"You're staring again."
Ryvarn's voice came from behind me, warm and amused. I didn’t turn. I kept my eyes on the stars outside the open window. The moonlight spilled across the floor in silver ribbons, and the night air carried the scent of pine and something sweeter. Him.
"Maybe I like the view," I said. Though it was half truth. Or maybe a white lie for now.
His footsteps padded across the room. I felt the shift in the air before he reached me. Then, gently, his hands slid around my waist from behind.
"You didn’t sleep last night," he murmured.
"Neither did you."
We stood there for a few heartbeats. His breath brushed against the curve of my neck. His heat sank into my back, steady and grounding. I closed my eyes.
"It doesn’t feel real sometimes," I whispered. "That you’re here.
