[Silthara Palace — The Emperor's Chamber — Same Night]
The chamber glowed softly beneath silver lantern light.
Outside the balcony, the desert winds whispered against the towering walls of Silthara Palace, carrying with them the distant scent of warm sand and night-blooming jasmine.
Inside everything felt quieter and softer.
Levin rested comfortably against Zeramet's shoulder while the Malik's enormous silver serpent tail coiled beneath him like living silk, warm, protective, and possessive in the gentlest way possible.
A small bronze bowl filled with scented oil rested nearby while Zeramet carefully rubbed the oil across Levin's abdomen with slow circular motions, not rushed, not sensual...only attentive. The quiet tenderness of a husband trying to reassure himself that what remained precious was still safe within his hands.
