"Bru-REE!"
"Yes, yes. You can scold me...later for using this. I'll take a nap...after...just hurry."I zoned out, snapping out of the mind communication.
"Cele—" Orion began, but didn't finish, arms catching me before I fell back. "Celestia?" Orion whispered, trying to remain quiet, but I could hear the urgency and worry in his voice.
"I…just need a moment. Or two. Arielle knows," I replied, catching my breath.
Orion sighed, lifting me in his arms before he lowered us both to the ground.
I relaxed my head against his chest, closing my eyes and waiting for the spinning sensation to end. I felt Orion's hand press against my forehead.
"Celestia, you're burning up," he revealed. A cool sensation seemed to replace where his hand once was, making me sigh in relief.
I didn't know how long I'd stayed in his arms for, feeling something brush against my cheek that woke me from my slumber.
"Celestia?" Orion asked.
"Orion? Are we still in the closet?" I queried, opening my eyes. I met his lilac eyes that showed his relief.
"Sadly, yes," Orion responded.
"How long have I been out?" I wondered.
"Twenty-two minutes and ten seconds," he calmly replied.
"Twenty-two minutes!" I exclaimed, trying to sit up, but Orion stopped me.
"Rest easy. The guys are nearby, but I think they're having trouble finding where we are," Orion admitted.
"Why?" I asked.
"There's a spell you can place on a certain area to camouflage it. The people after us used the spell so whoever tries to find that specific spot will have great difficulty seeing through the spell. Even if Arielle is with them, she'll be just as confused as they are," Orion explained.
"Ugh. That's frustrating," I mumbled.
"Yes. It's an annoying skill to have. Interesting that a vamp knows how to use it. Rather costly magic-wise," Orion admitted.
"Exhausting like communicating with Arielle?" I inquired.
Orion nodded. "You're only weak because of earlier. If you hadn't needed to fight that brat, you would have been okay," Orion replied. His eyebrow furrowed at the mention of Vincent.
"He deserved it," I gave him a weak grin.
He shook his head with a small smile. "He did, but I don't like you getting hurt," he replied.
"I didn't get hurt. I'm just tired," I acknowledged.
"Are you still dizzy?" he asked.
I shook my head. "No. I'm still tired, but I can take time to recover now that we're technically stuck here," I replied, resting my head back against his chest. His hand went through my hair, the comforting motion made me smile.
"Okay," he replied.
We sat in silence for a few minutes. The steady beat of Orion’s heart calmed my nerves.
"Orion?" I asked.
"Yes, Celestia?" he smiled down at me.