The heavy velvet curtains kept the morning sun at bay, plunging the room into a deep, dark stillness. Hours had bled away into the morning, and the frantic intensity of the night before had cooled into a profound, heavy silence.
Elara woke up first. Her eyes opened slowly, without a start or a single blink of disorientation. She lay perfectly still, taking stock of her surroundings. The physical weight pressing down on her was immense. To her left, Ken was dead to the world, one of his heavily muscled arms thrown over her stomach, pinning her down like an anchor. Behind her, Mahir was wrapped around her back like a second blanket, his face buried deep into the crook of her neck. His breathing was slow and deep, his beast-kin ears twitching occasionally against her skin in his sleep, while his tail remained loosely curled around her ankle.
