Alaric's POV
"Come to me." And she did.
I led her to a chair near the fire, and I sat down, pulling her close.
I needed to touch her. I needed to feel the warmth of her body against mine, to know that this was not a dream from a blood-soaked battlefield.
I placed her on my lap, her legs on my sides.
I buried my face in her neck, inhaling her scent, the scent of home.
I wanted to tell her everything, to pour out the months of longing, the nights I had laid awake, praying that she was safe.
I wanted to express my love with my words, with my body, to show her just how much I had missed her. But I couldn't.
Not yet.
I had questions that burned in my mind, questions I needed answers to.
"Tell me," I whispered. "Tell me everything that happened in my absence."
She began with the Rose Home.
She told me about the women, their sorrows, and their hopes. She spoke of the children, their eager faces, their small triumphs.
