she didn't wake up panicked. There was still tension... but something had shifted. Kael had already risen. She found him in the open kitchen-shirtless, focused, coffee in hand. The ease wi

rected. "Like no one's ever really lived here." Kael studied her for a long moment. "That's because no one has." The silence between them deepened, not hostile but thought

"Good," he said gently. "Fear means you're sta