The heavy, reinforced silence of the Headmaster’s office was slowly replaced by the rhythmic, shallow breathing of two people who had just rewritten the rules of their own lives. Leo Shaw reached down and, with the effortless grace afforded by his Spirit-Forged Body, swept Susan off her feet in a lingering princess carry. Her Cheongsam, woven from the iridescent threads of Blazing Divine Feathers, felt like warm, living silk against his arms, and the scent of her perfume—a heady, intoxicating mix of jasmine and raw solar energy—filled his senses.
He walked a few paces to the plush leather sofa that had survived the earlier thermal discharge and settled her onto the cushions with a gentleness that stood in stark contrast to his earlier masculine dominance. He sat beside her, his hand natur
