Rhiannon stroked Aidan's face and brushed his hair back from his forehead. It had been two days since he'd been out of the bed.

“I know you're awake. I can perfectly feel you are awake. You can’t hide behind a pair of closed eyes forever,” she scolded him gently.

Aidan opened his eyes but said nothing.

“You have to eat something. You can't go on like this.”

“I'm not hungry.”

Rhiannon snorted impatiently. She'd gone from being a prisoner to being a babysitter. Nice change!

“You're not just hurting yourself. You're hurting Akela, too!” she exclaimed to make him react. “If your body gets weak, he’ll feel miserable; so stop throwing a tantrum like a little kid and get o—”

“Help me get him out,” those words interrupted her, and Rhiannon fell silent, dumbfounded.

Maybe it was too selfish to think like that, but she was sure that wasn't a good idea.

“Aidan, you're not ready to let Akela out,” she assured him gently, sitting down beside him. “If you let him out now, you're likely to lose him.