Chapter 12 The Fire Beneath

• Morning crept in slow and silver. Snow hushed the world outside, turning the cave into a quiet pocket of warmth. Elira stirred first, not from cold or noise—but from the deep, steady rhythm of Kael’s heartbeat beneath her cheek. She didn’t move, not at first. Just listened. To him. To the stillness. To the strange calm that had wrapped itself around them like another blanket.
• Kael’s arm was heavy across her waist, his fingers loosely curled near her hip. His breath came slow and even. His face, softened in sleep, made something ache in her—something gentle, something full. He looked… young like this. Human. Not a weapon. Not a prince. Just Kael.
• She lifted her head slightly, brushing her nose against his collarbone, and whispered, “You’re still here.”