Exhaustion was the first thing that greeted me when the world came back into focus. Every part of me, from my arms to my toes, felt as if it were encased in stone––moving was a herculean task, and trying seemed futile. My head rested on something soft and warm, the contrast almost enough to put me back into unconsciousness.

But through the suffocating urge to drift off again, a niggling memory forced its way to the surface. The spider. It had been dead when I'd passed out, but had any other monsters appeared since? Clover could handle herself, but that didn't mean I should heap all the responsibility onto her.

Forcing one eye open, I took in my surroundings. Only to freeze when I met Clover's amused gaze. At some point, she had pulled my head onto her thigh––the warmth more than welcome in the chilly dungeon––but in my tired stupor, I'd taken it upon myself to roll over…and wrap both arms around her.

Thankfully, my hands weren't anywhere inappropriate, but I had still used her as a human-sized, heated stuffed animal for who knows how long. Heat crawled up my neck, and I groaned. “Sorry about this. I tend to gravitate toward warmth in my sleep. My siblings love it because they get infinite cuddles during winter.”

It often ended with a pile of limbs, usually with Daedra happily curled on my chest where no one else could fit.

Clover laughed and waved off the apology. “I don't mind. In fact, it's kind of cute––the big bad paladin knight who has a built-in detector for warmth.”

My blush deepened, nearly singeing my cheeks, and I turned into her to hide it. “You thrive on teasing me, don't you?”

She poked my cheek until I looked at her again and nodded. “I do enjoy messing with you, but if it bothers you, I'll stop.”

The amusement from before had faded, replaced by sincerity. If I asked her to stop, she would. While I appreciated that, did I really want this back-and-forth to end? I still wasn't sure how to respond when she flirted, but that didn't mean I wasn't enjoying it. The only women around my age in Dawncrest were in relationships and those who weren’t had made it clear they didn't want a man with five siblings as part of the package.

The other men were welcome to them. Any woman who would ask me to abandon my family wasn't someone I wanted.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

She tapped my head and raised a brow. “Do you really have to think that hard about whether or not it bothers you?”

Ah, I'd been quiet too long. Refocusing on her, I shook my head and smiled. “No, it doesn't. I…actually kind of enjoy it. I just tend to get lost in thought.”

The brief concern in her eyes faded into teasing again, and she grinned. “You enjoy it?”

The words practically dripped with amusement, and in that second, I knew she'd never let me live this down. Still, there was no point in lying now.

“Yeah, I do. What are you going to do about it?” I challenged, and her smile stretched even wider.

“Tease you even more, of course. You can't give me blanket permission like that and expect me not to.”

I shrugged, fighting back a yawn. “Just try not to during battle. With my luck, I'll trip and land on my sword.”

She hummed in agreement and leaned back on her palms. “I happen to like you not bleeding or injured, so I'll keep that in mind.” Then she glanced at my arms. “Not that I mind, but do you plan on staying there all day? My thigh fell asleep a while ago, and we should probably keep moving.”

I reluctantly unwound myself from her and moved to sit up, only to regret it immediately when the exhaustion from before hit me like a tidal wave. Every muscle ached in protest, and I grimaced, steadying myself with a hand on the ragged floor.

“I don't think it’s a good idea for me to try fighting like this.”

She analyzed me and winced. “Yeah, I take it back. We're definitely not moving for a few more hours. Your status is ‘Heavily Exhausted’ and, to be fair, I'm not far behind. I used quite a lot of mana in that fight, and I'll need at least a night’s rest to recover.”

Her mace sat within easy reach, and she eyed it with a grimace. “I knew this dungeon would be rough, but I didn't think it'd be this much of a challenge with the two of us.”

Before I could try to reassure her, she gave me a weak smile and lightly nudged my armor. “Are you sure you want to keep going? Starkfell can't reward you, even if we get the herb. No one will judge you for walking away.”

Her body language betrayed her more than that sad excuse for a smile. Her shoulders held a subtle slump, as if she'd already accepted that she'd be doing this alone, and bone-deep exhaustion burned behind her eyes.

But the stubborn set to her jaw told me everything she wasn't saying. If I left, she'd try to force her way through the dungeon in search of that herb. I'd sooner feed myself to one of those spiders than leave her to face it alone.

Still, we'd need a new approach if we wanted to be finished with the dungeon this week.

I patted her arm and smiled. “You're not getting rid of me that easily. After all, you can't tease me if I'm not here, right?”

Surprise flickered through her exhaustion, only to melt into gratitude and something warmer that I couldn’t quite name. Before I could try to figure it out, her smile stretched into a genuine one, and all thoughts of odd expressions fled.

She hooked an arm around my neck and, before I realized what was happening, she pulled me into a one-armed hug.

Oh, this was new.