The sun had barely risen, casting long shadows through the high windows of the manor as I carried an oversized laundry basket down the hallway.
I could still feel the slight ache in my muscles, a reminder of how often Daemon had summoned me to his room in recent days. It was as if he sensed any shred of strength I managed to gather and was determined to strip it away from me.
Even now, with the remnants of last night’s exhaustion clinging to me, I’d forced myself to take on more chores than usual. Anything to avoid being called to him again, anything to keep moving, keep pushing my body’s limits.
I knelt by the washbasin in the laundry room, feeling the cold water bite into my hands as I scrubbed at one of Daemon’s shirts. I tried to block out thoughts of him, but his scent still lin
