Darius POV
After dinner, Akita showed Beatrice to her room. I tried not to think about her sleeping three floors above me. I tried not to imagine going to her, tried to be patient instead I failed spectacularly.
Maro found me pacing the training yard an hour later. "You're going to wear a hole in the ground."
"I can't sleep," I admitted.
"Obviously." He sat on a bench. "Talk to me, what’s wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong." I stopped pacing. "Everything's perfect. She's here. She wants me, we have a whole week."
"And?" Maro prompted.
"And I'm terrified I'll mess it up." The words burst out. "What if I'm not what she needs? What if the bond isn't as strong as we think? What if she realizes she made a mistake?"
"Darius." Maro stood and grabbed my shoulders. "Listen to me. That girl looks at
