The book was good—well, as good as any book when you need an escape from reality, though I couldn't exactly say the plot was groundbreaking. It wasn't the content that kept me hooked—it was the simplicity of it. The drama, the romance, the terribly written hero with his laughable declarations of love—it was predictable. And predictability, as it turned out, was a luxury I rarely got to enjoy.
Thalion was stretched out on the foot of the bed, his fluffy tail flicking every so often in response to Namarie's content purring beside me. The fire crackled in the hearth, casting a warm glow across the room, and for a fleeting moment, I allowed myself to pretend this was normal. Cozy, even.
And then the knock came.
It wasn't loud, nor was it timid. It was deliberate. Calculated. The kind of knock that carried the weight of someone who knew they were interrupting but didn't care.