Elowen's POV
Kael dropped me at the cabin gate and drove off to his meeting, and the evening settled into a quiet that sat just short of comfortable. I heated the food from the containers he'd left, ate at the table by myself, and was just clearing up when my phone lit up on the counter.
I saw the name and set the phone face down without thinking.
It rang again and I left it.
The third time I picked up a dish and took it to the sink. The fourth time, just before it would have gone to voicemail, I dried my hands and answered. I didn't say anything. I just held the phone to my ear and waited.
"Sere. It's me. Caelan."
I knew. I hadn't deleted the number. I just hadn't found the courage to answer until the fourth attempt apparently wore it down.
"I came to see you," he said. "I'm in the
