Christian’s Pov

Days later, we still had not found Elijah.

The search parties came back with the same reports every time. Broken trails. False scents. Places where his people had clearly passed through and then scattered. Kane kept the patrols moving without complaint, but I could see the frustration building in him the same way it was building in me. Elijah had always been good at disappearing when it mattered. This time he had done it after putting his hands on what was mine, and that made the failure sit heavier.

Jennifer healed faster than I expected. The thirst and the bruises faded. The raw skin around her wrists took...