I didn’t bother to pretend to sleep. Instead, I lay in bed with Liora curled up against me as I stared up at the ceiling and listened. The packhouse woke slowly. I heard footsteps moving up and down the halls. The sound of the kettle hissing. The soft chatter and laughter as they tried to be quiet. But none of that mattered. Liora’s warm breath against my chest made everything feel right in the world. Her hair smelled like woodsmoke and something that was uniquely her. A sound at the door made me frown as I glanced over. The door latch clicked once on the other side, and I knew it had just been unlocked.
“We have a guest,” Ace pointed out.
“I know,” I muttered under my breath as I looked over Liora to make sure she was covered. A moment later, the door crashed open. Shaun filled the fra
