RAVENNA
The next morning came too fast.
I remember holding Riven all through the night, her soft breath against my skin, her tiny arms wrapped tightly around me like she was the one protecting me and not the other way around. I hadn’t meant to fall asleep out there under the stars, but something about the silence, the rhythm of her breath and the weight of all the thoughts swirling in my chest, had rocked me into it.
I opened my eyes slowly, kissed her forehead, and for a moment, just looked at her.
How could something so small carry so much of my heart?
She stirred lightly in my arms, blinking as the first rays of sun cut across the sky. I sat up slowly, brushing her golden strands behind her ears. Her blue eyes, so much like mine, blinked at me with the same curiosity she was born w
