The first pale rays of dawn filtered through the cracked windows of the largest room, casting fractured patterns of light across the worn wooden floor. Dust motes danced in the golden beams, creating an almost ethereal atmosphere that seemed at odds with the weight of the previous night's events.
Lirien stirred first, consciousness returning gradually as warmth pressed against her bare skin. The familiar ache between her thighs reminded her of their passionate union, while deeper memories surfaced of holding Yomi through his nightmare, the way his powerful frame had trembled against her, the strangled sounds of anguish that had torn from his throat.
She found herself studying his face in the morning light, noting how even in sleep, tension lingered in the set of his jaw, the slight furrow between his brows. Whatever demons haunted his dreams ran deeper than she had imagined, carved into his very soul by experiences she couldn't begin to fathom.
