Rising from the Ashes (Andrew and Lauren) novel Chapter 1528

Andrew and Natasha moved forward cautiously, staying close and alert as they explored the area. Eventually, they reached the far end of the ancient village, only to be met with a towering cliff wall rising right above them.

Yet, there was nothing ahead.

"Looks like this direction was a dead end," he said, turning back. "Come on, let's head back and regroup with Logan and the others."

However, the moment he turned around, he was suddenly met with the soft warmth of Natasha crashing into his chest.

She clung tightly to his waist, her voice trembling. "Darling, I'm really scared of ghosts... like, really scared. I don't even have the strength to keep walking right now. Can you hold me? Please, just hug me."

Hearing the quiver in her voice, Andrew's heart softened. He wrapped his arms tightly around the beautiful widow and said, "You're safe. As long as I'm here, nothing will happen to you."

Natasha's face had gone pale, and her body continued to tremble uncontrollably. She mumbled, "Ever since I was a kid, I've been terrified of ghosts and the dark. I never imagined we'd run into stuff like this just trying to find a treasure.

"Darling, could you kiss me? Hold me tight and kiss me… I'm so scared. I don't trust anyone else—only you."

Andrew frowned as he noticed Natasha's voice breaking and her body feeling unnaturally cold. It was a clear sign of extreme shock—her body was no longer regulating its temperature properly.

When he touched her forehead, he realized she must have caught a chill the night before.

Out here in the middle of nowhere, illness was far more dangerous than hunger. Without proper medical care, even something as simple as a cold or an infection could be fatal.

Without hesitation, Andrew unbuttoned the outer layer of her coat and pulled her close, holding her tightly against his body. Using his own warmth, he tried to bring feeling back into her freezing limbs.

Natasha was still trembling, her lips nearly white. "Darling, I feel so cold! My head… is starting to spin…"

Cursing under his breath, Andrew quickly pulled out two medicinal pills he had prepared in advance and fed them to her. At the same time, his warm hand slipped inside her clothes, pressing against her bare back and rubbing rapidly.

It was a primitive but effective method—using friction to generate heat. In situations like this, it was often the only way to quickly raise body temperature. However, even after a while, her condition barely improved.

Moreover, Natasha kept pressing deeper into his arms, and Andrew realized he needed to take more drastic action. He quickly said, "Natasha, forgive me!"

Then, he withdrew his hand from her back and reached under her coat again—but this time, his hand slid to her chest area.

Almost immediately, his hand was blocked by the soft curves of her chest.

Natasha let out a soft moan, her half-opened eyes filled with a sultry daze. "Darling, touch me… Please, touch me…"

Even though she could barely keep her eyes open, the widow was still trying to seduce Andrew. He did not hesitate, his hand moving quickly across her chest in steady strokes.

And as much as he tried to stay focused, his fingers inevitably wandered, giving her breasts a few firm squeezes.

Here they were in the wilderness of an abandoned village, surrounded by danger on all sides. Yet, in this situation, he had a beautiful woman lying in his arms, letting him touch her however he wanted.

Andrew laughed, "That was a Revitalization Elixir, a high-grade sixth-level elixir. Of course it's amazing."

The two of them retraced their steps back to the intersection where they had split up earlier. They found that Logan and Tiana had also returned.

"Any luck on your end?" Logan asked urgently.

Andrew shook his head, "Didn't find any clues whatsoever."

Tiana did not speak but gave Natasha a suspicious look. As a naturally cautious woman, her intuition told her something was off about Natasha's condition, but she could not quite pinpoint what it was.

"Same here—no leads on my side either. This place isn't very big, but searching it is incredibly complicated with all these massive rocks everywhere, making it hard to look around," she said flatly.

Andrew glanced around and asked, "Where are Ms. Garcia and Mr. Sutton?"

Logan shook his head, "They're not back yet, but they should be soon—"

Just as he finished speaking, a fierce roar suddenly echoed from nearby, accompanied by two terrified screams.

Tiana's expression changed dramatically as she exclaimed, "It's that beast we encountered on the way up the mountain!"

Andrew did not hesitate and shot off in the direction of the roar. That was exactly where Chantelle and Ralph had gone to explore.