Carter's POV
We stayed there for a while, Ruby curled against me beneath the wide limbs of a frost-covered pine. The forest felt too still. Like even the trees were holding their breath. Her shoulders trembled against my chest, but she hadn't spoken. Not a single word since we hit the bottom of the ravine.
And I didn't push.
She’d earned the silence.
My hands stayed on her back, one pressed flat between her shoulder blades, the other resting gently at her waist. I could feel her heartbeat, rapid and wild. Her body still hadn’t caught up to the fact that we’d escaped. That we were alive.
"We’re clear," I murmured, keeping my voice low. Steady. "For now."
She gave the smallest nod, but her fingers gripped the front of my coat tighter.
I tilted my head just enough to brush my mouth aga
