I woke with my face tucked into his neck and my whole body trembling.
It wasn’t the same as before. It wasn’t just the heat. It was sharper. My senses were heightened to the point of discomfort: sound, scent, touch. Everything.
Richard stirred beneath me, but I barely noticed. There were voices outside the suite, low ones, guards.
I tilted my head slightly, closing my eyes, breathing in slow.
"Left foot, dragging slightly," I whispered before I could stop myself.
Richard blinked. “What?”
“One of the guards. He’s limping.”
He sat up slowly, tension rising. “How do you know that?”
“I can hear it.”
He looked toward the door, then back at me. “That’s good. You’re still sharpening. The heat’s not done with us yet.”
“I know,” I murmured. “I can feel her, still awake. Pacing.”
We stood
