The fire was about to die by the time they returned to camp. A few embers glowed beneath the ash, their faint warmth doing little to chase away the cold descending into the hollow.
Mayumi sat beside Eva with a blanket draped around the little girl's shoulders. She looked up as they approached, her gaze wandering curiously to Elion before moving to the others filing down the slope behind him.
Isolde quickly caught up to Elion, slipping her hand into his and linking their fingers together. He raised a brow at the proactiveness.
He didn't quite know how she wanted to proceed with him from here, but he had already made up his mind.
All that was left was to make things official, and that meant taking her virginity as soon as he got the chance.
For now, however, he assumed she wanted to speak to him about something.
He guided her toward an unoccupied patch of ground beside the fire, but when he began pulling his hand away, she clung to it.
"Stay," she said quietly, nothing more.
