*Rowan*
Dawn had barely begun to paint the edges of the sky when I opened my eyes.
Beside me, Harper slept on her side, facing me, lashes fluttering against flushed skin, her breath was slow and quiet against my chest. One hand rested just over my heart, as if even in sleep she wanted proof I was still here.
I didn't move for a minute. I watched her. I let myself feel the unfamiliar calm she forced into my chaos, the softness no amount of blood on my hands could ever fully ruin. I wondered if she knew what she did to me by simply staying asleep beside me.
I heard her words last night, her promise to be here in my morning. She was everything I didn't know I needed and I wasn't going to let her go to any other city to keep her away from me.
Her lips parted, a quiet sigh escaped her thro
