"Did you miss me so much?"
Emira jolted awake, her breath catching as the words reached her ears. She blinked rapidly, trying to convince herself it had been a dream, but no, those calm, amused grey eyes looking down at her told her otherwise. Prince Zen was there, leaning close, smiling as though he had been watching her for a long time.
"Your… your highness," she stammered, her voice barely above a whisper.
The man's smile deepened, and he tapped the tip of her nose with one finger, as though she were a child caught doing something mischievous. "What? You're stuttering now? And blushing too?" His tone was teasing, but there was a weight behind it that made her pulse race. "Tell me, little fire, what were you dreaming about?"
Emira's cheeks burned hotter. She shook her head quickly, refusing to meet his eyes. "I wasn't dreaming," she blurted, too fast, too defensively.
