ERIS
I was ready before dawn.
Had been awake for hours actually. Lying in the alcove pretending to sleep while Soren's arms stayed wrapped around me and my mind replayed every mortifying detail of yesterday in excruciating clarity.
The moment I felt him start to wake, I extracted myself.
Carefully. Quietly. Got dressed in clothes I'd laid out the night before. Braided my hair with efficient movements that left no room for tangles or softness or anything that might suggest I cared about appearance.
I did not look at him.
Not when I heard him sit up. Not when I felt his gaze tracking my movements around the alcove. Not when he made that amused sound that meant he knew exactly why I was avoiding eye contact.
"Good morning," he said.
I ignored him.
Focused on lacing my boots. Very important boots. Required complete concentration. Definitely couldn't be interrupted by acknowledging the man who'd made me come so hard yesterday I'd forgotten my own name.
"Eris."
Still ignoring.
