Evaline:
When I woke up, the other side of the bed was cold.
I blinked against the pale morning light and turned my head toward the bedside table. The clock's hands pointed stubbornly to half past ten. My lips parted slightly in shock.
I could tell that River had left hours ago, and yet, I hadn't even stirred when he did.
A strange emptiness pooled in my chest at his absence, but I pushed it down. He had duties, always did. And last night… last night was still too raw in my mind, too overwhelming.
The bond we had officially accepted was still humming inside me, as if my very soul was learning how to share its space with his along with his brothers.
With a sigh, I slid out of bed and began straightening the sheets. The simple rhythm of smoothing the blanket helped ground me, pulling me back into routine.
Once done, I padded across the room, poured myself a cup of warm water from the flask left for me, and drifted toward the glass wall.
