Celia's Pov

When I woke up, the bed was empty.

The space beside me was still warm, and the faintest trace of his scent lingered on the pillow - that earthy, dangerous warmth that was only Malric. I stretched my hand across the sheets, feeling the absence of him, and a small, secret smile found its way to my lips before I could stop it.

For a moment, I simply lay there, the morning light filtering through the heavy curtains, catching motes of dust in a golden haze. My body still ached, not painfully, but beautifully. And my mind kept replaying fragments of the night before, as though my own...