The world was quiet.
Only the sound of our breathing filled the room. The sheets were tangled around us, and the golden afterglow from the bond still pulsed faintly beneath my skin. Ryvarn lay beside me, one arm draped over my waist, his body still half-wrapped around mine like a living shield.
His chest rose and fell against my back, and every breath warmed my shoulder. We hadn’t moved for minutes, maybe more. I didn’t want to.
He kissed the side of my neck, slow and soft. “You okay?”
I smiled, still too breathless to answer right away. “More than okay.”
His hand tightened around my stomach, pulling me closer. “You scared me,” he murmured. “I didn’t want to break you.”
I turned slightly in his arms, just enough to face him. “You didn’t. You held me through it. Even when I fell apart
