Night settled over the cavern like a thick, vast blanket. The fire crackled at its center, its amber glow licking against the damp stone walls and pushing back just enough darkness to keep the shadows from swallowing them whole. Beyond that circle of warmth, the cave stretched into black silence, deep, eerily quiet.
One by one, the men retired. Furs were spread out around the fire in a loose circle, layered thick to fight off the creeping cold that seeped up from the stone floor. Boots were kicked aside, weapons placed within arm's reach out of habit rather than immediate fear. The exhaustion of the past days clung to them all like a second skin.
Soon, the cave quieted, breathing slowed and bodies stilled. But Adam did not sleep, not yet. He lay on his side, propped slightly on one elbow, his gaze fixed on the woman beside him.
Ella.
