The morning after felt like stolen serenity one of those moments that didn't belong in the chaos they'd been living. The light filtering through the curtains in Adrian's safehouse painted golden lines across Kai's bare shoulder, the sheets tangled loosely around his waist. He was still asleep, lips parted slightly, chest rising and falling in a rhythm that Adrian had found himself syncing to without realizing.
Adrian sat on the edge of the bed, shirtless, back tense, one hand gripping the edge of the mattress like it might anchor him to this moment. To Kai.
It scared him.
Not the vampires. Not the blood. Not the enemies hiding in the shadows or the scent of betrayal that still clung to the streets.
No. It was this peace. This fragile, beautiful thing that existed only when Kai was arou
