The vast bedchamber was quiet now, the air heavy with the warmth of shared breath and the faint, lingering traces of the night's surrender. Pale moonlight spilled through the tall arched windows, casting silver highlights across the rumpled crimson sheets and the five figures entwined within them like threads of a single tapestry.
Aiden lay at the center, propped against a mountain of down pillows, his broad chest rising and falling in steady rhythm.
Catherine rested her head on his shoulder, golden hair fanned across his skin like spilled wine. Sabrina reclined against his other side, her red locks cascading over his arm, one hand idly tracing circles on his chest. Luna sprawled half across his legs, wild red mane tickling his thigh, a possessive palm splayed over his stomach as if to claim even his dreams. Flora curled closest to his heart, golden head tucked beneath his chin, her breathing soft and even in the aftermath of exhaustion.
