(Aria’s POV)Morning didn’t arrive all at once.It slipped in quietly, pale light filtering through the high windows like it didn’t want to interrupt what still lingered in the air. The chamber smelled of stone, magic, and something warmer, skin and trust and the aftermath of choice.I woke wrapped in bodies.Kael was solid at my back, one arm curved around my waist, his breath warm against my shoulder. Matteo lay to my left, on his side, close enough that our foreheads nearly touched, his expression peaceful in a way that made my chest ache. Ren had claimed the foot of the couch entirely, one arm flung over his eyes, boots discarded in some act of rare surrender. Azrael sat upright on the floor nearby, back against the stone, eyes open.Keeping watch.Of course he was.The bond was quiet now, not asleep, just… content. Like a tide drawn back but never gone.I shifted carefully, and Kael stirred immediately.“You’re awake,” he murmured, voice rough with sleep and something deeper.“Ju
Last Updated : 2025-11-26 Read more