The next morning, I woke up to warmth. A weight draped around my waist. A steady heartbeat pressed against my back. Breath fanned gently against the curve of my shoulder.
Varion.
Next to me.
In my bed.
For once, he was still here when morning had come. It was the first time since we had gotten back from the war camp…
For a brief, foolish second… I almost forgot why that even mattered now. I almost let myself sink into him — into the comfort I had always found again in his arms. But then reality slammed back into me like a punch to the ribs.
I remembered the tears.
The confessions.
The new lies stacked on top of the older ones.
Varion shifted slightly, his hold tightening reflexively, like his body was terrified of losing mine, even in his sleep. As if holding me could undo what
