Nikolai

I woke with her in my arms, and for a moment—just a moment—the world was still.

Her back was pressed against my chest, her dark hair fanned across the pillow, her breathing soft and even. The bond hummed between us, settled in a way it never had before, and I felt something I hadn't felt in years. Contentment. Peace. The quiet certainty that this—this—was right.

I should have stayed. Should have wrapped myself around her and let the morning burn away while I memorized the ...