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*****

ELIA

She woke to a gentle hand pulling her hair away from her neck, and warm lips on her skin.

"What time is it?

" She had to blink to be sure she was awake. It was still pitch black in the cave.

"Behryn will be here any minute. We're going to find the Bears. I didn't want to leave without saying goodbye,

" Reth's voice rumbled in his chest against her back. She stretched and he hummed, thumbing her nipple.

"Are you sure you have to go now?

" she asked, turning over in his arms to kiss him.

He sighed.

"Yes. Give me a kiss, love, and I'll see you as soon as I can.

"

She sank into his chest and he pulled her in, his breath fluttering in her hair.

"Please come back safely, Reth,

" she murmured into his chest.

"Please stay in the cave and under guard today, Elia,

" he said, his voice heavy.

"I will. I vow to you, Reth. I won't do anything risky. At all. Is Behryn going with you, or staying here?

"

"He's coming with me. There are guards in the meadow, and in the bathing pools,

" he muttered.

"No one's getting in here. Stay safe, my love.

"

They kissed briefly, then he groaned and rolled away from her. He dressed quickly in the dark, leaned over her in the furs to kiss her one more time, then walked out, closing the door behind him.

She knew she should go back to sleep. They'd had very little rest the last couple of days. But she felt tense and agitated. Reth didn't just feel tense, or angry about all that was happening. He seemed… sad. And truly anxious. Heavily anxious.

And she was making it worse, she knew, by resisting him. But the idea of leaving him—especially when she was, apparently, pregnant…

She wondered when she would start to feel pregnant. What would this pregnancy be like? It was another reason she needed to stay in Anima. They would know how to care for an Anima baby—cub, she reminded herself.

Holy **, was she going to literally have kittens?

The giggle that erupted in her throat was slightly hysterical. She needed to do something productive, or she was going to send herself insane worrying about Reth, and babies, and war.

So she got out of the furs and felt her way to the closet for a set of clothes that she only put on backwards once, before feeling her way along the wall to the door.

To her surprise, when she opened it, lights blazed in the kitchen, sending bright yellow along the floor to the bedroom. Who was up this early? Well, the guards she supposed.

Checking that she had got her blouse on correctly, she trotted out towards the kitchen. At first the cave seemed empty. But as she walked through the dining area and the Great room opened ahead of her, a tall, handsome man with a guard's spear came walking around the corner, looking back towards the door.

"Oh, sorry, I—

"

When he turned around, Elia's mouth dropped open at his bright blue eyes and sandy hair.

"Jak?!

" she gasped, freezing on the spot.

He looked startled, then his face lit up.

"Elia! You're up!

"

"Up? You're BACK!

" she ran towards him and threw her arms around him. He seemed uncertain what to do, but gave her a weak hug and smiled.

"What are you doing here? Why didn't they tell me you were back? Where have you been?! Are you okay?

"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, slow down!

" he laughed.

"I'm fine—now. It was rough for a while there. But I'm working because everyone's working. Behryn kept it quiet because we're trying to keep it quiet from the wolves that I'm back.

"

"Did they take you?

"

His face got serious.

"I'm not suppose to tell anyone the story yet,

" he said, then looked over his shoulder at the empty cave.

"And I thought I heard something outside. I was just going to check. Can you stay here for a second, Elia? I'm supposed to be patrolling and I need to make sure—I didn't like the noise I heard right before I ran into you.

"

"Of course, of course,

" she said, hurriedly letting him go. He thanked her and trotted back to the front door, lifting the large bar off to unlock it, then slowly and quietly, opening the door and creeping out.

Elia's joy at seeing him again was quickly doused, realizing that he was walking right back out there into danger. For her. Again. That niggling feeling she'd had about making things worse for Reth hit her again. How many men were being held here, around the cave, just because she was here? She would ask Jak when he got back.

But Jak was gone several minutes. Long enough that she had time to get a drink and start to wonder if she should check outside the door to make sure he was okay, when suddenly he rushed back into the cave at a full sprint.

"Run, Elia!

" he gasped, running for her.

"To the bathing pools! We have to get you out that way!

"

"What?!

" she dropped her glass and started running.

"What's going on?

"

"There's wolves out front and the guards are fighting. Move!

"

"Oh no!

" she ran for the back door to the bathing pools.

As soon as her feet started slapping on the wet rocks, though she slid to a halt.

There were no guards in the bathing pools. Where was the other guard that had been posted? And the Archer?

She turned to warn Jak, but something hit her from behind, hard, and she sprawled on the rock, grunting as she caught her weight and rolled the way Reth had taught her.

"Jak!

" she screamed.

"I'm right here,

" he said, his voice dark and sharp as he appeared at her side and threw something large and dark over her. She gasped and tried to reach, to stop it landing, but she was too late. She was completely covered by some kind of rough blanket, then whipped over onto her back. And a second later she was swinging, as if she were in a hammock, or bag.

"Jak! Jak! What are you doing!

"

"What should have been done months ago,

" he muttered. Then something cracked on the back of her skull and everything went black.