Odette's POV
I froze on the bed.
My body stiff, my mouth parted, my ears ringing so violently that I couldn't even hear myself breathe. The world around me narrowed to nothing but that sharp, high-pitched static.
I stayed like that for what felt like forever. Still. Silent. Afraid to move. Afraid to hear.
Slowly, painfully, the noise began to fade. The ringing dulled, the silence softened, and the room started to bleed back into focus.
That was when I heard it—him.
A sigh. Heavy, tired, dragged from somewhere deep inside him.
Then, the sound of movement. Cloth shifting. Boots pressing against the floor as weight lowered closer to me.
He crouched down. Right in front of me.
I couldn't see him, but I could feel him. Close enough that his presence filled every inch of space between us. Close enough that my fingers twitched against the sheets, wanting to recoil but having nowhere left to go.
