Morning came far too quickly for Cherion's liking. Perhaps that was what happened when one packed several years' worth of emotional damage into a single evening.
A tense conversation with Karson, panic over a poisoned princess, confusion involving the High Priest, revelations about the original Cherion's parents, and an exceptionally enjoyable evening with the Duke.
It had been an unusually busy day for the poor department responsible for managing his feelings.
Cherion was wide awake. He was half-sitting up, leaning his back comfortably against the wooden headboard. Beside him, Zarius was still deeply asleep, the terrifying and ruthless Duke of the North looking surprisingly peaceful in the early hours.
The man's head rested softly on the plush pillow, but his muscled arms were wrapped securely around Cherion's stomach. Only a single, thick velvet blanket covered their bare skin, a quiet reminder to the intense, passionate night they had just shared.
