Chapter 18: Ch 18: Preparing for the night

The clearing was now transformed into a cozy campsite, bathed in the warm glow of the torches that flickered against the deepening night. The air was cool, carrying the faint rustle of leaves and the occasional chirp of crickets as the stars began to fill the sky above them. The forest around them seemed to settle, the earlier tension of the day dissolving into a peaceful calm.

Gray leaned back against a nearby tree, his arms crossed and a contented smile on his face as he watched Vanisa and Liza move around the campsite. His eyes softened as he took in the sight of the two girls, who had gone from wary rivals to reluctant partners.