I woke to unfamiliar weight across my waist and the steady rhythm of someone's breath against my neck. My body felt strange—sore yet satisfied, with a lingering warmth that wasn't quite discomfort anymore. Blinking against the dim morning light filtering through unfamiliar curtains, fragments of last night flooded back.
The heat. The fever. Mr. Vance finding me. Carrying me.
Rhys.
I turned my head slightly to find him sleeping peacefully beside me, his arm draped protectively over my middle. His face looked younger in sleep, all the usual mischief and charm softened into something vulnerable.
"I love you," he'd said last night. And I'd said it back.
I meant it. The realization settled over me like a warm blanket. I loved him—his kindness, his unwavering support, the way he'd been there from my first confusing moments in this world. But as I lay there, I couldn't ignore that he wasn't the only one occupying my thoughts.
Where was Jaxon? Silas? Ronan? And...Mr. Vance?