"I'm still figuring it out," I admit. "I don't even know if I can heal others, or just myself."

His eyes hold mine, intense and searching. "Just be careful who knows about it. There are people here who would kill for that kind of power."

"Bad news for them. Killing me isn't going to grant them the power."

"No, but it might convince them to go to desperate lengths to coerce you."

"People like Malakai?"

"Among others."

At the entrance to the water tower, Raith stops. His fingers graze mine—brief, barely there, but deliberate, sending a trickle of fire into my body.

"I’m not going to let anything happen to you, Nessa. Or your friends. Not even during the Crucible," he tells me. "The fires are with me on this. You know we're not what the others think of us. We're good people. Honorable, loyal. They know what Malakai and Serena are doing and they think it's fucked up. Veeni and Jirai excluded, of course. The rest of us will be there and we’ll be ready to watch your backs.”

Gratitude and appreciation swells within me. "Thank you. And... thank them for me, too."

"And I also meant what I said about you being a distraction." His eyes soften, just for a moment. "A fucking beautiful distraction, Nessa."

My heart swells at the words, at the tenderness in his voice that so few ever get to hear.

"You don't have to protect me, you know," I tell him. "I'm stronger than I look."

"Trust me, I know exactly how strong you are." His hand reaches up, thumb brushing across my cheek in a touch so gentle it makes my breath catch. "That doesn't mean I don't want to keep you safe anyway."

For a moment, we're suspended in perfect stillness, the world narrowing to just the two of us. His eyes drop to my lips again, and I feel myself leaning in, drawn by that invisible current that always seems to pull us together.

"This place changes people," Raith says. "Hardens them. Strips away the things that make us human and only leaves hard, sharp edges. But not you. You're still in there. Still alive. Still you. And that... that's fucking worth protecting."

I feel myself leaning closer to him, eyes falling to his lips as my heart feels like it’s flipping over itself.

"Raith..."

He steps back suddenly, the moment broken. "I should go."

Before I can respond, he turns and walks away, back straight, posture alert. Even now, he's scanning for threats, always the protector.

I watch until he disappears into the growing darkness, trying to ignore the ache in my chest that has nothing to do with fear and everything to do with wanting something I'm not sure I can have.