ELARIAN I had no idea when I drifted off to sleep, but I knew I had been too weak to do anything else. All I could do was ease into my bed and close my eyes after Elyse left the room. She had returned to drop off my dinner with a maid, and that was the last thing I remembered. When I opened my eyes again, I felt something or someone beside me on the bed. When I tried to move, Aeros' familiar scent overwhelmed my senses. He was lying next to me, his arms wrapped around my waist. When did he even get back? I wondered as I soaked in his relaxing scent and the comforting feel of him beside me. I stayed like that until morning, drifting in and out of sleep. Despite his presence, I found myself waking up countless times, restless for reasons I couldn’t quite place. As the first rays of sunl

