Warmth.

That was the first thing Jax felt as consciousness dragged him back from the void.

The second thing was something wet and warm pressing against his lips, forcing a thick, salty liquid down his throat.

His eyes snapped open.

Queen Adelina's face was inches from his, her lips pressed against his mouth, her cheeks puffed as she fed him directly like a mother bird to its chick.

'What the fuck?!'

Jax's body jerked reflexively. He coughed, sputtering as the fish broth went down the wrong pipe.

"Cough! Cough! What the hell are you doing?!"

Adelina pulled back, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. Her face was flushed, though whether from embarrassment or the heat of the nearby bonfire, he couldn't tell.

"You collapsed," she said matter-of-factly. "You were burning up with fever. I had to get fluids into you somehow."

"So you decided to spit food into my mouth like a goddamn bird?!"

"It's called survival," she shot back, crossing her arms. "And you're welcome, by the way."

Jax groaned, his head pounding. He tried to sit up and immediately realized two things.

One: He was completely naked.

Two: He was lying directly in front of the bonfire, wrapped in the bandit's cloak like a burrito which barely covered him.

His eyes snapped to Adelina, who was now stirring something in what looked like a large, hollowed-out piece of bark.

'Is that... is she seriously using tree bark as a pot?'

"Where. Are. My. Clothes."

She didn't even look at him. "Drying. They were soaked. You would've died from hypothermia."

"So you stripped me?"

"Would you prefer I let you freeze to death?" She glanced over her shoulder, one eyebrow raised. "Or would that have been easier on your fragile masculine pride?"

Jax's jaw clenched. 'This woman...'

He sat up fully, clutching the cloak around his waist. His body ached, his throat burned, and his head felt like it had been stuffed with cotton.

And yet, he was alive.

Because of her.

The realization sat uncomfortably in his chest.

"Why?" Jax's voice was hoarse, barely above a whisper.

Adelina paused mid-stir, her back still to him. "Why what?"

"Why did you save me?"

The question hung in the air like smoke. The crackling of the fire was the only sound for a long moment.

When she finally turned to face him, her expression was unreadable. "What kind of question is that?"

"The kind that makes sense." Jax's tone was sharp, cutting. "I humiliated you. I violated you. And the first chance you get, you nurse me back to health?"

She let out a long, tired sigh and sat down across from him, the fire between them.

"Because I'm not like you," she said simply.

Jax blinked. "What?"

"I said, I'm not like you." Her voice was soft but firm. "I was taught that life is sacred. That even your enemies deserve mercy if they're helpless."

She looked up at him, her green eyes reflecting the firelight. "How could I let someone die right in front of me? That goes against everything I was raised to believe."

Her lips curved into a small, bitter smile. "Unlike someone I met a few hours ago."

Jax stared at her, caught off guard by the gentle reproach in her tone.

'She's... scolding me?'

A strange, uncomfortable warmth spread through his chest. Not desire. Something else. Something he couldn't quite name.

"You're insane," he muttered, but there was no bite to it.

"Here." Adelina ladled some of the broth into a curved piece of bark and handed it to him carefully so it wouldn't spill. "Drink. Slowly this time."

Jax took the makeshift bowl, eyeing the murky liquid suspiciously. "What is this?"

"Fish broth. With... herbs."

"Herbs?"

"I found some plants by the river. They looked edible."

"'Looked' edible?"

"Well, I'm not a botanist!" she snapped, her cheeks flushing. "I did my best, alright? It's not like I've ever had to forage before!"

Jax took a cautious sip.

Gulp.

His face contorted. "This tastes like someone boiled a boot with river mud."

"Then don't drink it!" Adelina snatched the bark-bowl back, glaring at him. "Starve for all I care!"

"Wait, wait!" Jax held up his hands in mock surrender, fighting back a grin. "I didn't say I wouldn't drink it."

She eyed him suspiciously. "You just compared it to footwear and dirt."

"Yeah, but I'm hungry enough to eat both, so..." He reached for the bowl. "Hand it over, Your Majesty."

Adelina huffed but gave it back. "You're insufferable."

"And you're a terrible cook."

"I saved your life!"

"With the worst soup in human history."

Despite herself, Adelina's lips twitched. "It's not that bad."

"It really is."

"Then why are you drinking it?"

Jax paused, the bark-bowl halfway to his lips. Their eyes met across the fire.

"Because you made it," he said quietly.

The words hung between them, heavier than he'd intended.

Adelina's expression softened, surprise flickering across her face. For a moment, she looked almost... touched.

Then she cleared her throat and looked away. "Well. Good..."

They sat in silence for a while, the only sounds the crackling fire and the distant rustle of leaves.

Jax studied her across the flames. She looked so different from the regal, commanding queen he'd first seen in the carriage.

Her hair was tangled and dirty. Her face was smudged with soot. The oversized cloak hung off her frame like a child playing dress-up.

And yet, there was something almost... endearing about it.

'Stop it,' he told himself. 'She's a resource. Nothing more.'

But even as he thought it, he couldn't quite make himself believe it.

That's when it happened.

The cloak shifted.

Jax glanced down and froze. His 9-inch rod was standing at full attention, proudly saluting the night sky like a flagpole.

'Oh, you've got to be fucking kidding me.'

Adelina followed his gaze. Her eyes went wide.

"Oh."

"Don't," Jax said through gritted teeth. "Don't say anything."

"I wasn't going to!"

"You were staring!"

"I was not staring!" Her face turned beet red. "I was just... surprised!"

"Surprised?!"

"Well, I didn't expect it to just... pop up like that!"

Jax grabbed the edge of the cloak and pulled it tighter around himself. "It's a natural bodily function. It happens."

"I know that!" Adelina turned away, her hand covering her mouth. "I'm married, remember? I've seen one before!"

"Then why are you acting like a scandalized schoolgirl?!"

"Because—" She cut herself off, her voice dropping. "Because it's different."

"Different how?"

She was quiet for a long moment. "Because it's you."

The words hung in the air.

Adelina's hand flew to her mouth, as if she could shove the words back in.

Jax raised an eyebrow. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing!" She stood abruptly, her back to him. "It means nothing!"

But Jax saw it.

The way her hand had twitched. The way her eyes had lingered for just a second too long before she looked away. The faint tremor in her fingers.

She'd almost reached for it.

'Holy shit. She almost reached for it.'

The realization sent a jolt through him, equal parts shock and dark amusement.

"Your Majesty," he said slowly, his tone laced with wicked curiosity. "Were you about to—"

"NO!" She spun around, her face practically glowing. "Absolutely not! I would never! How dare you even think of—"

"I didn't thought anything." Jax's grin was pure evil. "You did."

Adelina sputtered, her mouth opening and closing like a fish.

Finally, she threw her hands up. "Fine! Yes! For one BRIEF, STUPID moment, my hand moved on its own! Are you happy?!"

Jax burst out laughing. "Oh my god. You're serious."

"It was pure instinct!" she protested, her voice going higher. "You're sitting there naked, it's freezing cold, and that thing is just... jutting out like a damn campfire poker! My brain short-circuited for half a second thinking maybe you needed a blanket for it or—or something!"

Thud.

Jax fell backward onto the ground, clutching his stomach as he howled with laughter.

"A blanket?! For my dick?!"

"STOP LAUGHING!"

"You wanted to—" He gasped for air. "—to tuck it in like a baby?!"

Adelina grabbed a small twig and hurled it at him. "I hate you! I hate you so much right now!"

The twig bounced harmlessly off his chest. Jax sat up, wiping tears from his eyes.

"Your Majesty," he wheezed, "that is the funniest thing anyone has ever said to me."

"It's not funny!"

"It's hilarious."

Despite her mortification, the corner of Adelina's mouth twitched. Then her shoulders started shaking. Then a small giggle escaped.

And then she was laughing too.

It started as a quiet chuckle, but within seconds, both of them were laughing so hard they couldn't breathe. The absurdity of it all—the situation, the forest, the blanket comment just kept building until tears streamed down their faces.

When they finally calmed down, Adelina was sitting beside him, wiping her eyes.

"I can't believe I said that," she mumbled.

"I can't believe you thought it."

She elbowed him lightly. "Shut up."

They sat there in comfortable silence, shoulders almost touching, both staring into the fire.

"Hey," Jax said quietly.

"What?"

"Thanks. For not letting me die."

She paused, her expression softening. "You're welcome."

Then she smirked. "But if you get sick again, you're feeding yourself."

Jax snorted. "Deal."

By the time Jax's clothes were dry enough to wear, the tension between them had shifted into something almost... comfortable.

They packed up the makeshift camp in silence, the easy kind that didn't need filling.

As they set off deeper into the forest, Adelina walking ahead with a makeshift torch, Jax found himself watching her.

'She's nothing like I thought she'd be.'

And that, he realized, was either the best thing that could have happened.

Or the most dangerous.

"Hey," he called out.

Adelina glanced back. "What now?"

Jax flipped her off.

She grinned.

And as they disappeared into the darkness of the Forest of Dread, something unspoken hung between them.

Something that neither of them was ready to name.

Not yet.

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