Chapter 24: The bird and the wolf(3).

Cyrus blinked, surprised, as Nila's kiss vanished almost as quickly as it had come, leaving a soft warmth on his cheek. For a moment, he simply stared at her, his gaze filled with a mixture of surprise and tenderness. He was still weak, his body heavy with exhaustion, but that brief touch of her lips had stirred something deeper, a warmth that melted the lingering haze of pain.

A faint, teasing smile crept onto his face, and his eyes sparkled with mischief. "Nila, was that a kiss?" he murmured, his voice a quiet rasp, barely more than a breath.

Nila's cheeks flushed instantly, and she pulled back, trying to mask her embarrassment with a shy laugh. "Oh, that?" she stammered, glancing away as she tucked a stray curl behind her ear. "Just a… welcome-back gesture. Nothing more."