Valtira.
I awoke with a heaviness that clung to every bone in my body, the sort of weight that made it feel as though I had slept beneath a mountain. My mind drifted somewhere between waking and dreaming, still foggy, still slow, still tangled in remnants of exhaustion. I blinked, letting the chamber settle into focus—then my breath caught in my throat.
Draven stood beside the bed.
Not at the door.
Not across the room.
But right there, close enough that I could see the faint rise of his chest and the cold sharpness in his eyes.
My heart lurched violently, thudding against my ribs like it wanted to escape my body. Instinctively, I yanked the blanket up to my collarbone, clutching it so tightly my knuckles blanched.
The violation of waking to someone watching me sliced through my che
