POV: Siena

I didn’t want the night to end.

Not while the stars blinked softly above us like blessings, not while the soft flicker of candlelight still danced around the rooftop terrace, and definitely not while Lucian’s arms stayed wrapped around me like he never wanted to let go.

And maybe he didn’t.

Maybe, finally, he didn’t have to.

His heartbeat thudded quietly beneath my cheek where I rested against his chest, steady and calm and safe, the kind of rhythm you don’t realize you’ve been craving until you finally hear it up close.

I felt him exhale against my hair. His fingers kept moving in slow, absentminded circles at...