The moment Draven’s hand settled at the back of my neck, all the noise, Celeste’s screams, the council’s stiff silence, Leo’s stunned blinking, faded like a storm rolling out to sea. The house was quiet now, the air warm from the hearth fire, the scent of pine drifting in from the open window.My heartbeat slowed. Not entirely calm, not entirely settled, but shifting, softening. My chest still trembled with leftover adrenaline, but beneath it something else bloomed, bright, warm, steady.A thrill.Not from the fight.From him.From us.Draven exhaled shakily, his forehead resting against mine for a moment, letting everything between us settle. When he finally stepped back, it was not distance, but gentleness.“You are trembling,” he murmured, his eyes tracing my face, not with worry, not with judgment, but with something like awe. “Come here.”His arms opened, and the last of my defenses melted. I moved into him, burying my face in his chest as his arms wrapped fully around me. Not po
Last Updated : 2025-11-20 Read more