Alexander gently laid Lilith down on their new wedding bed, the silk sheets soft beneath her. She didn't expect what he did next. He didn't immediately join her or touch her like she thought he would. Instead, he lowered himself to the ground right beside the bed, one knee bent, one hand resting lightly on the edge as if grounding himself. His other hand found hers, lifting it to his lips so tenderly it made her breath catch.
Lilith blinked down at him, her lashes fluttering as she felt the warmth of his mouth brushing over her knuckles. "What's wrong?" she asked softly. She could see it, the slight tremble at the corner of his lips, the glimmer in those dark eyes that had always looked so cold to everyone else.
Alexander didn't answer right away. He kissed each of her fingers, one by one, like he was memorising the feel of her skin all over again. Then he lifted his gaze to hers, and a tear so small she almost missed it threatened to slip free.
