(Damien POV)
Dawn hadn't quite broken yet. The cabin was still wrapped in that heavy, pre-light gray that made everything feel suspended—neither night nor morning, just a breath held too long. I woke before Nova did, the way I always had since the change started creeping in. My body didn't need as much sleep anymore; the thing inside me fed on adrenaline and rage instead of rest.
She was curled against my side, one leg hooked over mine, her head tucked under my chin like she belonged there. Her breathing was slow and even, the softest rhythm in the room. Moonlight had given way to faint silver edging the cracked window, and it caught in her dark hair, turning strands to liquid starlight. I didn't move. Didn't dare. Just watched the gentle rise and fall of her chest, the way her lashes fanned against her cheeks, the tiny scar above her left eyebrow from some childhood fall she'd laughed about once.
