DAMIEN’S POV

I sat propped against the headboard, laptop balanced on my thighs, going through the latest security reports from the sacred lands. Numbers, maps, patrol schedules…dry stuff, but necessary.

Rose was curled up beside me on the bed, wearing one of my black T-shirts that hit mid-thigh on her. She’d been pretending to scroll on her phone for the last ten minutes, but I could feel her eyes on me every few seconds. Quick glances. Then away. Then back again.

Her legs kept shifting restlessly under the blanket. Pressing together. Releasing. Pressing again.

I knew that little tell by heart.

I closed the laptop with a soft click, set...