Caleb’s POV
The night stretched on endlessly, but at least the pain had dulled enough to let me think. My body burned beneath the skin, as if the wounds themselves were breathing. With every inhale, the metallic taste of blood mingled with the smoke of the fire and the scent of wet earth. I had no idea how long I’d been lying there—half-conscious, half-dragged through the fevered dreams that came with infection—but in one of those fleeting moments of clarity, I saw her.
Nellie.
She was lying a few feet away, wrapped in a blanket that glowed faintly with the reflection of the fire. Her body was bare beneath it—warm, bronze, alive—each curve carving new wounds into my restraint.
Goddess, how I wanted her again.
She slept facing the flames, her hair spilling in messy waves over her shoul
