Chapter 507: Protector

GAHRYE

Gahrye wasn't sure if Elia's beast was as exhausted as him, or if she was so uncomfortable, she hadn't wanted to move. Either way, he didn't wake until well into the afternoon, to find the beast still at his back, panting, staring at the cave mouth. 

He'd been worried. Her breathing would stop periodically, as if she braced against something. And he felt her body tighten. He'd been concerned it might be the pains of labor, but he thought those came regularly and these seemed to have no rhyme or reason to them. Sometimes her body writhed several times in a few minutes, other times she seemed comfortable for quite a while.

In the end, when she didn't get up when he got to his feet, his worry spiked. "Stay here," he said, praying Elia was in enough control to help him. "I'll bring you water and some food."