The days that followed the Golden Embrace were quiet in a way that felt almost sacred. I could feel the tension in my chest slowly uncoil, each morning bringing a little more certainty that Varion wasn’t going anywhere, that the bond we were nurturing could be more than just fragile hope.
He was attentive, careful, and while the echoes of that night’s chaos lingered in the back of my mind, they were tempered by his constant presence—small touches, a hand brushing against mine as we walked through the mansion, quiet conversations that held his weight and attention entirely on me. We still hadn’t slept together after what had happened, and Varion hadn't tried to mark me. A small part of me still wasn’t ready for that. But I found myself laughing again, stealing glances at him as he spoke wi
