“Yes, but why?”

Vix, bundled in her bedroll, looked over at Caine. “What?”

Caine lay on his back beside her. Darkness pooled in the spaces between them, filling them in like inky rivers. Stars winked down from the black tapestry of sky above, glimmering like gemstones.

A little farther away, Mirra slept soundly, her shoulders rising and falling in steady rhythm. Still, Vix kept a close eye on her.

“Why go to all this trouble?” Caine clarified. “If ...