The morning light filtered through the cabin windows, soft and golden—but Nova felt none of it. She blinked awake slowly, her head heavy and her limbs aching. Her skin was pale, almost translucent, and dark circles had taken residence beneath her eyes. Her belly, now heavy with the life inside her, throbbed with a dull ache she couldn’t shake.
She tried to sit up on her own, but the moment she shifted, Kade was already at her side.
“Hey, hey—don’t move so fast,” he said gently, slipping an arm under her shoulders. “Nova, you look awful.”
“Thanks,” she rasped with a weak smirk. But there was no humor in her eyes.
Kade helped her to the kitchen table and pulled out a chair. “Sit. Eat. You need fluids, too.” He was already moving, fixing her a plate and filling a glass of water.
Nova tou
