~LENORA'S POV
The first thing I felt was the ache, deep and everywhere, settling into my limbs, my chest, even my head, until breathing itself felt like effort.
My eyes opened gradually, unfocused at first, and I stayed there for a moment, trying to understand why everything felt so heavy.
The ceiling above me was unfamiliar for only a second before recognition settled in.
Zephyr's chamber.
That alone made something in me ease, even with the pain still sitting in my body.
I turned my head slowly, the movement taking more effort than it should have, and my gaze fell on him.
He was asleep beside me.
For a moment, I forgot everything else.
The ache, the weakness, the strange heaviness that clung to me, all of it faded behind the simple fact that he was there.
His face looked calmer than I had ever seen it, the tension he usually carried was nowhere to be found, and it made my heart flutter in a way I couldn't explain.
It felt like I hadn't seen him in forever.
