**Astrein's POV**

Gaia's eyes held such purity and tenderness when she looked at me.

I found myself lost in them, replaying everything that had happened last night. I hadn't entered her body—hadn't claimed her in that final, irreversible way—but somehow, what we'd shared felt more intimate than any physical union could have been.

The memory of her beneath me, trusting and vulnerable, sent warmth flooding through my chest. I'd brought her pleasure, helped her through the ...