Ava Gobson's Pov.
I didn’t wake up all at once. It was a slow reveal, a series of layers unfolding before my eyes. Awareness before action. Feeling before thought. A constriction in my chest before I could figure out why I was experiencing it.
I knew my body was reacting to something my brain hadn’t registered yet – just that realization was enough to make me anxious. I didn’t open my eyes.
I froze, my body automatically tensing. Something was different in this room. Not wrong. Just full. The air was thick and warm, like someone had been standing too close.
His scent wafted into my nose and my body eased slowly realizing it was Damien.
“No,” I said, my voice shaking. “No, I won’t go.” I felt my heart pound, beating once, beating again, as if it had to be asked to panic. I willed mysel
