I sat in the desk chair as Ember slept. He had fallen asleep some time ago and I was debating with myself at how often I should heal him. Should I wait for him to start fussing or should I be proactive? A small candle was lit at the desk, letting me have enough light to read a book that Ember had at his desk. It was an old one, based on the cracked binding, recounting military strategies from the past.

It was horribly boring.

Jack and Sam had gone to rest, leaving Ember completely in my hands. It was terrifying to think that he trusted me with his life.

Ember let out a little noise and I glanced over. He had tensed up. I quickly stood and slipped over, unsure where to place my hand. I didn't want to wake up.

I slid a hand onto his cheek gently and healed the wound in his chest.

His eyes flicked open and met mine. We were close, my face a mere few inches away from his. I could feel his breath on my neck. I finished healing and stood back up, going to the desk.

"Thank you," he said softly.

I nodded, heart pounding. I turned back to the book, trying to lose myself in the long, complicated words and diagrams.

A few minutes later, Ember let out a small shout, making the book tumble out of my hands. I bolted forward. Had I not healed him?

My hand landed on his cheek again and his eyes flicked open. His chest was fine, but there was a small pain in his head. I healed it and he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Sorry," he muttered. "Nightmare."

I nodded and stepped back, taking a seat in the chair. He fell back asleep.

The thought that someone like Ember had nightmares baffled me. What did he have to fear? He was a powerful Oxblood—he could turn almost anything into ash with the softest touch. I recalled seeing Tuck vanish into a puff of ash and shivered.

Surely that amount of power meant he was impervious to fear?

I picked up the book from the floor and dusted it off. I hadn't damaged it, thankfully. I flipped to the back of the book, which contained the newest records. It was from only a few years ago the last time the north and south went to war. The south had won, taking almost a thousand acres of magestone rich lands in the east, including a major trading tributary.

The south left much to be desired, but their fighters were ruthless, especially under their king. Last year, their king had died, and, so too, had much of their confidence of overcoming the north. The death of a brilliant strategist was a joyous occasion when he was the enemy.

A full-blown scream lurched me to my feet and over to Ember. I grabbed his cheek again and healed the same small pain.

"Sorry," Ember muttered. He rubbed his head and sat up, running his hands through his hair. My eyes darted to his bare chest and quickly back to his face. He swung his legs toward me and grabbed his shirt from off the top of the bed. "I guess that's all I get tonight." He sounded defeated as he slid it over his head.

"Uh, no," I said suddenly.

He turned to me. "What did you say?" he asked.

"No. You need more sleep than that," I said. "Go back to sleep."

He rubbed his eyes and smirked at me. "I know myself better than you, believe it or not. Once the nightmares start, there's no going back."

"Try once more," I said swiftly, sitting back on my heels. "Please."

He examined me, half amused by my insistence and half annoyed by it.

"Please. If you wake up again, you can stay awake, but you need more than an hour of sleep."

Ember examined me for a few seconds and finally I leaned forward and gently shoved him backward. A warm protectiveness swept over me, and I couldn't help but see Romina in his eyes. He let out a short laugh and lay back down. "Fine. One more try," he said. "What do I get if I wake up?"

"To be right," I said. "And if you sleep longer, you get more sleep. It's really a win-win for you," I argued.

"I'm convinced," he said. "Go back to your book."

I sat down next to him on the floor. "Go to sleep," I told him.

He flipped to face me and slid a hand under his cheek. "Bossy," he said softly.

"Goodnight," I said.

He rolled his eyes and closed them. After a few minutes, he stilled. I watched him closely, trying to figure out when a nightmare would return. There was only one sure way to tell. I needed to touch him. One hand was under his cheek, and another had fallen out toward me.

I eyed it and slowly moved my hand up to interlace my fingers with his.

"Good luck," he muttered.

"It doesn't count as waking up if you never fall asleep," I argued.

"I know, I know," he mumbled, his breath ruffing the short hairs of his beard.

"Goodnight," I repeated.

He smiled and settled deeper into his covers. His grip on my hand tightened and he pulled it under the covers so it was resting on the bed.

A few minutes later, his hand relaxed. His breath evened out, and I waited for the nightmares to return. Nothing. I felt the slow progression of pain in his chest and continually held it at bay. If I was touching him, I might as well heal him, right?

Time passed and my hands fell asleep, but I was too scared to move it. The last thing I needed was for him to wake up. Who knows the last time he had a full night's sleep?

I didn't realize I was dozing off until Ember jerked in his sleep. I checked, but there was no pain in his body. He slowly began to wake up and I stayed as still as I could. It was still an hour until sunrise.

He was well and truly awake. He pulled his hand from mine and began to get up. I stood up shakily, realizing that my legs had fallen asleep and were slowly waking up with sharp pins and needles. I made my way to the chair and sat down, rubbing the cold and numbness from my legs.

Ember reached for his shirt before realizing he was already dressed. He glanced at me. "How long did I sleep?" he asked.

"A while," I guessed.

He stuck his head out of the tent and went back in. "You are awful at estimating."

"I have never claimed that," I mumbled, rubbing my legs. "You were asleep long enough for my legs to fall asleep," I said. "At least an hour."

"Yes, at least," he said. He turned to me. "That was an unusual experience, but it has been a while since I have slept that long. Thank you."

The sincerity in his voice made me stop. "You're welcome."

"Jack and Sam will be by soon. Are your legs okay?" he asked.

My heart pounded at his concern. "I'm fine," I said.