I grow stronger by making my wife happy.

Chapter 370: 370:First real kiss.

The world around them disappeared again. It wasn’t a careful kiss, there was too much emotion for that.

Ravenna tightened her arms around him and Silver pulled her closer. The kiss deepened for several seconds before she finally pulled back to breathe, her forehead resting against his.

Silver was smiling while Ravenna was still crying. He brushed another tear away.

”You’re still crying.”

”Don’t ruin this.”

”I’m not trying to.”

”You are naturally talented at it.”

He laughed softly.

”That’s probably true.”

Ravenna looked at him, then kissed him again; shorter this time. When she pulled away, he spoke quietly.

”I missed you.”

She stared into his eyes before responding.

”I missed you so much that I started getting angry every time I thought about you. I would wake up and think about whether you were cold, whether you had food, whether you were injured somewhere and couldn’t move, and then I’d get angry because you were the one who stayed behind. Then I’d remember why you stayed behind, and I couldn’t even properly blame you for it.”

”You can blame me a little.”

”I blame you a lot.”

”That’s more like you.”

She almost smiled, then her eyes moved across him again.

”Where have you been since you got out? Your message came yesterday evening. I’ve been waiting all day, and I thought if you reached the surface you would come immediately.”

Silver looked toward the road where the taxi had disappeared.

”I got down from the mountain after sunset. My car was still there, I was a little surprised, and Antony had left the keys for me, which might be the nicest thing he’s ever done for me because otherwise I would have had a very unpleasant walk ahead of me.”

Ravenna’s expression softened.

”He left them because he kept saying you might come back.”

He glanced toward the examination area.

”I’ll thank him when I see him.”

”He’s taking the entrance examination.”

His eyes widened.

”Antony?”

”Yes.”

”Voluntarily?”

She finally laughed properly.

”That’s almost exactly how I reacted.”

He smiled.

”Good for him.”

Ravenna waited for him to continue.

”And after you found the car?”

Silver hesitated. He knew what came after that was going to require a much longer explanation.

”I drove until I reached the observation center this morning.”

Her eyes widened.

”This morning?”

”Yes. By the time I got there, my beacon had already made me considerably more popular than I wanted to be. There were questions, people checking whether I was actually alive, medical staff who weren’t particularly interested in my opinion about whether I needed to sit down, and a lot of people suddenly wanting to know what happened underground.”

Ravenna’s eyes narrowed.

”Then how did you get here this quickly? Death Row Valley isn’t close enough for you to drive from the observation center to Alpha Three before four.”

Silver smiled.

”I got a lift.”

”A lift from who?”

”A helicopter.”

She became silent. He could almost see the questions multiplying.

”A helicopter brought you from the observation center?”

”Yes.”

”Why did the observation center suddenly put you on one?”

Silver looked at her.

”I’ve got a story to tell.”

She narrowed her eyes.

”You’re using that answer too much.”

”It’s a very long story.”

”How long?”

He thought about the underground.

”Probably long enough that we shouldn’t tell it while standing in front of the academy.”

She looked over him once more.

”Does this story explain the bandages?”

”Yes.”

”The missing sword?”

”Yes.”

”Your missing phone?”

”Unfortunately.”

”The helicopter?”

”Eventually.”

”Why you looked guilty when I mentioned falling off a mountain?”

He paused. Her eyes narrowed further at that.

He smiled carefully.

”That’s somewhere in the later Chapters.”

”Silver.”

”I’ll tell you everything.”

She studied him.

”Everything?”

”Everything I remember.”

Ravenna finally nodded.

”Fine. But if you leave out something because you think it’ll make me worry, and I find out later, I’m going to be much angrier than I am now.”

Silver’s expression softened.

”Deal.”

A quiet sniff came from nearby.

They both looked over to find that Mallory was still standing there. Ravenna finally seemed to remember that other people existed.

”Mallory.”

She wiped her face.

”Don’t look at me like that. I’ve spent days watching you pretend you weren’t falling apart every time your phone didn’t ring, and now he’s standing here. I’m allowed to cry.”

Silver smiled.

”Hello, Mallory.”

She stared at him, then she walked forward and hit him lightly on the arm.

He moved to the side instinctively.

”Apparently everyone wants to hurt me today.”

”That wasn’t for getting trapped.”

”What was it for?”

”For making her miserable.”

Silver looked at Ravenna.

”That seems fair.”

Mallory’s expression softened, then she carefully hugged him.

”I’m glad you’re alive.”

He hugged her back briefly.

”Me too.”

When Mallory stepped away, she handed Ravenna the folder. Silver immediately recognized it.

His eyes dropped to the papers. She immediately answered before he could ask anything.

”I brought your admission letter.”

He stared at her.

”You kept it with you?”

”I’ve been carrying it all day.”

His gaze moved toward the nearly empty special-admission area, then back to Ravenna.

A suspicion appeared.

”How long have you been standing here?”

She became very interested in the folder. He looked at Mallory who betrayed her immediately.

”Since morning.”

Ravenna turned.

”Mallory.”

He stared at her.

”You waited here all day?”

”I was going to enter.”

”When?”

She glanced toward the remaining line.

”Now.”

His followed her gaze; there were barely any people left.

He slowly looked back.

”Ravenna.”

”I knew you were almost out.”

”That message was yesterday.”

”I know.”

”And you stood outside the admissions area from morning until nearly four because you thought I might appear?”

Ravenna tightened her grip on the folder.

”I had your letter.”

His expression changed.

All the teasing disappeared as he looked at her for several seconds, then stepped closer.

”You shouldn’t have waited.”

”I know.”

”I wanted you to go in.”

”I know.”

”I would have found you.”

”I know that too.”

He sighed.

”Then why?”

She looked at him.

”Because I wanted you to find me here.”

That silenced him.

Her voice softened.

”You told me to come to the academy if we were separated. I came. You told me to stay in Alpha Three. I stayed. You told me you were almost out, so I waited at the place we were both supposed to reach. Maybe it wasn’t logical, and maybe I should have gone inside hours ago, but after days of having no control over anything that happened to you, I wanted to be here when you arrived.”

He looked down at his admission letter, yhen at her.

”I don’t deserve you.”

Ravenna immediately frowned.

”Don’t say stupid things like that.”

Silver laughed quietly.

”All right.”

She placed his letter against his chest.

”You came back, and that’s enough for today.”

He took the letter, his fingers brushing hers. For the first time since arriving, he looked properly toward Alpha Three Academy.

Then he looked down at his dishevelled and pathetic self.

He started laughing.

Ravenna looked at him weirdly.

”What?”

Silver held up the letter.

”I spent nearly six days underground, climbed out of a Rank Six queen’s colony, lost my sword, lost my phone, drove through the night, got interrogated and treated at an observation center, somehow ended up on a helicopter and then took a taxi here because I was worried I’d miss academy admission.”

Her lips curved.

”When you say it like that, you sound insane.”

”I feel insane.”

Mallory looked toward the dwindling line.

”Then perhaps both of you should actually enter before the academy closes admissions and all of this becomes pointless.”

Silver and Ravenna looked at her, then at the line.

He glanced at her.

”Should we?”

She reached for his hand, her fingers intertwining with his.

”We should.”

He squeezed her hand before they started walking. After several steps, she leaned closer.

”Silver.”

”Hm?”

”After we finish this, you’re telling me the entire story.”

He looked ahead at the academy gates.

”I told you, I’ve got quite a story to tell.”

She rested her head briefly against his shoulder as they walked.

”This time, I’m here to hear it.”

He looked down at her.

Six days ago, he’d watched Antony carry her away while the cave collapsed between them, now her hand was in his, walking beside him.

And the academy they’d spent so long trying to reach was finally ahead.

Silver smiled and tightened his fingers around hers. For the first time, he felt like he had truly made it back.