The Ice King’s Weakness

Chapter Eight – Tangled

Adrian’s POV

The first thing I registered was warmth.

Soft, slow, steady warmth pressed against my side.

I opened my eyes to find Elena asleep, her head resting on my shoulder, one arm draped across my chest as if she’d claimed me in the middle of the night.

I should have moved her. I should have put distance between us the second I realized what had happened. But instead, I stayed still, watching the gentle rise and fall of her breathing.

Her hair spilled across my shirt, the faint scent of her shampoo making it harder to think. She shifted slightly in her sleep, her fingers curling against me, and I felt something deep in my chest—something I hadn’t let myself feel in years—tighten.

“Morning,” she murmured, eyes still closed.

“You’re awake,” I said, my voice low.

“Barely.” She tilted her head up, and our eyes met. The space between us felt too small, too charged. One wrong move and I’d close it.

“You sleep like you own the bed,” I said.

“And you sleep like you own the world,” she replied softly.

The corner of my mouth twitched—half amusement, half something far more dangerous.

I should have gotten up. I should have put an end to this before it became something I couldn’t control. Instead, I let my hand rest against her waist for one slow, deliberate moment.

Her breath caught.

“Elena…” I started, but the knock at the door broke whatever spell had settled over us.

She sat up quickly, putting space between us, and I forced myself to do the same. By the time room service wheeled in breakfast, the Ice King mask was firmly back in place.

But I knew.

One more moment like that, and it would shatter completely.