|| Lilac's POV ||

Alaric carried me into my room, his arms steady despite the blood that stained both of us. My clothes were torn, my skin smeared with dirt and dried blood, and his hair was disheveled, his face etched with exhaustion and worry. But the closeness, his scent, everything helped me to calm my nerves. He set me down gently on my bed, his touch careful, as if I might break. I clung to him, my fingers digging into his shirt, my body trembling with the aftershocks of ...