The soft, amber glow of the bedside candles flickered against the dark stone walls of our quarters, casting long shadows across the heavy furs. The high-backed chairs and the paperwork for Headmaster Thomas had been pushed aside for the night. The Stronghold around us was quiet, wrapped in the deep stillness of midnight, but inside our room, the air was charged with a focused, quiet intensity.
Demetrius and I sat cross-legged on the mattress, facing each other directly. His towering frame was entirely relaxed, yet his dark eyes were laser-focused on me, tracking the slight rise and fall of my shoulders. He reached out, his large, warm hands resting gently on my knees, grounding me to the physical world before we began.
"Talk to me about earlier, Rachel," he asked softly, breaking the sil
