Chapter 0200

He flings the towel onto a chair and strides toward me mid-sentence. His palms glide along my arms, inspecting me like I might be hiding injuries.

"Um..." My thoughts short-circuit. The heat radiating from his freshly showered body is overwhelming. His scent—dark cedar and something uniquely him—wraps around me, dizzying.

"Seraphina?"

"I was thinking...after tonight...sleep seems impossible." I cringe at my fumbling words.

"You want Lucian to stay with you? Give me a sec to dry off properly so you're not stuck with damp wolf stench." His lips curve in that effortless smile. No irritation. No hesitation.

'Just ask him.' Valeria's voice hums in my mind.

"Actually...would you stay with me instead?" My gaze drops to the floor, bracing for refusal.

His fingers tilt my chin up, forcing our eyes to meet. "You're asking me to sleep beside you?"

A nod. That's all I can manage.

He presses a kiss to the bridge of my nose. "One minute. Let me grab sleep pants unless you want a repeat of this morning's...situation." His smirk flares when my cheeks burn.

"Right. I'll just—" I jerk a thumb toward my bedroom.

"Be there in five."

Alone in my room, nerves twist my stomach. He won't expect anything...probably. But when he or Lucian are near, the nightmares stay away. I burrow under the covers, pulling them to my collarbones just as the door clicks open.

Black cotton pants. Fitted tee. I've never seen him in sleepwear—does he always dress like this for bed?

He crosses to the empty side, lifts the blanket, and pats his chest. "Here."

I nestle against him. One arm bands around my waist while the other holds up his phone. "Music?"

I scrunch my nose.

"Problem?"

"Your playlist is...aggressive."

"Aggressive?"

"That first song? Some guy screaming about isolation."

Recognition flickers. "Linkin Park. Okay, fair."

"Then there was that numb anthem."

His brow furrows. "Also Linkin Park. Maybe a theme there."

"The last one had a man shrieking 'What have you done?' like a courtroom accusation. The female vocals were pretty, but overall? Fury."

"Within Temptation," he concedes. "Love them, but yeah, not exactly lullabies. Made that playlist during a...dark phase. Needed music that matched the storm inside." His thumb brushes my shoulder. "What do you listen to?"

Shrugging, I trace the hem of his shirt. "Haven't had access to music in years. But my mother used to sing folk ballads while we foraged as rogues."

"Remember any? I'll pull them up."

"Too rustic for your taste."

"Try me. Hum one?"

I exhale, then begin the lullaby she'd sing beneath star-scattered skies.