Chapter 4: Quiet Vows

Asher DravenHart

The study went still and deathly quiet after her question that I felt it in my bones.

It felt like something closer to fate drawing a breath.

My gaze flicked to the small wooden box at the corner of my desk. The latch sat closed, worn at the edges from my hands checking it, again and again, as if vigilance alone could keep it asleep. I then flicked my gaze to her.

Savannah stood near the bookshelves like she had chosen the farthest point from me and the box, arms crossed tight across her chest. Her cheeks were flushed, part fear, part anger, part stubborn pride that kept her on her feet when any other human would have bolted a while ago. Her eyes darted between me and the box like she expected it to spring open and swallow her whole. 

Rowan waited against the hearth, using the poker to silently stir the warm ashes. He didn't need to speak beause the truth was already hanging in the room.

She didn't fear the token.

She feared us. The world we belonged to. The face that she stepped over a line she couldn't see and now every rule, every aspect of her life had changed. 

And I had been the one to pull her deeper in.

I kept myself seated. I could have stood, could have crossed the room in three strides, but I didn't. Power wasn't the same as comfort, and I wouild not use my power like a weapon. Not on her. 

"I don't know." 

I answered her question in a low and steady voice. 

Her eyes narrowed instantly, as if she expected the answer and absolutely hated it.

"The token awakens," I continued before the panic could turn into rage, "when it senses the future Luna, as Rowan stated previously. It's tied to this pack and its way older than I or Rowan are. Probably older than this house. It's not something that I have command over."

Savannah let out a tight, bitter breath through her nose.

"So it's just waiting? For me to exist long enough around it, so it can what? Attune to me?"

I didn't look at the box again. I kept my eyes on her, becausse she deserved my attention more than the object that could ruin her life. 

"In a sense, yes." I admitted, "If you choose to become my Luna and take on all of the responsibilities with that, it should awake. It would only do so if you meant it with your heart."

"Great..." she said while taking in a shaking breath, "That's really comforting."

I leaned forward slightly, resting my forearms against the desk. I was trying not to loom, or push her into a false sense of security, I was just showing her that I was present.

"Savannah," I said, and felt the bond hum under my skin at the sound of her name," Listen to me, please."

Her gaze snapped to mine.

"I will not hurt you." I said simply, no flourish, "I wouldn't do anything to harm you. Ever."

I saw her throat bob as she swallowed, as well as a tiny flicker of relief wrestle its way through the fear.

"And I will do anything in my power to protect you." I added.

Rowan's eyes shifted to me, sharp. Not in disagreement, more assessment. He was measuring the weight of what I had just promised her.

My eyes never left hers.

Her voice came quieter.

"You say that like you're...absolutely sure you can."

An old arrogance--one that I wore in front of my pack, on that kept enemies respectful and allies confident in my abilities--tried to rise.

I shoved it down. This wasn't the time. It wasn't for them.

This feeling was for the woman standing before me with her world falling to pieces.

"I'm sure," I said, the certainty in my voice was instinct, not performance. "And I'm not saying this because I think that I am invincible, but because protecting what is mine is what I do best."

Savannah's cheeks flushed again, but this time it wasn't only fear behind those feelings. Embarrassment. Confusion. Heat she didn't want. 

"Okay..." She cleared her throat and lifted her chin, trying to show a little more confidence, "Then answer me this."

"Ask away." I said as I crossed my arms.

Her eyes flicked between Roman and I.

"If the other packs find out... What exactly happens? Give me the worst case, best case scenario. No sugarcoating."

Rowan shifted, but I held a up a hand--small quiet. "I would be able to answer" it told him.

"Best case," I said, "They would gossip. They would watch and then decide if it was worth their time. If it wasn't then they would ignore it as if it was none of their buisness."

Savannah made a short, humorless sound. She knew that the best case scenario wasn't going to happen.

"Now, the worst case," I continued, my voice hardening, "They would see a weakness."

"In you." She stated, her jaw tightening so much it clicked. 

"In the pack." I corrected, "In our traditions. In the idea that a human could stand beside a wolf, beside me and not break." 

"And what do they do with that information?" She pressed. 

"They would test it," I said. "Push the boundaries. Provoke those who would rise up against what I would say. They would send people to see if you are protected, if you could stand in a fight on your own. If you are... disposable." 

Savannah's eyes widened, fear cutting through her small wall of defiance. 

"Disosable huh? Wow."

"You are not disposable." I said immediately, my voice shaper than I intended, "Not to me."

The study held my voice as it echoed.

Savannah's lips parted like she didn't know what to do with that statement. A sound catching in her throat like the questions she still had finally stacked too high for her to choose from. Her gaze flicked from me to the box then back again. I could see that her cheeks were still warn and eyes still holding that fear bright.

Nero shifted beneath my skin, restlessly, like he was pacing behind a caged door.

"Easy," I warned him silently, "She's scared. Terrified."

His answer came as a rumble through my bones.

"She should be."

I kept my face calm, as I took a deep breath in.

"Take your time." 

Savannah's lips pursed.

"Don't... do that." 

"Do what?" I blinked.

"Be so calm." She said as she waved a hand vaguley at me, or the room. Possibly at the very air between us, "Like you're so used to this. Like it's just paperwork."

I exhaled slowly. "I am calm because I have to be."

"And I'm not?" she shot back, then I saw her immediately soften, like she regretted the bite as soon as it left her lips, "I--Sorry. I just--" She swallowed, huffed then met my eyes again, "I feel like I have walked into someone elses like and now that I have, everyone is looking at me like I'm some sort of mistake."

Those words landed deep.

I didn't move from the chair. I didn't reach for her, even though every part of me screamed to close the distance. Because comfort isn't comfort if it's taken. 

"You're not a mistake," I said, voice low. "And you're not alone here."

Her eyes held mine, tiny movements as she searched for the lie.

There wasn't one.

Behind my ribs, Nero pushed forward again, his impatience curling into something sharper.

"Tell her the truth." his voice slid through my mind, instinct heavy, "Not the words. The law."

The law. The ancient thing is what he meant, the thing older than language.

The bond. The claim.

I clenched my jaw, and tried to keep my tone gentle.

"If you have any other questions, Savannah. I'll answer them. Every single one."

She drew a breath, steadied herself, and nodded. Once.

But before she could speak, Nero rose and spoke again. This time he was closer, his presence pressing in like a hand on my spine.

"She doesn't understand because she can't feel what I feel."

"She's human." I reminded him.

Nero's response was immediate and he almost sounded offended.

"She is ours."

A sudden heat rolled through my chest, fierce and protective. I had to clench a fist underneath the desk so she couldn't see what she does to me. 

"Not ours. Not yet." I corrected, "Not unless she chooses it."

Nero went quiet for a moment before he growled deep, baring his fangs at me. His voice returned, lower, darker, and threaded with a reverence that made my blood turn hot.

"She already chose the moment she stepped into our territory. From the moment she looked at us and didn't break."

Savannah cleared her throat, pulling my attention back to her, back to the room.

I met her gaze, steadying myself.

Nero rumbled softly before coiling in a small circle above my heart.

"Protect her, Asher. Even from herself."

Savannah lifted her chin, cleared her throat, the sound small in the quiet study.

"Okay," she started. It almost sounded like the word was something she could grip onto, "So... if I'm here and that box..." her eyes flicked to the cedar box sitting all too innocently on the corner of my desk, "Can basically broadcast my existence to every... wolf community? If I am saying that right, within range of your territory... why not just get rid of it?"

Her attempt at casual didn't land like she wanted. Her face was too tight, her shoulders too tense.

"Unfortunately," I kept my voice even, "It can't be destroyed."

Her eyes rolled and she sighed, bringing one of her hands up and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Of course it can't..."

"It's bound," I added, because she deserved more than just a dead end short answer, "To the pack. To the line. To whatever the Moon Goddess decided centuries ago. If it breaks, it doesn't end, so to speak. It... releases." I chose my words carefully. "And unfortunately I don't know what that would do." 

"So it's basically a magical grenade that you keep on your desk..."

Savannah made a face that said I hate this fairy-tale bullshit and I'm terrified at the same time.

Rowan shifted near the hearth like he was trying to contain a laugh,

I didn't.

"It's contained." I said simply.

"For now..." she muttered.

She dragged in a breath, then forced it out and pushed forward, faster this time. Like the questions were the only thing keeping her from spiraling. 

"Okay. Next question. If I leave, like walk out the front door and never came back, does the box still do its thing? Or am I only a problem if I stay within--what--sniffing distance?" 

I watched her carefully. Not the words, but the why behind them. 

I could see that fight. The survival behind her eyes looking for an exit. And I couldn't blame her.

"The token doesn't activate just because you exist," I said, "It activates when it recognizes the future Luna, like we have said before." 

Savannah's eyes narrowed.

"That wasn't a yes or no..."

"It is the closest thing that I can give you currently." I said, "Because it hasn't awakened since...." 

The words snagged.

A memory surfaced with cruel clarity, as if it had been waiting beneath my ribs for the right trigger.

My mother's hands were cold in mine, too cold for someone who still had breath. Blood soaked the blanket Rowan had thrown over her in the truck, staining it dark and slick. The smell of iron and snow and panic as we sped down the back country road. The sound she made when she tried to speak and couldn't lungs ruined from the rogue clan's claws.

We fianlly screeched into the driveway, flung the door open and rushed her down the halls. She was smiling at my father like she wasn't dying in our arms, like she was trying to give him one last thing that wasn't horror. 

and then, right then and there, she pressed a small blood soaked braced into his hands. Her fingers had been trembling. Her eyes, soft and fierce, had found mine.

"Protect them..." She linked me, her voice hoarse with pain. 

Then her breath had rattled once... then stopped.

My throat tightened so fast it burned. I shoved the memory down hard, like burying a blade.

I cleared my throat, sharp and controlled, frcing my voice back into something steady. 

"It hasn't awoken in a very long time..." I finished.

Luckily, atleast to what I could sense, Savannah didn't notice the crack I had swallowed, but I knew that Rowan did. He could sense my sudden heartbeat spike, my sudden scent of fear. His glaze flicked to me, then back to Savannah.  

"So you're basically telling me..." Savannah exhaled, frustraded, "is that you don't know."

"Not entirely," I admitted. "There are rules that we know, and some that we think we know."

Her lips pressed together. She looked down at her hands like she was trying to stop them from shaking by her sheer force of will. 

"Third question..." She said, still looking at her hands, though her tone sharpened a fraction, her bratty armor reassembling, "Why do you keep saying 'future Luna' like it's a job posting? Is that, what, some tkind of title? Like... pack queen? Pack mom? Pack HR?"

Rowan let out a sound that sounded suspiciously like a cough, rough and controlled. It lasted about a half of a second before it betrayed him and turned into a laugh he tried to swallow. He covered his mouth with his fist, shoulders jerking like he was battling it, eyes squeezed shut in a heroic attempt at composure. 

It failed spectacularly.

A second later Rowan's breath hitched, and he burst out laughing. A full bodied, helpless laugh, the kind that made it impossible to try and convince others you weren't amused. He turned slightly away, like that helped, but the sound still filled the study, ricocheting off the bookshelves and making the firelight feel a little bit brighter. 

Savannah whipped her head toward him.

"Really, Rowan?"

He waved a hand, trying to catch him breath

"I'm--sorry--" he managed in between laughs, "Pack HR--"

Savannah's cheeks went red, half offended, half embarrassed.

"It's not funny!" 

Rowan tried to stop, made another strangled sound, which somehow made him laugh harder. He took a few breaths and wiped a tear from his eye. 

"It's a little funny."

I ignored him.

Mostly.

"It's more of a role." I answered her keeping my voice even despite Rowan's chaos, "and a bond. The Luna isn't just a... mate She is the other half of leadershi. The anchor for the pack. The one who can steady them when the Alpha can't"

Savannah blinked, glaring at Rowan like she was going to throw a book at him.

"So you're telling me that this whole place is running on some sort of... magical co-dependency."

With that, I almost smiled. Almost.

Before I could respond, Nero stirred again. It was subtle at first, like a muscle tightening.

"She questions too much..."

he rumbled, irritation threading through his voice.

"Can you blame her? She's human, Nero. She doesn't know what she should do or not do." I answered him quietly.

"She's ours... she doesn't need to because WE will do everything." Nero pressed, warmer, impatient.

Heat rolled off of him, through my chest and tried to push for control like a tide that was aiming to break on the shore.

Savannah's eyes stayed on me, and for a second I thought she hadn't noticed anything. 

Then her gaze snapped to my face, startled.

Her breath caught.

"Asher..." she said softly 

I felt it again, Nero surging forward. My vision sharpened, the lamplight seemed brighter at the edges. My senses pulled forward like claws. Nero was closer to taking control than I realized. 

"Your eyes!" she blurted, her voice tight with alarm.

My stomach dropped.

I turned my head on instinct, like looking away could hide it, but it could buy me a moment to try and control him. My hand slid open one of the top drawers of my desk, finding a mirror on instinct. I kept one just for these type of circumstances, when Nero got too close and I needed to see when I was showing the world. 

I snapped it open and angled it toward my face.

Gold started to bleed through the irises in molten streaks, brightening as if the firelight had could the insides of my eyes and decided to stay. The wolf stared back at me from the glass, impatient but pleased with himself.

"This is what she wants. She wants to see. I'm trying to make her see." he purred in my skull.

Rowan straightened instantly at the edge of my vision. 

I clenched my jaw so hard it ached.

I've had enough.

I didn't shove him back gently this time. I didn't allow him to negotiate. 

"QUIET!" I yelled out loud.

The word cracked like a whip through out the room.

Savannah made a startled sound, a squeak, and then her hands flew up, covering her mouth.

Then her fear snapped into fury as she tore her hands away.

"What in the hells was that?!" she shouted back, it was her voice's turn to echo throughout the room, "Do you--do you just yell at someone whenever the hell you feel like it?!"

I shut the mirror closed with a sharp snap. I could feel my eyes already cooling, the gold retreating as I shoved Nero down where he belonged.

Savannah stood there breathing hard, cheeks flushed, eyes bright with anger that looks like it was trying to take over the panic that was swallowing her whole. 

I slowly lifted my hands, open palmed, to try and show I was nonthreatening.

"Not you," I said quickly, "Savannah. It wasn't directed toward you."

"Sure as hell sounded like it directed toward me."

"I know," I said, and I meant it. I rubbed my hand over my jaw trying to reset my voice into something a bit more normal, "That was my mistake."

Her eyes flicked to mine again. She was looking to see if they were still brown. Trying to confirm for herself that she wasn't going crazy, like she hasn't imagined the gold. 

"My wolf pushed forward," I said. "He was trying to take control."

"Your wolf. Like... in your head? like an unwanted roommate?" 

"In a way, yes" I said as I smiled.

Nero growled low.

Rowan, still wiping at the corner of his eyes, cleared his own throat a couple of times and managed to regain a small shred of composure.

"He wasn't yelling at you, Savannah. He was ordering the wolf back down, to obey. It's... not uncommon."

Savannah's head whipped toward Rowan.

"It's not uncommon to scream 'QUIET' like some maniac in the middle of a conversation?"

"Sometimes," Rowan's voice cracked and his mouth twitched, "The wolf doesn't take no for an answer. And polite requests are denied." 

Her eyes snapped back to mine.

"So, what? You just snap your fingers and your eyes stop glowing?"

"Most of the time," I held her stare, keeping my tone steady, "I can restrain him."

"Most of the time?" she repeated. Then, because she could help herself, her voice went sharp again, "And if you can't?"

Nero stirred, pleased by the challenge.

"Tell her... Tell her what happened to the last man that challenged me." he purred.

I pushed him down without looking away from her.

"Then Rowan is here." I said, gestureing to him, "and the house is warded. And you have my word that I won't let you get hurt."

Savannah stared at me for a long beat, her chest rising and falling. She slowly lowered her hands as the surge of adrenaline began to fade. She swallowed hard, eyes narrowed like she was forcing her own self back into control.

"Okay," she said, her voice tight, "Fine." She pointed at my face like it was evidence, "If you wolf can do that, make your eyes turn gold or whatever, what else can it do?"

That word hit wrong.

Not because I was offended, Savannah didn't know any better yet. It hit wrong because Nero heard it, and I felt the immense heat as he bristled under my skin. A low, offended rumble from the back of my skull. 

"It?" he echoed, disdainful.

"He." I kept my tone gentle.

"What?"

"He," I repeated, "Nero is a male."

A tiny crease formed between her brows. She shook her head slightly like she didn't know whether to argue the grammar or of the existence of the wolf inside my head. 

Rowan, still near the hearth, tried to cover another laugh that was trying to escape. 

I shot him a look. 

He lifted his hands in surrender, but his eyes still shone with amusement. 

Savannah's shoulders slumped, like the fight was leaking out of her slow drops. She rubbed her temples with two fingers.

"Okay. He. Your male wolf roommate. I--" She exhaled hard. "I feel like I'm in a fever dream."

Nero rumbled in my skull, equal parts smug and offended.

"She learns." he purred.

"Quiet." I warned.

He did. Mostly. 

I exhaled through my nose, reins tightening in my chest until I felt fully myself again. The last thing Savannah needed was my eyes flaring gold again. 

"Savannah," I said, keeping my tone calm, "I believe that is enough for the evening."

She opened her mouth, ready to argue, her bratty defense already loading.

I held up one hand, not to command, just to steady the moment.

"I'm not shutting you down. I'm just trying not to overload you."

Her lips pursed. Her gaze flicked to the desk, to the box and then back to me. Like she was still collecting every threat that was in the room. 

"You look like you're still half in shock," I continued. "Sleep. Rest. In the morning, we will continue. At your pace."

Savannah scoffed softly, but it lacked bite. 

"I don't exactly feel like I can just... go to bed."

"I know the feeling..." I said, agreeing with her, "But you need it anyway." I leaned back slightly in the chair, keeping space between us. "I can show you to your room."

Her eyes narrowed immediately.

"My room?"

"Technically, it's our room," I corrected without thinking. Because that was how it was arranged in the pack house. How it had always been for me. It's how the household worked. 

Savannah's face went blank for half a second. Then it turned a shade of red I didn't know humans could achieve without catching fire. 

"Our room?!" She blurted, voice pitching upward in mortified disbelief. "Like we are going to share one?" 

The flush spread to her cheeks, then to the tops of her ears, deep and immediate. She looked liek she wanted to fade into the bookshelf behind her. 

I kept my expression steady, but warmth tugged at the corner of my mouth.

"Yes," I said simply, because lying would only make it worse. "But you'll take the bed."

"And you?" She said, as her eyes widened.

"I shall take the sofa," I said, "To ease your mind."

Savannah blinked multiple times. The embarrassment in her gaze fought with the exhaustion, then finally gave way to something that looked like acceptance.

"Okay..." she said, nodding once, quick and stiff.

I rose from behind the desk and stepped toward her.

She flinched. It wasn't dramatic, more of a reflex, shoulders tightened, weight shifting back as if her body was expecting the room to turn dangerous again. 

I stopped immediately.

"No," I said quietly. "I won't come any closer. I will wait here."

Her breath hitched, then she forced it out. Her eyes still watched me like she didn't trust my movements, or her own instincts. 

I let the distance hold, then turned my head slightly toward Rowan.

"You can go. You're excused." 

"Are you sure, Asher?" Rowan said straightening, his brows lifting.

"I will be fine," I said, firmly but calm, "I can lead her upstairs with no problem."

Rowan's gaze flicked to Savannah, then back. He didn't argue for long. A good Beta knew when calculating a dozen different possibilities. Instead, he gave a short nod.

"If you need me..." 

"I know."

"Try not to shout at any more invisible roommates." He winked at Savannah before stepping toward the door.

Savannah made a sound that could have been a laugh, but it was strangled by nerves.

"Get some sleep, Rowan." 

He left, the door closing behind him softly that left the study way too quiet. Just me, Savannah, the box sitting on my desk like a sleeping storm.

I turned back to her, keeping my hands visible and my movements slow.

"You ready?" I asked.

Savannah swallowed, her cheeks still pink.

"As I will ever be," Savannah said, lifting her chin.

I nodded once and stepped around the desk, not too close, not too fast. The firelight caught the dark woord and the silver inlay of the box, but I kept my focus on her. 

I held out my hand to her.

"May I?" I asked.

It wasn't a demand. 

An option.

Savannah's eyes dropped to my palm. Hesitation flickered across her face. Fear, pride, and exhaustion wrestled for the same space. Her fingers twitched, like she couldn't decide if touching me would anchor or trap her. 

She closed her eyes and exhaled quickly and sharp, placing her hand in mine.

Warmth pulsed through me.

Not just physical warmth, though she was warmer now than she had been when she first arrived her, but something deeper. Something that settled behind my ribs and made my chest feel full in a way I hadn't known to name before. 

Nero sparked at the contact, delightfully hungry.

"MINE."

The word would have sparked tinder and burned.

My vision threatened to sharpen. Heat pushed forward, possessive, wanting to close the distance, wanting me to--

"No."

I tilted my head slightly and shook it once, a small motion that looked like nothing but meant everything. I forced a deep breath, forced Nero back into the cage of my ribs.

"Not now. Not like this."

Savannah noticed.

"You... okay?" she asked, her gaze flicking to my face, her brows knitting together. 

"I'm fine." I said, my voice shaking slightly, "Just trying to keep control." 

Her cheeks flushed faintly again, and she looked away fast as if staring at my eyes too long might make me change.

I kept my grip gentle as I led her out of the study. The hallway felt quieter than before, less crowded. The sconces threw light across the dark wood. The house smelled of smoke and pine. Somewhere far off, a door shut softly, more than likely Rowan finally setting in. Wind scratched at the windows as I pulled her along the hallway, like it wanted to be let in. Savannah walked beside me, close enought that I could feel her tremble through our hand when the house creaked. She glanced at around at everything as we passed, cataloging exits.

I didn't blame her. 

At the end of the hall, I stopped at a door with a simple iron handle. My room.

"Our room now." 

I opened it and stepped aside so she could enter before me. 

Savannah took one cautious step over the threshold. Froze. And gasped.

It wasn't a polite little inhale but a full, startled sound that instantly told me that the room hit her like a wave.

The bedroom was warm, lit by low lamps and faint glow of embers smoldering in a small hearth set in the far wall. The bed dominated the space. A massive fram of dark wood with black accents that gleamed like polished obsidian. Crimson silk sheets laid smooth across it, the fabric catching the light in glossy ripples, like spilled wine frozen mid pour. Black pillows were stacked against the headboard, edged with subtle stiching that made the red of the sheets looks even deeper. 

A thick rug softened the floor around the bed, dark and was plush beneath bare feet. Heavy curtains of black with a faint pattern woven into them hung over tall windows, keeping the cold outside where it belonged. 

To the right, a door stood slightly ajar, revealing a private bathroom. Savannah's eyes snagged on it immediately. Pale stone, steam lingering faintly, a giant tub set beneath a high window, and a glass walled shower that looked big enough for a small army. 

Her gaze swung back to the bed, then to me. Her face did something complicated. It was part awe, part embarrassment, part you live like this?

"Wow." she breathed.

I let a quiet exhale through my nose, the closest thing to a chuckle.

"It's... comfortable."

Savannah took another stepd inside, her eyes still wide. I followed and shut the door behind us with a soft click. Only then did I let go of her hand.

The absence I felt as soon as her hand left mind was like stepping away from a fire and into cold air. My palm still felt the shape of her fingers, the small press of her warmth, and Nero paced behind my ribs like I had taken away his favorite toy.

Savannah flexed her hand, she felt it too. But quickly pretended that she hadn't. 

I moved around her and headed toward my dresser, dark iron wood with shining gunmetal pulls, keeping my back mostly to her in order to give her space. I opened the top drawer and pulled out cloths for tomorrow: a fitted black long sleeve shirt, soft and worn at the cuffs, and dark pants folded neatly. Practical. Clean.

I moved next to a drawer lower and retrieved another set of clothes: charcoal sweatpants and a plain black tee, softened with age. It was the kind of clothes that were meant for sleeping and nothing else. No symbols. No pack markings. Just fabric. 

I set them on the edge of the dresser and turned slightly so that I could see her. She stood at the foot of the bed, her gaze darting again. Bed. Bathroom. Dresser. Windows. Like she was trying to decide what was safe for her to touch. 

"Savannah," I said gently.

She looked up, startled, then composed herself quickly.

"Yeah?"

"What do you usually sleep in?" I asked. "If I don't have anything in my dresser that is to your liking that is."

Her cheeks went pink, then darkened shades.

"I... Uh." She glanced at the bed, then back to me with a glare that said I hate you for making me answer this. 

I waited patiently, without pushing her. 

"Usually?" She finally blurted out, "Oh uh... like a tank top or--" she wabed her hand vaguely, flustered, "one of those oversized t-shirts. And shorts. Or just underwear if it's hot." She stared at the floor the moment the words left her lips, mortified. 

Heat flickered in my chest as an image I hadn't asked for slid into my mind with cruel ease: Savannah in an oversized shirt, bare legs, hair loose, looking like she belonged in this room. Nero pushed against my ribs hard enough to make my ribs ache. 

I kept my face steady but a soft smile broke across my lips. Because imagining her safe was kind of a relief I hadn't known I needed. I made a small sound, a small chuckle.

Savannah's head snapped up, catching my expression, and her blush deepened. 

"Don't you dare..."

"What?" I said, like I didn't already have the picture burned into my memory, "I promise I won't. Thank you for telling me."

 Her eyes narrowed, suspicious. 

"That sounded like you were being nice."

"I am," I answered simply.

She huffed but there was no bite behind it. 

"There are shirts and sleep pants in there." I nodded toward the dresser, "Some are softer than they look. If none of it works, I can have something brought up for you." 

Savannah shifted her weight, watching me like she expected me to do something unpredictable at any second.

"I'm going to take a shower." I said as I scooped up my clothes and topped my head toward the bathroom door.

"Okay." 

"You're allowed to roam around you know? Not just stand there frozen in place." I added, keeping my tone light, "Check the dresser. Make yourself comfortable." I paused, then softened my voice, "And, once I'm done, you can shower if you want. On your own." 

"That would be nice. Hot water sounds great right now." 

I almost smiled again. 

Instead, I gave a small nod and headed toward the bathroom. As I reached the threshold, I couldn't help myself and glanced back. 

She stood in the crimson black glow of the room, cheek still faintly flushed, still wary, but standing her ground. 

Nero settled behind my ribs, a satisfied rumble vibrating. 

"Safe." He murmured.

"For now." I agreed.

For now.

END OF CHAPTER 4