~ALARIC'S POV
When I stepped back into my chambers, I became aware at once that the silence was no longer empty.
Another heartbeat existed within it, faint and uneven against the stillness.
The maids had already completed their work. The scent of crushed herbs lingered in the air, softened by warmed oils that dulled the sharper trace of fresh injury.
Somewhere upon the bed, Dove rested. I did not need sight to find her. The shallow dip in the mattress, the careful rise and fall of her breathing, the quiet friction of fabric when she stirred were enough.
She was not truly asleep, because pain rarely allowed such mercy.
I crossed the distance and lowered myself beside her. The bed gave a quiet creak beneath my weight. The sound was enough to draw her closer to waking. Her breath caught before easing again when recognition settled.
"What did you do?" she asked, her voice low and worn thin.
"She will not trouble you again," I replied without offering more.
