Aubree’s POV
Warmth.
Soft breaths.
A steady heartbeat under my cheek.
For a moment, half-awake, I didn’t remember where I was — only the feeling of safety, of bodies around me, of a cocoon of heat and quiet that felt dangerously comforting.
Then consciousness sharpened.
Carter’s hand resting carefully on my hip.
Abel’s arm loosely draped over my waist.
Our legs tangled beneath the blankets like we belonged there.
My eyes flew open.
Oh. Oh no.
Memory slammed back — the fear, the phone call, the note, the panic that had ripped through my chest until I’d run here like instinct, like gravity, like I was tethered to them by something I couldn’t explain.
I gasped softly.
Carter stirred first.
His eyelashes fluttered, his expression soft and unguarded for one breathtaking second — t
