POV: Aurora
I wake up without knowing if it's day or night outside.
The wall panel simulates a perfect sunrise, but down here there is no sun, only programming. I lie there for a few seconds, listening to the hum of the air and nothing else.
Then I hear his footsteps.
"I'm coming in," Dante announces from the door.
"Come in," I say, my voice still rough.
He enters with a tray. It smells of coffee, toast, and him. Wet forest, contained storm. My omega awakens before my brain.
"I didn't know if you were awake," he says.
"Your scent came first," I blurt out.
His eyes darken for a second. He notices. I notice. He sets the tray on the desk and touches the control panel.
"Tomorrow," he says. The light brightens a notch. "At least in here."
I sit up. The T-shirt I'm wearing is too big and too short. He pretends to look at the tray, but his attention lingers for half a second on my bare legs before moving back up. That half second warms me more than the coffee.
