The deeper Kael carried her into the cave, the more Nia realized the mountain home reflected him far too well for her own peace of mind. Everything felt solid, deliberate, and quietly imposing without crossing into excess — the stone floors had been smoothed enough that walking barefoot would probably feel comfortable despite the natural rock beneath them, while thick furs softened the larger living spaces around the central fire pit, and warm amber lanterns hung from carved hooks along the walls, casting enough light to chase away shadows without overwhelming the cave's natural atmosphere. The space did not feel primitive so much as lived in, shaped over time by strong hands rather than simply occupied.
Kael continued farther inward while his parents followed behind at an easier pace, and Nia became increasingly aware of how naturally he carried her — not struggling, not showing off, simply holding her like it had already become instinctive, which was dangerous for entirely different reasons than the giant tiger situation had been.
"You can put me down now," she said as they passed another carved archway leading deeper into the cave.
"No."
"That was not a request."
"You're limping badly enough that even my mother noticed."
Behind them, his mother looked entirely unashamed when Nia glanced back toward her.
"You nearly collapsed trying to stand up," the older woman said. "You should let him take care of you properly."
"You all say that like he hasn't known me for less than a day," Nia said, and Kael answered before anyone else could.
"That hasn't changed anything important."
The certainty in his voice made her chest tighten unexpectedly, and his mother's gaze softened further while the older man beside her looked more amused than anything else.
"You inherited your stubbornness honestly," he muttered toward Kael, who ignored him completely.
Nia, meanwhile, was trying very hard not to think too deeply about the fact that Kael kept saying alarming things with complete sincerity.
He carried her through another wider opening before finally stepping into the deeper sleeping chamber she had only partially glimpsed from the entrance. The room opened wider than she expected — the mountain wall curved naturally around the chamber while heavy woven curtains hung near one side where a narrow passage disappeared deeper into the cave system, and a large sleeping platform sat raised slightly above the stone floor near the far wall beneath layered blankets and heavy furs. Carved shelves nearby held folded clothing, stacked containers, polished tools, and several books or records bound together with leather cord, and that last detail caught her attention. Books, or at least something close enough that the distinction hardly mattered. Nia filed the observation away carefully.
Kael crossed directly toward the bed, and Nia tensed in his arms.
"Kael."
"You need to stay off your ankle."
"That explanation keeps avoiding the actual problem."
Kael looked down at her while lowering her carefully toward the edge of the sleeping platform.
"What problem?"
"The part where you keep carrying me into your bedroom."
"You're injured," he said, his expression remaining completely calm, and Nia stared at him, then at his parents — who looked suspiciously interested in pretending they were not listening — then back at Kael again.
Nia looked from Kael to his parents and back again, increasingly convinced she was dealing with a very different culture than the one she knew, and she suddenly had the uncomfortable feeling that she was the only person in the room treating this situation like it carried dangerous implications.
Kael lowered her carefully onto the bed before crouching in front of her again, and surprise crossed her face before she could stop it — the surface beneath her was soft enough that the bedding gave beneath her weight without collapsing completely, supporting her body in a way that immediately eased some of the ache in her muscles from hours spent cold and tense.
She shifted experimentally against the blankets, and his expression softened with unmistakable satisfaction.
"You like it."
"You sound proud of that," she said, looking at him suspiciously.
"I am."
His mother laughed quietly from the doorway before moving farther into the room.
"Of course he is — he's been obsessed with comfort since he was young."
Kael looked entirely unimpressed by the betrayal.
"You promised not to tell stories."
"I promised not to tell embarrassing stories," she corrected, and Nia said carefully, "That usually means there are many embarrassing stories."
"There are," the older woman agreed, and Kael's father snorted from where he leaned one shoulder against the stone wall near the entrance.
"He once threatened another child for touching his blankets."
Kael looked completely unrepentant.
"He had dirty feet."
Nia stared at him, and then, despite herself, a laugh escaped before she could stop it.
The room went quiet — not awkwardly, but with the same strange focused stillness she kept noticing whenever Kael looked at her too long, his eyes remaining fixed entirely on her face. Nia became abruptly aware that she was sitting on his bed laughing while his entire family watched him stare at her like she had just personally hung the moon, and the realization felt dangerous in ways she did not entirely want to examine.
His mother cleared her throat lightly, though amusement still warmed her expression.
"I should have someone bring fresh clothes for her," she said, and Kael's gaze finally shifted away from Nia.
"Something warm."
"I was already planning that."
"And more blankets."
His father laughed outright.
"She's sitting beside the largest pile of furs in the mountain and you still think she's cold."
"She is cold," Kael said, and Nia opened her mouth automatically.
"I'm actually fine now—"
Kael looked at her, the look itself not threatening, which somehow made it worse, and Nia closed her mouth again.
His mother's smile widened slightly.
"I see arguing with him is going well."
"It would help if everyone stopped encouraging him."
"No," Kael said, and his father looked delighted by the answer.
Nia stared at Kael in disbelief.
"You answered that entirely too fast."
"You're injured, exhausted, freezing, and pretending you aren't any of those things," he said, adjusting one of the blankets near her legs while speaking, his movements steady and absentmindedly careful. "Someone should encourage me."
The frustrating part was that he sounded completely logical, and worse, part of her suspected he genuinely believed he was being restrained — which, considering he had already shifted into a giant predator, carried her through an entire settlement, and deposited her onto his bed within the same day they met, felt deeply concerning.
His mother disappeared briefly through the curtain-covered passage before returning with folded clothing draped over one arm.
"These should fit well enough for tonight," she said while handing the garments toward Nia. "You'll feel much better once you're dry."
Nia accepted them carefully — the fabric felt softer than she expected, thicker too, woven tightly enough that warmth would probably stay trapped easily beneath it.
"Thank you," she said, and the older woman waved the gratitude away.
"You'll insult me if you thank me for basic care."
Nia tucked the observation away. Care seemed freely given here once someone belonged within the protection of the group, or perhaps once someone belonged to Kael specifically, and that distinction still felt important.
His father pushed away from the wall.
"I should leave before your mother starts reorganizing the entire cave."
"She says that like it would be a bad thing," his mother replied.
"It becomes a bad thing when I can't find anything afterward."
"You never find anything regardless."
Kael looked entirely accustomed to the conversation, and Nia watched the exchange with growing fascination while his father continued grumbling under his breath on the way out. The easy familiarity between them softened something about the entire situation that she had not fully expected — for all Kael's overwhelming presence and intimidating strength, the atmosphere surrounding his family felt warm rather than rigid.
His mother paused near the doorway before leaving and looked directly at Nia.
"You don't need to stay tense every second inside this cave," she said gently. "No one here will hurt you."
The quiet certainty in her voice settled strangely in Nia's chest, not because she fully believed it yet, but because the older woman sounded like she believed it completely.
After she left, silence settled through the sleeping chamber, and Kael remained crouched beside the bed, still watching her.
Nia looked down at the folded clothes in her lap before finally sighing softly.
"Do you ever stop staring at me?"
"No," he said, and at least he was honest.
Nia rubbed one hand briefly across her forehead before looking back at him.
"You know, most people try harder to act normal around strangers."
Kael's brows lowered slightly.
"I am acting normal."
The worst part was that she suspected he was telling the truth again.