Naomi’s Pov

Morning didn’t come gently.

It came the way it always did now, filtered through glass and tension, through the low hum of the building waking up before the city did. But this time, when I opened my eyes, the first thing I felt wasn’t alertness or dread.

It was warm.

Cassian was still asleep beside me. On his back now, one arm bent above his head, the other resting loose between us like he’d forgotten to pull it away. His breathing was slow, deeper than I’d ever heard it. Real sleep. Not the half-rest he usually lived on.

I stayed still.

Not because I was afraid to wake...