The bed beside her was still warm.
That was the first thing Nayla noticed when she opened her eyes. Not the morning light slipping through the cracks of the window. Not even the faint aroma of coffee from afar. But the lingering warmth on the side of the bed no longer occupied.
Which meant Damian hadn't left long ago.
Which meant that since last night — since all the words and kisses that couldn’t quite be called affection, but couldn’t be classified as violence either — she had been accompanied by him.
Whether as a guardian, an invader, or something in between.
Her vision was still blurry, but her mind immediately stitched together every piece of what had happened between them. She knew this kind of intimacy wasn’t peace. She knew this closeness wasn’t love in its purest form.
But s
