8. The cherry on top.
Katarina.
At some point during the night, I woke up wrapped in Killian’s arms. Carefully, I slid out of his embrace and stayed still, lost in my thoughts, until he woke up. I knew because his fingers started playing with my hair, silently undoing knots without saying a word.
“How did you get that scar?” I ask, lying on my side, staring at the wall.
Killian stops moving the second he hears my voice. He thought I was still asleep. For a moment, I think he’s going to pull his hand away now that he knows I’m fully awake, but he just lets out a breath and touches me again. His fingers return to their task, patient, gentle. He moves a strand of hair off my shoulder with care and keeps untangling the locks.
While he slept, I considered trying to run again, but I’m exhau
