Chapter Six
Aria
I wake to the sound of quiet breathing.
Not mine.Silas’s.
It takes me a moment to understand the shape of the room again.The soft morning glow.The smell of cedar and warm fur.The low hum of something steady, pack energy maybe, pressing lightly at the edges of my awareness.
And Silas.Always Silas.
I blink blearily, turning my head.He’s not in the chair this time.He’s sitting on the floor beside the bed, back to the frame, legs stretched out in front of him.His head rests against the mattress near my hip like sleep finally won over exhaustion.
His presence anchors me.It’s strange but instinctive.It is almost terrifying in how much it calms me.I shift slightly, and his eyes open, sharp in an instant.The tension melts the moment he sees me awake.
“Are you okay?”he murmurs, voice rough with sleep.It’s always the same question.
I nod, even though I’m not sure.Something tight coils in my chest when I see how tired he looks.Shadows smudge the skin under his eyes, his jaw rough with stubble.He’s powerful, dangerously so, but right now he looks almost ...human.
Worn.
“You didn’t sleep,” I whisper.
“I slept.”A pause.“Eventually.”
I sit up a little, pulling the blanket around me.“On the floor?”
He shrugs one shoulder.“I didn’t want to startle you by moving to the chair.”
A strange warmth flickers in my chest.I tug the blanket tighter to hide my reaction.
“Thank you,” I whisper.
His eyes soften.“You don’t have to thank me for that.”
Silence drapes the room, gentle and warm.For once, it doesn’t choke me.For once, it doesn’t feel like something waiting to snap.I swallow and look toward the window.Bright morning light makes everything too clear.Too sharp.Too real.
