Aira woke in the middle of the night tangled in him.
Kael had turned in his sleep, his arm wrapped securely around her waist, her head tucked under his chin. The wound at his shoulder pressed against her back, but he didn't stir. He only tightened his hold on her slightly when she moved.
She felt his breath against her neck—slow, steady. Her own breath caught in her throat.
No man had ever touched her like this.
And she didn't want him to stop.
Her fingers moved slowly over the bare skin of his arm, tracing the lines of muscle and old scars. He shifted slightly, groaning low in his throat.
"Are you awake?" she whispered.
"Yes," he murmured, voice rough from sleep. "Have been for a while."
Aira stiffened. "You didn't say anything."
"I didn't want to break it. Whatever this is."
Her chest tightened.
"Do you want me to move?" he asked softly.
"No," she whispered. "Don't."
He pressed a kiss into her hair.
She turned to face him slowly beneath the blanket. The fire had burned down to glowing coals, casting only the faintest light. She could barely see his eyes—but she felt them.
"I don't understand what's happening," she admitted.
He touched her cheek. "Neither do I. But I want it. I want you, Aira."
Her heart was thunder.
And when he kissed her again—soft, patient, then deeper, slower—she let go.
Their limbs tangled.
Their bodies pressed close.
Heat bloomed where skin met skin. They explored each other in the silence, lips grazing, hands learning, breaths shallow with tension and need.
She pulled back just enough to whisper, "Not yet… but stay close."
Kael nodded, his thumb brushing the corner of her mouth.
"I'll wait," he said. "For everything."
And that night, they fell asleep like that—hearts racing, breaths entwined, dreaming not of the past…
…but of a future neither dared imagine before.