Lorien POV
Auren was silent and brooding as we made our way to our room.
Olyssia was staying in the suite to our left, while Lior and Rion shared the one to our right. My cheeks flamed when Rion’s voice echoed down the hall, teasing, “Keep it down, lovebirds,” before his door shut behind him, leaving just Auren and me standing there.
I knew Auren’s lingering in the hall wasn’t about hesitation—it was instinct. He was making sure his siblings were safe before we did the same. But the way he kept me pressed to his chest in the elevator, and then as we walked down the corridor, had my pulse tripping over itself.
Butterflies stirred in my stomach, fluttering wildly, and it felt as though the heat from his body was seeping into mine with every step. But that was just me—my awareness of him
