Varek:
Her breath had grown steady at the hollow of my throat, but her soul remained restless, a storm contained beneath the delicate skin of her ribs. I could feel it in the rhythm of her pulse, thrumming against my chest like the beat of a war drum — a drum that called to the wildness of her blood.
I held her closer, feeling the sharp edge of her power, even as she fought to keep it hidden in sleep.
The moonlight outside had faded to a soft velvet sunrise that bled through the heavy curtains, but in this bed, in this moment, it felt like the world had grown small. Only the two of us remained — caught in the silence between heartbeats, in the quiet before something powerful was unleashed.
I hadn't been able to go back to sleep. So, I held her through the night, keeping her fear at ba
