Ian felt that it had taken a lifetime with all those 'unnecessary' issues before he was able to carry his Elfin out. He finally laid his tired, pregnant wife gently on their bed, careful not to stir her any more than necessary. Though it had been months, like Shelby, it did not seem like that to him. It was almost as if he had only left the estate for days and returned, but the very faint smell of her remnants' scent told him otherwise.
Shelby's breathing had already begun to slow, her body succumbing to the exhaustion of everything she had endured—and everything she carried.
