[Few Hours Later]
Darkness came first, not the frightening kind, no edges, no weight. Just warmth and stillness, like floating beneath deep water.
Lyra stirred slowly and her first awareness was sensation.
She felt the strong arms around her and the steady rise and fall beneath her cheek.
Her fingers flexed and brushed against fabric, then skin.
She froze as memory rushed in all at once.
The office, the pain, the fear and then the man with silver eyes and rage in his presence—
Kaelen.
Lyra opened her eyes wide,
The room was dim, lit only by the soft glow of city lights bleeding through floor-to-ceiling windows.
For a second, she didn't recognize where she was.
Then she felt him.
Kaelen lay behind her on the couch, with one arm securely around her waist and his chest pressed to her back like he had built himself around her without realizing it. His breathing was deep and even, warm against her neck.
He was asleep and he was holding her like she was something precious.
