Iwoke slowly, the way you did when everything in your body felt pleasantly wrecked.
Every muscle ached in that good, I-had-sex-with-a-vampire kind of way.
Cristian’s arm was heavy around my waist. One of my legs was tangled with his, and his hand rested low, his thumb drawing slow, unconscious circles against my hip.
I didn’t want to move. I didn’t even want to blink. I just wanted to bask in feeling so…whole.
Cristian’s chest rose and fell behind me. He didn’t need to breathe, but he did anyway, like he’d learned the habit and kept it for comfort.
I closed my eyes and tried to memorize the weight of him, the warmth, the quiet stability of the bond between us.
Then, of course, my brain started doing its thing.
Was it just physical for him? Does he regret it? Am I just convenient? Temporary? A snack with a personality?
The next thought came fully formed:What are we now?
It hovered right on my tongue, waiting.
And then every woman I’d ever known echoed in my head, all the times we’d whispered that question and watched faces fall, shoulders stiffen, men say things likelet’s not complicate this.
I didn’t want to be that girl. I wanted to be cool. Chill. Effortless.
I was, in fact, not chill. Not even a little. I was absolutely spiraling while lying naked beside an immortal man who smelled like cedar and sin.
When you feel the urge to shrink,my therapist’s voice chimed in,that’s a cue, not a command.
Right. Good. I’d talk to him. Just… not yet.
He stirred behind me and pulled me closer, his nose brushing the back of my shoulder. His voice, when it came, was rough.
“You are ravishing,” he murmured. “A creature born of starlight and seduction.”
I groaned into the pillow. “You can’t just say things like that first thing in the morning.”
He gave a low chuckle, and my skin turned into a blush factory.
Maybe he really meant it. Maybe this was what it felt like to be wanted—not for performance, not for how well I could read the room or make a joke, but for existing.
I let myself sink into that feeling until a dull throb began behind my eyes. Then my stomach cramped. Hard.
Oh, great. PMS? Dehydration? Post-vampire low blood pressure?
I rolled onto my back. “Weird,” I said softly.
Cristian’s gaze sharpened instantly. “You are pale.”
“I’m fine,” I said quickly. “Probably just getting my period. Or dehydrated. Or sleep deprived. Or… something. It’s fine.”
Classic Nadia Deflection No. 4: minimize symptoms, insert nervous smile, change subject.
Frowning, he sat up and gently cupped my cheeks. “Do not do that.”
“Do what?”
“Dismiss yourself. You matter here.” His thumbs brushed my lower lip, careful and warm. “I will make you food.”
The way he said it made my chest ache. I nodded. “Okay. But don’t leave yet.”
