Blackfeather Woods Sell your soul, not your whole self

She really hoped things got easier between Taikon and Zephyr. If they continued to be weird around each other, it could make things awkward and difficult for them—not intentional on either part, but it would just be how it was. Just because he seemed okay with how hard it might be for them at first, didn't mean it was right to make him figure out a way to live with it. He was so willing to disregard himself to make her happy—it was not something she was used to. But as much as it warmed her heart, it also concerned her; she didn't want him to think this was all only about her happiness.

Whatever worrying had been going on in her mind instantly vanished as he brushed up against her. She looked over at him as he continued to speak. An affectionate smile formed at his words. She knew that was the case, but it was nice to hear it from him, especially in response to her offering to put the plans on hold to find somewhere that might be more comfortable for him. She wasn't sure what to say. She had never felt this way before; the feeling was intense as it swelled in her chest. All she could do was hold his gaze when he looked to her. She hoped the feelings would show in the fiery depths of her eyes, even if she could not put them into the right words.

But then the eye contact was broken as he swerved just in time to miss running into a tree. A startled bird cawed from above, and Taki laughed for the first time in a very long time, the sound soft, feminine, and unrestrained. With a playful tone, she spoke to him as if she might be giving a lesson. When you are patrolling, you should always keep your eyes ahead of you. A smirk tugged one corner of her mouth. She hadn't been focused on the path ahead of them either, but she wasn't the one who had almost run into a tree.