An Unexpected Visitor

She would die without him.

Eaten by a Maenok, starved to death, lost to sickness... or dragged back to the city and burned.

He thought about her.

Thought about this girl who wouldn’t survive without him.

And nearly every day—every hour—she occupied his mind.

Thinking about her meant thinking about the future.

If he wanted to protect her, keep her alive, he had to plan ahead.

He had to live.

Because of her.

Calix let out a long breath and rubbed his hands over his face.

All this thinking was pointless. He already knew.

Just like she had sensed it on instinct—he was ready to take responsibility for her.

Maybe from the moment he undressed her.

Maybe when he kissed her.

No....

Maybe it started the moment he took her hand.

Still, he wasn’t sure if she felt the same.

“Sigh.”

Only then did she look his way.

And at that, he gestured to the spot next to him.

“Come here.”

She hesitated, then stood up, brushed off her pants, looked around once, and shuffled toward him.