Theo’s point of view I’m still in her bed. The sheets are a mess, her scent is everywhere, and the pillow my head’s buried in still smells like her shampoo—whatever that spicy, earthy scent is that’s somehow illegal now that she’s not here. She’s gone. Just gone. No long goodbye. No tender parting words. Just a wicked smirk, a kiss to my jaw, and a casual, “Oh, by the way, I’ll be gone for two weeks.” TWO. WEEKS. I roll onto my back and stare at the ceiling like it holds answers. It doesn’t. Aries is quiet. Suspiciously quiet. “Don’t start,” I grumble, kicking the sheet off and dragging my hand through my hair. “I already know how this sounds.” “Sounds like a man abandoned in a nest he built himself.” “More like shoved out of a nest after I finally got comfortable.” I sit up slowly. My spine cracks. My ego cracks louder. Everything about this morning feels… wrong. Eva was here. Warm. Responsive. Laughing into my mouth, breathy and soft and all mine. And now I’m in her roo
Eva’s point of view I wake slowly, sunlight brushing against my face like soft fingertips. It’s warm—too warm—and there’s weight curled around me. An arm draped lazily across my waist. A hand resting low on my stomach, twitching slightly in sleep. Theo. A smile tugs at my lips, uninvited and embarrassingly soft. I stretch slightly, and a very distinct ache reminds me of everything that happened last night. Oh. Did I just lose my virginity? Yes. Yes, I did. And it was… full. Complete. Perfect. I still remember every sound he made. Every look he gave me like I was something sacred. Every time he asked if I was okay, and the moment he stopped asking because he knew I was. Because I wanted him just as much. Was this what the goddess meant when she said I was allowed? Who knows. But if I’m going to burn, I’ll burn for this. Theo stirs behind me, his nose brushing against my hair. His hand starts to move slowly across my abdomen, fingers teasing lower with every pass. I grab hi
Theo’s point of view I reach her door and knock once, quiet but deliberate. I can already feel her—her presence, her steady heartbeat, the way her energy curls around mine like smoke. If she were anyone else, I’d say she was asleep. But Eva doesn’t sleep like normal people. I hear her shift beneath the sheets, hear her bare feet as they move across the floor with deliberate calm. No rush. No hesitation. She knows it’s me. The door opens. “Theo,” she says softly. “Come in.” My hand tightens on the frame. “Are you sure you want me to enter?” She tilts her head. “You opened your door for me when I needed you. Why would I do differently?” I step into her room, the air already charged between us. She leads me toward the bed, guiding me with the faintest touches—her fingers brushing mine, her steps slow and deliberate. She sits and pats the space beside her. But I stay standing. “My motives aren’t that pure,” I admit, voice lower than I intended. “You came for answers. I came beca
Theo’s point of view The ceiling has nothing to offer me, but I stare at it like it might eventually give in. It’s been four months since she walked into my life—and since then, there hasn’t been a day I haven’t thought about her. Not a moment I haven’t felt her presence in my chest, tightening like a vice or softening like a prayer. Eva. She came in with her silent footsteps and steel eyes and cracked me open without even trying. My mind. My heart. My kingdom. All hers. And I love every damn second of it. But what terrifies me, in that quiet, slippery way only real fear can… is the possibility I’ll screw this up. That I’ll push too hard. That I’ll lose her to something bigger than both of us. I shift onto my side, pressing my face into the pillow that still smells faintly like her. She hasn’t slept beside me in three nights. She’s pulling away again—probably trying to make sense of the bond without letting it consume her. Or maybe she’s protecting me. I hate how much I get it.
Eva’s Point of View I open my eyes and I’m not in my room anymore. The air smells like nothing. Feels like everything. A pale field stretches out around me—white, endless, glowing like it’s been kissed by the gods. I know this place. My vision space. My little corner of divine interference. Only this time, I’m not alone. Sonia stands a few feet away, her brows drawn in tight confusion, feet sinking slightly into the glowing mist underfoot. Her braid is half undone, as if she got pulled straight from sleep. I don’t blame her for the stunned look—this isn’t the kind of place you stumble into gently. “What is this?” she whispers, turning in a slow circle. “Welcome to my world,” I murmur, stepping beside her. “We’re experiencing a vision. Together.” She blinks at me like I’ve just handed her a live grenade wrapped in tinsel. Before she can fire off more questions, the light in front of us thickens, swirls—then parts like a curtain. A figure glides toward us, cloaked in soft gold
Eva’s Point of View I sip my coffee, elbows planted on the windowsill, watching the two lovebirds across the courtyard. Well, four technically, but only two have admitted it to themselves. The other pair? Masters of denial. It’s kind of fascinating—watching people orbit around each other, pulled together like magnets but pretending it’s just gravity playing tricks. Stranger still: I enjoy this. Before, I would’ve observed with clinical distance, maybe even some disdain. Now? I feel things. Curiosity. Amusement. Longing. That last one’s a bitch. I glance sideways, and sure enough, Theo is already watching me, smirking like he knows exactly what I’m thinking. Which he probably does. Bastard. But instead of growling at him like I used to, I smile. It’s automatic, unnerving. That smirk has become familiar—almost comforting. We may not be intimate, but there’s no denying we’re connected. The way he touches me in small, deliberate ways. The way I lean into them now. And gods, the way