The silence felt like an eternity. Cade could see the door to his chamber past Nerva, and it seemed miles away for all he had access to it. He hadn't left the floor yet; he wasn't sure he'd be able to stand anyway, with his knees shaking as they were.

Nerva's command caught him by surprise. "What??" he breathed, and he hugged the folded clothes in his arms a little closer to himself. "Now?"