Ruby’s POV
The silence inside the cave stretched long after my eyes had closed.
I didn’t sleep. Not really. Just drifted somewhere between exhaustion and vigilance, ears tuned to every shift of wind, every scrape of rock. But Carter didn’t speak again. He didn’t move closer. He just sat there,far enough away that I could pretend he wasn’t watching me. Close enough that I could still feel the warmth of his presence echoing off the stone walls.
I hated that I didn’t tell him to leave.
I hated even more that I was relieved he hadn’t.
When the first light of morning slipped in through the cave mouth, pale and cold, I felt it before I saw it. My body had gone stiff, my ankle swollen to the size of my fist, and my side still pulsed with that deep, dragging ache. I shifted slightly and bit b
