The morning light crept into the mansion slowly, pale and reluctant, as if even the sun hesitated to look too closely at what lived inside these walls. Cassian had not slept. He had spent the night with Nagur curled against his chest on the large couch, one hand resting in the younger man’s hair, the other draped across his back. Nagur had drifted in and out of light sleep, occasionally shifting and wincing when the residual soreness in his body reminded him of the previous night. Cassian had soothed him each time with quiet murmurs and slow strokes along his spine until the tension eased again. By the time the twins stirred upstairs, the doctor had already been summoned. Cassian rose carefully, settling Nagur against the cushions with a soft blanket. He dressed in simple dark clothes and went to wake Azriel and Orion. They were still sore, still marked, but their eyes lit up the moment they saw him. He helped them dress in loose clothing, applied more cream where needed, and led
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