The first morning after the tower, the world didn't end.
It began again—subtler this time, softer.
We’d returned to the cottage tucked between the Hollow’s edge and the outskirts of the Ember Vale. It wasn’t a home yet. Just stone and timber shaped like one. But something about the silence in the hearth and the rustle of fresh sheets whispered the potential of peace.
A concept I didn’t fully trust yet.
Kael stood shirtless at the hearth, his broad shoulders catching the amber morning light as he stirred something over the fire. His hair was still damp from a cold stream bath, and I watched a single drop trace the length of his spine, down to where the dark linen of his pants clung to those dangerous hips.
I bit my lip, leaning against the doorframe.
He looked over his shoulder with t
