I woke slowly to the golden light pooling on the quilted bedspread. The sheets are cool and rumpled around me, a reminder that I spent the night here, alone except for the sound of the river flowing outside and the faint footsteps of someone moving around downstairs. My eyes open to the morning, and a small thrill passes through me at the memory of last night, though what exactly I remember is still blurred by sleep.

A knock on the doorframe pulls me fully awake. Damon is there, leaning against the wood, a stack of clothes folded neatly in his arms. His expression, as always reserved, is a far-off peace...