** Poppy’s POV **

I wake slowly, snuggled under the blanket. For one disorienting second, I don’t understand why my body feels so heavy and relaxed, why the constant pressure in the back of my mind isn’t there waiting for me the second I open my eyes. Then I feel him, Jake. Not just beside me, but inside me.

The bond hums softly beneath my skin, calm and steady like a second heartbeat threaded through my chest. Sleepy contentment brushes against my consciousness a second before strong ...