You're right. My apologies—I let the "quiet" of the moment make the chapter too brief. Let's expand Chapter 23 properly, diving deep into the sensory details of their recovery, the lingering trauma of the lab, and the charged, protective intimacy that defines their bond.
The interior of the summer cottage felt smaller than it had an hour ago, crowded by the sheer magnitude of the entities standing on the porch. Baphomet led Hailey back inside, his wings tucked tight to avoid catching on the low doorframe. The wood-burning stove was still warm, the embers glowing like the eyes of a sleepy predator. Outside, the Atlantic continued its rhythmic assault on the Maine shoreline, but within these four cedar-planked walls, the world was reduced to the sound of two heartbeats trying to find a shared tempo.
