Evaline:
I wasn't sure exactly when I fell asleep.
One moment I had been aware of River's heartbeat beneath my cheek, the steady rise and fall of his chest under my palm, the warmth of his arm wrapped securely around my waist… and the next moment everything had dissolved into soft darkness.
And our bond...
It hummed beneath my skin like a quiet melody, warm and alive, wrapping around my senses even in sleep. There was comfort in it. Assurance. A deep, instinctive knowledge that I wasn't alone.
Mine.
The word lingered in the back of my mind as I drifted.
By the time consciousness returned, sunlight was filtering through the window. It felt soft at first - golden, warm.
I blinked slowly, my lashes fluttering as brightness seeped into my awareness.
For a few seconds, my mind remained hazy, floating between dreams and reality, but then memory rushed back in a wave so vivid it made my stomach flip.
River.
The bond.
Last night.
Heat crept into my cheeks instantly.
