The library had become my own little sanctuary by now. The books inside this place steadied me, their worlds drawing me away from the chaos that seemed to press closer every day. I had just settled into one of the velvet armchairs with a worn tome when I felt it, the shift in the air.
Varion entered the room without saying a word. His presence filled the room, heavier than the shelves of books and scrolls combined. For a moment, he simply stood in the doorway, watching me with blue eyes still sharp from some storm I couldn’t see. Then he crossed the room in long, purposeful strides and sank down beside me, pulling me into his arms and onto his lap before I could even greet him. His embrace was tight, almost desperate, and I felt the way his chest rose and fell against mine as if he were u
