The Serpent and The Bird

Like a Moth to a Flame

The shouting intensified when she opened the bedroom door that led to the corridor.
There was a battle right inside the tent, and if she had heard right, aurors had swamped the place.
Everleigh ran down the hallway that opened up to the big, large room where she had seen Rookwood for the first time, but immediately crouched down behind the wall when green and red flashes of light shot in her  direction.
Peeking her head out, she saw the Dark Wizard's loyalists  against the Ministry aurors. There was quite a significant amount of aurors in the that tent, and her only regret was that she couldn't use her magic to help them.

And then she spotted Nikolai, disarming and stunning two dark wizards, and her body instinctively moved up to stand again, her eyes fixed on him.
Nikolai saw her from across the room, and Everleigh didn't think she would ever feel safe again but oh, how glad she was of seeing him.

She was sure ease had plastered all over her face, but not like the relief Nikolai had in his. His whole demeanor changed as soon as his blue eyes connected with her, and he dashed across the room, dodging spells and Dark Wizards alike.
And a second later, Everleigh was firmly pressed against his chest. His hand had solidified against her body, the other on her hair, and he buried his head in her neck.
She didn't realize she was crying until she felt something wet pooling against Nikolai's robe, where her face was hiding.

- Thanks Heavens.

He whispered, his voice shaking. But barely a few seconds after the contact, Nikolai was grabbing her cheeks to look at her with intensity.

- I'm going to get you out of here.

And before she could open her mouth, the darkness engulfed them. By the time Everleigh blinked again, they both were in the forest, outside of the encampment. Or at least close enough that she could recognize the same trees that she had seen outside of it when she first walked in.
She was still in Nikolai's arms, and the realization that she was safe started to come to her, slow, soft. And she let out an imperceptible sob before she was hugging Nikolai again.
Everleigh had never been so close to him to actually decipher his scent but the main notes were cerdarwood, bergamot and pepper. And in that moment, that's all she needed to smell.
He was still hugging her, just as reticent to let go of her like she was him.

- We have to go back... We have to...

- No, we are taking you to safety first.

- But...

- There's not a chance in hell I'm letting you back in there, Everleigh.

His voice was stern, and she knew he would not change his mind.
And suddenly, he had cupped her face and his lips came dangerously close to her mouth, breathing against her with an air of uncertainty that wasn't lost to Everleigh. Like asking for permission.

- I know I said I was going to wait. - Those words knocked the oxygen out of her lungs. - But I don't think I can anymore.

And he kissed her.

Nikolai kissed her tender, and gentle, and soft, and sweet. And Everleigh didn't know if it was because she desperately needed to feel something else more than anger and pain, or maybe she was so happy to see him. But she kissed him back.
His lips remained kind on her, like he was savoring every second and every inch of her. But his fingers were digging on the skin of her cheeks so passionately that she felt like that touch could consume her.
He felt safe and secure, and she just wanted to keep feeling that way. But there was something missing that she couldn't quite put her finger on.

Just as the air thickened between them, Nikolai's hands and lips abandoned her, and the man was contorting on the floor. In pain.

A gasp died in Everleigh's throat when she looked up to see a figure in the obscurity of the forest, his wand pointing at Nikolai. The man was so deep concealed in the shadows, she could barely make up his face.
And then she realized she couldn't see it because he was wearing a mask.