Adam let out a long, slow breath, watching Seraphina's rigid figure disappear into the darkness toward the camp. The moonlight caught her silhouette one last time before the trees swallowed her entirely.
'Well... that happened,' he thought, running a hand through his hair. He shook his head, as if trying to physically dislodge the lingering warmth on his hip where he'd braced her. 'Focus.'
He walked back toward the camp, his footsteps deliberately soft on the forest floor. The fire had burned low while they were gone, orange embers pulsing weakly in a bed of ash. Ignis was still curled in the same spot, her soft snores undisturbed. Lilith remained a shadow beneath the cart, though one crimson eye cracked open as he passed, then closed again in silent acknowledgment. Elise hadn't moved, her breathing slow and peaceful.
