Jace's POV
I didn't sleep.
Not for one minute.
Mira slept curled against me, breathing slow and steady, her hand resting loosely over her stomach like she was instinctively shielding our daughter even while unconscious. She looked peaceful, and I refused to disturb that peace - not tonight and certainly not after the day she'd had.
So I stayed awake.
I watched the rise and fall of her chest. I counted every soft exhale and memorized the tiny movements she made when our daughter shifted.
But my mind… my mind never settled.
Every few minutes, I lifted my eyes to the monitor screens. The numbers stayed steady: heart rate, pressure. I tracked them like I used to track enemies on old surveillance screens except this time, the stakes were infinitely higher.
Every beep embedded itself under my skin.
Every rustle in the hallway made me tense.
Every shadow made my instincts flare.
