We got back to the cave, but my heart wouldn’t rest. The walls of the cave felt smaller tonight, like they were closing in, whispering to me. Ellias shifted back into his human form, his bare skin glistening with sweat from the run. He quickly pulled one of the folded clothes from the corner and dressed, his movements sharp and rushed nothing like the calm, steady Ellias I’d gotten used to.

“I’ll be back tonight,” he said without glancing at me. “I need to check on the work in the ...