The weight of the silence in the chamber was heavier than the stone ceiling above them. Elena stood frozen as Silas’s shadow stretched across the white sarcophagus, his hand still resting firmly on her waist. The amber glow from the thrones pulsed like a slow, rhythmic heartbeat, casting long, flickering shapes against the walls covered in names.
"You're shaking again," Silas observed. His voice wasn't loud, but in the enclosed space, it vibrated right through her. He didn't pull his hand away; instead, his fingers splayed wider, his thumb grazing the soft skin just above her hip.
Elena forced herself to look at him, pushing past the fog of exhaustion. "You just told me I’m a void. That I’m supposed to give you an heir to pay back a debt for people I never even met. How am I supposed to
