Note: Hello! Sorry for the long break but it's a crazy, distracting world we're living in right now. I thought it might be fun to post this "deleted scene" that takes place after Uncharted Waters Part 9 and before Part 10. It's right after Nightshade rescues Kaylin from the crazy guy and Kaylin is "blackout drunk". I ended up not including this because I felt it was a bit out of character. I thought their interaction was cute so I didn't completely delete it cuz I fangirl so hard over Nightlin lol. Also, it is little more than a rough draft so please forgive any errors or clumsy wording. I am hard at work on the next few posts and hope to have them up over the course of the next few weeks. enjoy!
The world spun and made no sense. Hardly any sense. She knew she was being carried but everything else was an incomprehensible blur. It was a struggle to open her eyes, they felt glued shut. She blinked a few times before her vision cohered into something her brain could process. She could see pale skin, black hair - long, wet, pretty hair- falling across her. She studied the man's profile a moment. She knew this man. She slowly raised a shaking hand to his cheek, to turn his face to her. He made no effort to resist the weak pressure and met her gaze. Blue eyes, blue that could've been black, met hers and held them. Her breath caught. Even as hazy as she was, she knew that color was death. But even as she thought it his eyes shaded to something lighter, safer. The realization came slowly, then all at once, that it was Nightshade who carried her, who cradled her to his chest.
She couldn't remember why he carried her but his face was the only thing that made sense right now. The world around them was a mass of swirling, nauseating color. She had to close her eyes against it, clinging to Nightshade's neck. She could feel him bending down, settling her on something soft and warm. She opened her eyes again and thought they were somewhere familiar, a safe place. He tried to pull her arms away from his neck, speaking gently to reassure her. She clung even tighter, tears she didn't understand rolling down her face.
"Stay," she pleaded, almost indiscernible as her lips struggled to form the words. "Please stay."
"Kaylin," Nightshade replied, his voice almost regretful. "I must secure the cabin. I will return momentarily."
Against her protests, he pulled away. As heard a door open and close, she sobbed a little, feeling nameless fear in his absence. She shook and shivered on the bed, vaguely aware that her clothes were damp. Kaylin's skin began hurting and glowing a little. Magic, she thought, the answer appearing in her mind as if from a great remove. She closed her eyes against the spinning room. Relief hit her like a wave when she heard Nightshade return. She felt a warm hand brush her cheek, wiping the tears there. Grabbing his hand before he could pull away, Kaylin gave it a slight tug. He hesitated a moment before climbing into the bed beside her, pulling her shivering body close. Grabbing the blanket, he draped it over them both. His presence grounded her. She tilted her head up and pressed her lips on his jaw just where it met his neck. He chuckled, the sound vibrating between them.
"Be still, little one. You have more trust in my self-restraint than I, at this moment." He gently admonished, kissing her forehead.
"I trust you." Kaylin mumbled, scooting up the bed until she was eye to eye with the fieflord. She pressed a kiss on his lips and for a moment he let her before pulling away, his lips just barely brushing hers. He sighed, the sound not entirely happy.
"I fear the water of the lagoon is affecting you." He kissed her once more before brushing away more tears she hadn't known were still falling. Why was she crying? Why couldn't she remember? He tucked her head back against his chest, holding her tightly. "Sleep, Kaylin. You are safe now."