Lorraine closed the door of her room behind her and turned the lock until she heard the faint click.
Only then did she allow herself to breathe out and lean against it, shoulders sagging with exhaustion.
The tray she had served her father earlier had already been cleared away, and she'd dropped off Azel's food too.
Now, finally, she was alone.
She crossed the small space in a few steps and collapsed face-first onto the bed.
It was soft.
Softer than anything she'd slept on in months — no, longer than that.
The mattress practically swallowed her weight, its clean sheets cool against her cheek.
For the first time in what felt like forever, she could almost pretend she was back in her old room in Aegis, surrounded by silken drapes and gilded windows.
Almost.
She rolled onto her back, staring blankly at the wooden ceiling above her.
It had been eight months since they fled Aegis.
Eight long, grueling months since her aunt's coup shattered everything she'd ever known.
