AIKO
I woke up with my head spinning and the taste of metal on my tongue, like I'd been sucking on old coins. My silk sheets felt too heavy, too hot against my skin, but I couldn't summon the energy to kick them off. The crimson light filtering through my curtains told me it was late afternoon, though in the perpetual twilight of the Blood Realm, it was hard to be sure.
Last thing I remembered was Daedillion's lips on mine—cool as night air, soft as velvet—and his shadows brushing against my skin.
They'd felt like silk ribbons being drawn across every nerve ending, leaving trails of delicious fire in their wake. Then... nothing. Just floating in a sea of euphoria that made everything else fade into meaningless background noise.
I pressed my fingertips to my temples, where a pleasant b
