Rose lay between them, her breath slow and even, hair haloed against the pillow like strands of flame kissed by twilight. The tension that had lived in her shoulders for weeks had melted away at last, replaced by something soft. Trust. Safety. For the first time in what felt like forever, she had fallen asleep without fighting her way there.
Alex brushed a thumb gently over her knuckles, careful not to wake her. On her other side, Marcus—the Dragon Lord—watched her with a stillness that bordered reverence. Their bond to her was deeper now. No more running. No more silence. What they shared was something forged in agony and tempered in fire. And tonight, for once, the world let her rest.
At the foot of the bed, Pib sat.
Its smile was as wide as ever, stitched and strange, glassy eyes cat
