Tomorrow would be his first day as the Commander's Special Assistant.
There was also a party coming soon.
He had to prepare well. He had to do everything right.
His thoughts spiraled—what if this, what if that—until exhaustion finally pulled him into sleep.
Sometime in the night—
In the blink of an eye—
A figure appeared beside his bed.
Reddish-brown hair.
Red-hued golden eyes.
The gaze lingered on the sleeping form.
On the smooth curve of Sylene's neck beneath his beautiful face.
Still.
Watching.
His eyes didn't leave Sylene's neck — fixed on the place where life pulsed just beneath the skin, where blood surged with every steady beat and flowed through his entire body. The faint rise and fall of Sylene's breathing only made that subtle rhythm more visible… more impossible to ignore.
"…Smells good."
The words slipped out quietly, almost reverently.
