ADAM
I had never thought peace would feel like this… warmly fulfilling. I laid on my side, propped up on one elbow, watching Sage sleep in my bed.
My mate.
The word still did something to me. It settled deep in my chest, intoxicating, grounding, all at once. After everything, after the years, I had her here. In my room. In my arms.
The doctor had insisted she be transferred here after the final examination. "Rest," he'd said firmly. "Complete rest." As if I needed convincing.
She laid curled slightly toward me, her hair fanned across my pillow like a spill of midnight silk. Her breathing was steady, her lashes resting gently against her cheeks. Without the tension that had shadowed her for weeks, she looked younger. Softer.
I brushed my fingers lightly over her cheek.
She stirred.
