The cave was silent save for the crackle of fire and the distant murmur of wind echoing off stone. Hunter shifted beside Celeste, the fur-lined blanket pooled around them, a pocket of warmth in the cold night. They hadn’t spoken since she placed his hand over her heart. But her breathing had changed, slower, heavier, and her body leaned more fully into his.
"You're warm," she whispered, voice husky with fatigue and something else. Something deeper.
Hunter turned his head slightly. "You scared the hell out of me."
She smiled softly, tilting her face toward his. The stars painted silver flecks in her hair, and he wanted to brush every one with his fingers. "You didn’t leave."
"Never," he said simply.
The silence wrapped around them again. Not awkward. Not empty. Just full of all the thi
