“Lyra.” Darian kisses the side of my damp face. “Sweetheart, we need to clean you up.”
No.
I don’t want to move.
Eres carefully rolls us to one side before he slides free, kissing away my murmured complaints and exposing my heated skin to the cool night air. “I’m not leaving.”
Darian curls against me, the three of us pressing together.
My eyes blink open. “What’s that?”
“I’m cleaning you up.” Kaelen kisses my hipbone. The cloth is cool and damp and feels nice against my swollen skin. “All of you. Have some water, and you can sleep.”
I bury my head in Eres’s chest as Kaelen moves to Darian, ignoring his muttered grumbles. He hums quietly as he nudgesthe three of us deeper into the bed, drawing down the covers and wrapping us up with them.
Caring. He’s so gentle that I feel tears prick against my eyes, and I don’t know why.
“There.” He kisses my damp hair one more time, running his fingers through it. Eres is already asleep, my face nestled in his chest. Darian is breathing heavily too as Kaelen leans over him. “How do you feel?”
I blink at him accusingly. “You broke us.”
He grins, and there’s no hint of what waits for us tomorrow behind his eyes. “This is my favorite part, you know.”
His eyes flicker as he glances down to Darian, and across to Eres. His smile this time is heavier. Kaelen brushes his hand against my cheek. “Try to get a little sleep. Tomorrow will come soon enough.”
But he doesn’t lay down. Kaelen sits with his back against the headboard, his eyes watching over the three of us.
I want to keep watch with him, but my exhaustion is finally catching up with me. It sweeps me under, and I feel my eyes close.
And when I wake up, our time has run out.
Lyra
With dawn comes the knock on the door. The shouts. Kaelen slips from the bed before they even arrive, standing by the window for several long minutes before finally returning to bed.
I wonder how many times he did that while we were sleeping.
Laying on my side, I watch the low gleam of the sun as it pushes through the narrow window, casting golden light across the bed. It feels… unfair.
That this should be the last day, and the room is already filling withlight.
Darian’s eyes search my face.
My body is wrung out, exhausted despite the most restful sleep I’ve ever had, but my mind doesn’t stop moving.
“There has to be a way,” I whisper. “Some sort of hope.”
Darian’s lips curve, just a little. “There's always hope.”
Behind me, Eres touches his lips to the curve of my shoulder. His arm tightens around me. And Kaelen… Kaelen is staring at the ceiling, his brow a dark, twisted frown. He pushes himself upright, dropping to kiss Darian’s temple.
“I’m glad that we had this.” His words are a soft rumble. “To face the day like this… it is a gift.”
His hand reaches out. He fingers a strand of my hair, runs it through his fingers. “I have something for you.”
I watch as he climbs out of bed. The muscles in his back flex and stretch as he walks across the room, tugging on a pair of linen braies before tugging open the door to the garderobe.
When he turns, I feel myself stiffen. “Where did you get that?”
