Kael's POV
The next morning, when I opened my eyes, I didn't leave the bed before she woke, unlike that night when she had slept in my room. Instead, I lay still, watching her. Her frail face had lost everything it once carried—her innocence, her charm—yet to me she was still beautiful.
Lying on my side, I studied her as if I could memorize every detail, not even wanting to blink. Her small body was curled toward me, close enough that I could almost feel her warmth. I wondered what she would do if she woke now and saw me like this. How would she react?
Would she react like before, as though I were a monster she needed to escape?
And, I didn't know I was going to get the answer just in a few moments.
She stirred, her brows knitting faintly before her eyes fluttered open. I didn't move. I wanted her to see me here, to face the reality that I wasn't leaving. Running was no longer an option for her. She was mine, whether she liked it or not.
