Aria's POV
I woke before Damien for once, an unusual enough occurrence that I simply lay still for a while, watching him sleep — the rare, unguarded softness that only ever settled over his features in these quiet, early hours before duty reclaimed him.
He stirred eventually, gray eyes blinking open slowly, immediately finding mine.
"You're staring," he murmured, voice rough with sleep.
"You do it to me constantly. I'm allowed occasional turnabout."
He smiled, unhurried, and drew me closer against his chest. "What are your plans for today?"
"None," I said. "Deliberately. You spent all of last week teaching me to rest without guilt. I've decided to return the favor."
Something wary crossed his expression. "Aria—"
"No Council business," I said firmly. "No border reports, no restituti
