Eve woke to gray morning light filtering through the curtains and the immediate, crushing memory of what had happened yesterday.
Her mother was gone.
For a moment, she lay still, letting the weight of that truth settle over her again....the way it would settle over her every morning for a long time, she suspected. The fresh grief of remembering, of the moment between sleep and waking when you've forgotten, and then the reality crashes back.
She felt her mates around her....Silas still at her back, his steady presence grounding even in sleep. Damian had shifted position during the night, now sitting in the chair near the window, clearly having woken early to keep watch. Damon was sprawled on her other side, one arm flung across her waist in unconscious possession even while sleeping.
Through the bond, she felt their awareness spike as she woke...all three of them immediately attuned to her consciousness, ready to provide whatever she needed.
