holding and gently stroking my face. Her voice. God, her voice was otherworldly, and damn did it do things to me. Then I opened my eyes, and for a solid minute, I thought I hadn't survived the landing. Because there was no way someone, as beautiful as Harlee, could exist in real life. Not and be mere inches away from me. I wasn't that lucky. Or so I thought, but she ended up being real. Very real and, holy fucking hell, very solid. Her fucking abs were a wall of muscle. Her shirt showing every inch of muscle on her like a second skin. Harlee was surely a gift of the gods, and what was utterly ridiculous, she knew it too.

That fucking smirk of hers. I wanted to slap it and kiss it off simultaneously. I mean, it was ridiculous.

I wanted to know how anyone could fucking function around that woman. Was anyone even capable of resisting her when she dropped that voice and poured out the charm? Because the only thing that saved me from throwing myself at her was reminding myself that I was with Finn and loved him. Loved him with my entire heart.

I groaned lightly into the silent pod and shook my head to clear my thoughts of Harlee. The reason I had to be reacting so strongly was because of just straight-up physical attraction. That it had been a few months since I'd done anything with Finn and everything I was feeling was because of that reason. And that reason alone. It didn't mean anything. I certainly had the willpower to resist the dark-haired, dark-eyed goddess that was Harlee. Because I was Raven fucking Reyes, and I can do anything I put my mind to.

I could ignore her hotness. I could ignore that I felt safe near her. I could ignore her engaging conversation. I could and would ignore everything that was Harlee. Yeah, I could do that. Right?

I groaned again and rubbed my face, wincing as I touched the gash on my head. Somehow, I'd forgotten about that. And the way Harlee gently cleaned it.

"Okay, stop," I spoke out loud. "This is getting ridiculous. Harlee is just a woman. It's been months since I did anything with Finn. It's just leftover adrenaline from the launch and euphoria finding out I survived. That's all this is. It'll pass."

To occupy myself, and distract myself from Harlee, I looked around, and Harlee's bag caught my attention. I pulled it onto my lap, examining it. It was a rather nice waterproofed canvas bag. Something I know we didn't have on the Ark. Not anymore after being in space for centuries. I idly wondered where she'd found it as I opened it up.

I removed the radio and set it on the other seat, nestled safely against the suit. I pulled out the empty water pouch, a few more bandages, and a small bag with a drawstring. I pulled it open, and a sweet and spicy scent wafted out. Intrigued, I shook some out to find something that looked like dried food. The smell made my mouth water, and I tentatively took a bite out of it. The flavor burst across my tongue, and I moaned at the same time as I chewed the tough food. I couldn't help myself, the moment it hit my mouth, I realized I was hungry. I ate the entire bag and whined when I realized it was empty. I also complained, realizing that I had already drunk all the water to wash the remnants down.

Pouting that the food was gone, I went back to taking everything out of Harlee's bag. Yes, I know I was snooping, but come on. I was stuck in a pod with nothing to do. I was bored.

I pulled out another drawstring pouch. This one full of what looked like nuts and small dried things. Sniffing them, they seemed to have a sweet smell, but I didn't try them. They just seemed too weird to eat. Next came a thing of folded leather with a strip of leather wrapped around it. Opening it up, were sleeves filled with little vials of different colors. I examined one but saw nothing to identify what it was on the vial. There were also a couple of hooked needles and a small spool of smooth thread. Lastly, there was a little thin blade in a sleeve the length of the leather. It wasn't until I saw a familiar shaped cross burnt into the leather that I figured out what I was holding. It was a medkit. A primitive-looking medkit with natural medicinal plant extracts. It made me question how Harlee had come by this because there was no way anybody on the Ark knew how to use medicinal plants.

My confusion grew when I pulled out a stoppered ceramic bowl thing. Pulling the stopper out, a fresh and slightly earthy smell wafted up. Looking inside, it appeared to be some kind of paste. I cautiously dipped a finger into the paste. It was cool to the touch, and after a moment, there was a slight tingling feeling that was soothing. I wondered what it was for but set it aside to question Harlee about later.

The last thing I pulled out was a coil of rope. I didn't unravel it but figured there were roughly a few feet of it. As I sat there and stared at everything, I realized that Harlee came prepared. She had food, water, medicine, bandages, and rope. Then there were the knives she had. What it all told me was that there was more to Harlee than what everyone saw on the surface. And let's face it, the surface was quite distracting.

I was starting to think that maybe that was on purpose. Harlee's beauty made people underestimate her because you wouldn't expect someone like her to know how to do much of anything. You'd think Harlee would have relied on her looks to get people to do things for her. And that maybe there wasn't a brain underneath that gorgeous exterior. But just talking for a few minutes with her, I could tell she was intelligent. Harlee missed nothing. And that made Harlee dangerous. Or the perfect person to have on your side.

I sighed and started putting everything back. As I did, I once more focused on Harlee. Harlee was a mystery. She was alluring and captivating, but it was evident that there was more to her. There was something hidden beneath the surface. The more I thought about it, the more I wanted to know what it was. Just who exactly was Harlee.

I was pulled abruptly from my thoughts by a massive, shuddering thud against the side of the pod. The sound made me jump, and I gripped Harlee's knife tighter. I hid Harlee's bag underneath my suit before turning to face the door. My heart rate and breathing skyrocketing as another thud sounded. I situated myself so that if I had to lunge, I wouldn't fall flat on my face. Then I waited and prayed that I would hear Harlee's knocks.

It felt like an eternity before I heard the sound I had been dreading. The lock disengaging without the knocks first. I mentally pumped myself up, preparing to do precisely what Harlee had told me to do. Stab and run. I kept telling myself that. Stab and run. Stab and run.

The moment I saw legs, I knew it wasn't Harlee. The hatch slowly opened as fingers hooked underneath the lip to pull it up. The moment the hatch was fully open, we both froze. A part of my brain took in that it was a tall, lanky guy with shaggy dark hair. In one hand, he held a knife with something black dripping from it. Then time seemed to unfreeze. At the same time he reached in to grab me, I lunged forward with the knife aimed directly for him. We connected and fell out of the pod. His head hitting the hatch as I felt the knife sink in somewhere. The guy yelled out in pain, followed by an oomph as we landed on the ground. I scrambled to my feet, pulling the knife with me, and eliciting another yell from the guy.

Then I made the mistake. I remembered the radio and Harlee's words. Still clutching the knife, I turned back to grab the bag. Just as my fingers reached a strap, I felt myself being dragged backward. I landed on my back with a groan and screamed when a foot stomped on my wrist. I let go of the knife that had been in my hand. Before I could do anything, the foot connected with my side. I cried out again and curled into myself. I felt the foot connect again and felt something pop. I thought for sure that another kick was coming, but it never did.

Instead, there was a sickening wet crack and the sound of two bodies falling to the ground. I opened my eyes, and through tears of pain, I saw the guy and Harlee lying on the ground. The guy wasn't moving, and I could see blood beginning to seep out of his hairline. Harlee was trying to get up, but couldn't do more than prop herself up on her arms. I watched as she crawled over to me. I reached out for her, and she grabbed my hand as she dragged herself the rest of the way across.

"Raven, are you okay," Harlee asked, her eyes wildly roaming over me.

I whimpered in pain then swallowed it down to answer, "I think he might have cracked a rib. I felt something pop in my chest."

"Shit," she cried, albeit weakly, and her eyes turned absolutely murderous, making me shiver in fear. "I'm so, so sorry, Raven. Bellamy blindsided me. I should have been more careful. I'm so sorry."

Then the strangest thing I'd ever witnessed happened. Harlee started to cry. Instinctively, I pulled Harlee to me, wrapping my arms around her and trying to get her to stop crying.

"I swore that you'd be safe. I broke my promise. I'm sorry," she cried weakly.

"Shh. It's okay. You kept your promise. I'm safe. You kept me safe. You stopped him," I soothed.

I felt something seep into my clothes, and I moved my arm to see it coated in something black.

"Harlee, please tell me this is from a busted can of oil you kept somewhere on you."

Harlee sniffed, "It's not. Its blood. My blood."

Alarmed, I laid her down and finally saw what I had missed. Harlee was clutching her stomach.

"This is a lot of blood, Harlee."

"I know," she replied, her voice much weaker now.

"Hey," I said, grabbing her chin to look at me. "You don't get to give up, Harlee. We have a lot of shit to talk about still. And I want that conversation, so you're not going to die on me. Got it?"

Harlee smiled softly, "Got it. Then you need my bag. There's a leather pouch in there. We need the pouch."

Knowing what she was talking about it, I got to my feet slower than I wanted. My chest was starting to hurt, thanks to the asshole on the ground. I went quickly to the pod and pulled the bag out. Opening it and rifling through it to get the pouch. I found it and pulled out the rest of the bandages with it.

"Got it," I said, kneeling beside her. Her eyes were closed, and I called out louder, "Harlee!"

Her eyes snapped open and looked at me with pain-filled eyes that just tore at my heart. I wanted nothing more than to take that pain away.

"What do you need out of this pouch," I asked, holding it up for her to see.

She licked her lips, "There are four vials inside. One to ease pain, and another will slow blood flow. A green liquid and a clear one. The green is for pain. Clear is a coagulant."

"Okay," I said, pulling the appropriate vials out. "Now what?"

Harlee's breath shuddered, and her body shivered, but she stayed looking at me. Like I was the only thing keeping her alive.

She lifted her shirt, exposing the knife wound. Blood was pouring from the wound in a steady stream, the minute her hand was away. It was already pooling beneath her.

"Wipe the blood away and pour just a little bit of the clear liquid directly into the wound," Harlee breathed out. "You're going to have to pull it open to do it."

"What," I exclaimed in shock.

"It has to go directly in, Raven," she told me, pleading with me. "Pour until you see the blood slow down."

"O-okay," I replied nervously. "Here goes nothing."

I took a bandage and wiped the blood away from the wound. I saw the wound gaping a bit. Cringing but determined, I pulled the skin further apart then poured the clear liquid into the open wound. It didn't take much before I noticed the blood slowing down. When I did, I stopped, let go, and pressed a bandage over it. I watched as she lifted her hand slowly and then let it fall over the dressing. Pressing it down.

"Now what, Harlee," I asked.

"Bring me the other vial," she whispered.

I scooted closer to her head, ignoring the rocks digging into my legs. Knowing that she probably had to drink the vial, I lifted her head and shoulders to prop against my thighs.

"I only need a little bit, Raven. Too much, and it will make my heart stop."

"Yeah, we don't want that to happen. Do we, Casanova?"

"No, I very much don't want to die. I have too much to do."

"Yeah, you do," I said as I tilted the vial over her lips.

She drank nothing more than a tiny sip before she turned her head away. I brushed loose strands away from her face that had gone sweaty.

"What now, Harlee?"

"Now, I need you to do something that you probably don't want to. I need you to leave me. Leave and run to our camp."

"I can't do that, Harlee. Just tell me how to fix you, and I'll do it. Please," I begged.

"Unless you know how to start a fire or stitch a wound close, you need to. You need to find Clarke and bring her here."

Knowing I could do neither, I still argued, "What if I miss her? What if she's on her way and I can't find her? What the hell does she even look like?"

"You won't miss her," Harlee replied, her voice sounding sleepy. "Your namesake will guide you. And you'll know her because she used to be the fairest of them all."

"My namesake? What does that even mean? Harlee? Harlee?!"

I shook her awake, and she looked at me in confusion.

"Harlee, what do you mean? I need you to tell me."

"Listen for the kraw of the death bird," she whispered, making even less sense now. "The death bird will guide you to the keeper of death. Find her."

"Harlee…"

"Go, Raven! Hurry before another Valkyrie takes me home!"

"Okay, Harlee. Okay. Just please don't die," I said, getting out from under her.

"As you will it, so I shall," Harlee mumbled.

Sniffing and wiping tears that had begun to fall, I started running towards the forest. Harlee's last words chasing me into the shadows of the trees.

"GO! FIND CLARKE. FOLLOW YOUR NAMESAKE!"