For a second after Rafael said it, neither of them moved.
The wards still hummed. Natalie still breathed, warm and content against Rafael's chest. Light still lay across the sheets like nothing important had just happened.
But Gregoris went very still, like his body had absorbed the words before his mind decided what to do with them.
Rafael immediately regretted having a mouth; saying it out loud made him feel… exposed. Like he'd taken a blade he normally kept hidden and laid it on the table.
Gregoris's hand tightened on Rafael's thigh.
Then Gregoris leaned closer, careful and slow, as if even air could startle this moment.
His mouth brushed Rafael's temple again, soft enough to be almost nothing.
"I love you," Gregoris said.
The words were simple and flat, just like Gregoris was when he meant something so deeply that it became dangerous.
Rafael's chest tightened so hard he had to swallow.
