The scent hits me first. Roses, warm and rich, wrapping around me like a memory I can't escape. It's a heavy, almost cloying fragrance, a constant reminder of a life I try to leave behind.
My body melts into the silk sheets, the fabric smooth and cool against my skin. For a fleeting second, I forget. I forget that I don't belong in this bed anymore. I forget that I moved out. I forget that the person I love pushes me away.
Then it hits me. I sit up too fast, my head spinning as last night crashes back into my mind. Aries. Caspian. The fight. Theo's betrayal. Aries taking control. Caspian stopping him. The way Aries speaks through me, his voice deep and biting, dragging Caspian into a confrontation neither of us are prepared for.
How the hell did I get here?
"You shouldn't thank him yet," Aries mutters in my head, voice thick with amusement. "Not until you have the conversation you've been avoiding."
My breath catches.