In the heart of their newly claimed mansion, the master bedroom sprawled like a sanctuary of silk and shadow. Towering four-poster bed draped in a midnight-blue canopy, the room bathed in the soft glow of mana-infused lanterns that mimicked dawn's first light. The air carried a faint trace of jasmine from the private garden beyond the arched windows, cool and serene.
Rudrean, Aelira, and Isalyn lay tangled in the vast bed, their bodies nestled under a lightweight coverlet that whispered against their skin.
Rudrean stirred first, his eyes fluttering open to the unfamiliar luxury around him. The mattress cradled him like a cloud, but it was the warmth pressed against his side that truly roused him. Isalyn lay curled toward him, her black hair fanned across the pillow, her full lips parted in slumber. Aelira slumbered on his other side, one arm slung possessively over his waist.
