For several minutes, Dakota remained completely still in Kade's arms, her fingers loosely curled into his shirt while Elias and the nurses continued working around her.
The room had fallen unusually quiet, broken only by the soft sounds of the medical equipment and the occasional instruction from Elias, yet Kade could feel through the blood oath that the silence inside Dakota was anything but peaceful. Her emotions had not settled; they had simply become buried beneath the shock, grief, and exhaustion that had overwhelmed her.
Her breathing gradually steadied, but her body remained tense against him. She stared ahead without blinking, her face pale and tear-streaked, as though her mind had become trapped somewhere far beyond the bedroom.
Kade continued holding her without asking her to speak, knowing that forcing words from her when she was still trying to process everything would only make matters worse.
Then her fingers suddenly tightened around his shirt.
"Cooper."
