Narda's POV
The study felt heavier tonight than it had even last night.
Axle's desk still bore reminders of the aftermath of our near-disaster. The memory of papers scattered across the floor where he had swept things aside without thinking, then I noticed a pen snapped in half on the edge of the desk, like a casualty of passion. The room still seemed to hold an echo of whispered words and hurried breaths, an invisible heat that made my cheeks warm just standing there.
I looked away quickly, shaking my head to dispel the images forming inside my head, clearing my throat, forcing my eyes anywhere else, on the shelves, the windows, anywhere that wasn't him.
"We need to talk about what happened last night," I said, my voice steady at first but wobbly by the end. I clasped my han
