Lila’s POV
I woke with a stiff neck, sore limbs, and the bone-deep chill that only came after a night of restless sleep. The fire had long since gone out, and the room was blanketed in darkness. I stretched out my arms and back, groaning softly, then gathered my makeshift bed from beside the hearth.
Dragging it closer to the bedroom door, I lay down again—this time on the cold stone floor—with Tobi’s robe wrapped tightly around me. It smelled like him. Warm cedar, clean linen, and something uniquely his.
“Lila? Lila, are you there?” His voice came through the door, soft, hoarse with worry.
My breath caught in my throat. I couldn’t speak, not properly. I barely managed a soft “mmhmm,” the sound of it little more than a breath.
“I’m so sorry,” Tobi said. “You have to believe me. I never
