[Morning]
•Inn's Room•
[Ann's POV]
The first golden rays of dawn painted stripes across the wooden floorboards as I blinked awake. A chorus of sparrows chirped outside the window, their cheerful notes mingling with the deep, rhythmic breathing of five sleeping men. I pushed myself up on one elbow, my instincts, honed from a different life, quickly cataloging the room: all five men present, no immediate threats, only the chaos of deep sleep.
Sir Ray hung precariously off the upper bunk, one arm dangling limply over the edge as if he'd been struck down mid-battle. Below the opposide bunk, Colt and Philip were entangled in a chaotic knot of limbs—Colt's elbow dug into Philip's ribs while Philip's knee threatened to collapse Colt's windpipe. Above the opposite bunk, Shin lay motionless as a carved statue, while Kai sprawled with reckless abandon, one leg dangling off the mattress, his soft snores filling the air.
