Sera's POV
The morning light was just beginning to filter through the tall, arched window, casting long, cool shadows across the stone floor of the tower suite. I lay still on the edge of the mattress for a long moment, my body heavy with the exhaustion of a fitful sleep spent tossing between terror and the confusing heat of Gideon's touch.
As I sat up, pushing the heavy blankets aside, my eyes landed on the guard posted near the glass. He was standing in the exact same spot as yesterday, his posture relaxed but alert, keeping a quiet vigil over the courtyard four stories below.
He turned his head slightly as the mattress creaked, his expression calm and devoid of the harsh, cold judgment I had grown so used to under Lucian’s rule.
"Good morning," he said softly, his voice low so as n
