SAFE . . . reyna ramirez-arellano

46 - love & anger

NATURALLY, BRIAR GOT sidetracked.

On the way, she pulled Reyna into a familiar alley and tugged her into a kiss. Briar's back hit the wall behind her, but she didn't care.

"Fuck," Reyna swore against Briar's lips, and, gods, she would've melted into a puddle if she had that ability.

"You're hot when you swear," Briar pulled away the tiniest bit so she could jump and wrap her legs around Reyna like a koala. She fucking loved wrapping her limbs around Reyna.

"Shut up." Reyna kissed her again, and Briar wasn't one to disobey orders ( that was a complete lie, but she'd do anything Reyna said ).

She relaxed into the kiss, letting herself feel the wave of emotions that suddenly rushed over her. The longing was gone, replaced with content, happiness, love like nothing else Briar had ever felt before.

Briar gasped for air as Reyna pulled away enough so their foreheads touched, and Briar noticed something on her girl's temple.

"You're hurt?" Briar's finger brushed the slightly red gash, and her stomach churned at the sight. Her legs let go of Reyna's waist, dropping to the ground uncertainly. "Why didn't you tell me? I wouldn't have wrapped my legs around you, then."

Reyna dropped her head to Briar's shoulder. "I missed you," she admitted. "I needed to feel you around me — every part of you. If you felt a fraction of what I felt during the past eight months . . ."

"I did," Briar's voice cracked. She couldn't believe that she'd endured six months without the girl in front of her. Six months of constant worrying, loneliness, and too strong feelings. "I'm a daughter of Venus, remember? It'd kinda not be my brand if I didn't feel anything."

"Gods, I missed your stupid comments," Reyna squeezed her tighter, her head still buried in Briar's neck.

"Funny, considering you were the one who wanted me to shut up earlier."

"Ha ha."

Reyna pulled away, looking down at Briar. "I moved your stuff to my room. I got my own after . . . I woke up with no memory of the past two weeks."

Briar winced. "I'll explain on the way."

They started walking, and Briar rambled on about her side of the quest she'd taken with Jason and Leo. She told things that she hadn't even told Jason, Leo, and Annabeth — Briar's conversation with her mother, how angry she felt about the entire quest. How broken she was when she'd had to leave Reyna, though she figured that everyone knew that.

"He'd captured you," Briar didn't look at Reyna. The sights around her, the flowers, the buildings, the people, she'd missed this. She'd missed feeling at home, even if she was looking at it to avoid the one person who would always be her home. "He'd fucking kidnapped you, and the only thing I could do about it was betray Jason and Leo. But I couldn't do that. Because they were the only things I had, Rey. I barely had you. All I had were garbled memories, your ring, and your jacket. I nearly killed you, for them, and I nearly killed them for you. And I . . ."

Briar looked down at her shoes, and imagined them dirtied with the actions she'd committed. "I understand if you want to, like, break up with me or something—"

"Wait," Reyna commanded, physically turning Briar's body over to look at her. "Who said anything about breaking up?"

"The giant tortured you," Briar's mind flashed back to her conversations with Enceladus. "He played with your mind, gave you your worst nightmares — and I nearly didn't fucking save you. I almost left you for dead, Rey! It was a miracle that we actually managed to save you and Hera. And on top of that, I made you forget you saw me. Because you saw me! I saved you. You saw me after two months of searching for me. You found me. And I needed to wipe your memories away with a potion Mom gave me, otherwise the whole world would've been turned to turmoil and—"