As the room settled into quiet, filled only with the soft rhythm of their uneven breaths, Aliana opened her eyes. She blinked away the lingering daze, and her gaze wandered past Gavriel's shoulder to the dark, leather-bound books lining the study walls.
They were still standing in a room that wasn't theirs, yet instead of panic that should have gripped her was entirely absent. Wrapped securely in his arms, a deep sense of safety took its place.
More than that, her volatile powers that had been thrashing beneath her skin before she jumped into the pool had completely receded, leaving behind a tranquil stillness.
As she looked into the dark, her mind began to piece together a pattern. It wasn't just tonight. Every single time her powers had threatened to spill over, intimacy with Gavriel had acted as a soothing balm, making her powers bow down into submission.
Once could be a coincidence. Twice, luck. But every single time?
