로그인Damon’s POVFor the first time in weeks, I wasn't working. No patrol reports, no council meetings, no elders trying to force decisions onto my desk. Just Aria.I had made that decision the night before and refused to let anything interfere with it, though unfortunately Aria was currently trying to.
For a moment, he just stared at me then, slowly, his expression softened again, like he was slipping back into a version of himself that knew how to win me over.“You’re really choosing him,” he said quietly. “After everything I did for you?”I let out a short, humorless laugh. “You didn’t do anythi
Aria’s POVThe infirmary was too quiet, not peaceful—never peaceful—but had this kind of silence that felt forced, like the walls themselves were holding their breath. The smell of antiseptic was sharp enough to sting my nose the moment I stepped inside, and for a second I almost turned back.Almost
For a moment, he just stared at me then, slowly, his expression softened again, like he was slipping back into a version of himself that knew how to win me over.“You’re really choosing him,” he said quietly. “After everything I did for you?”I let out a short, humorless laugh. “You didn’t do anythi
Aria’s POVThe infirmary was too quiet, not peaceful—never peaceful—but had this kind of silence that felt forced, like the walls themselves were holding their breath. The smell of antiseptic was sharp enough to sting my nose the moment I stepped inside, and for a second I almost turned back.Almost
Aria's POVThe feeling wouldn't leave, it followed me through lunch, through the reports stacked on my desk, through every conversation I barely paid attention to and no matter how many times I reminded myself that Damon could handle himself, that he had survived far worse than a day spent with Kade
Quieter.Her gaze dropped briefly to my mouth before returning to my eyes."Damon..."I leaned closer slowly, giving her every chance to stop me.She didn't.Our lips met softly.The kiss wasn't rushed. There was no desperation behind it. Just warmth and familiarity and the quiet comfort that seemed
Damon’s POVI should have been preparing for tomorrow, instead, I stood outside Aria’s apartment with my hand hovering over the door, staring at the chipped paint like it held answers I couldn't find anywhere else. The challenge would begin at dawn, and by this time tomorrow, everything could be dif
A silence settled briefly between us, heavy and deliberate. I could feel the expectation that I would break, that I would lower my eyes, that I would accept my place in whatever story they had already written for me.Instead, I shifted the files in my arms and straightened slightly. “If this is a wa
Aria’s POVThe corridor outside the eastern training hall smelled faintly of iron and polished stone, the kind of sterile scent that always clung to places where warriors passed through too often. I had just stepped out with a stack of sealed archive reports in my arms when I felt the shift in air p