Morning did not bring peace, It brought watchers, Mila felt them before she opened her eyes, not eyes on her body, but on her presence. Like distant pressure points tightening one by one, she lay still against Alexander’s chest, listening to his slow, steady breathing, grounding herself in it.
For a moment, she let herself pretend the world had narrowed to this room, stone walls. Warmth, safety earned, not borrowed.
Then the pull stirred again, Alexander woke the instant her breathing changed. “You feel it.” “Yes,” she said softly. “they’re closer.”
He brushed his thumb along her spine, slow and deliberate. “then we don’t give them surprise.”
They dressed in silence. Not awkward. Intentional, when they stepped into the corridor, Rowan was already there, jaw tight.
“They didn’t wait
