Chapter 71 Little Fires, Quiet Sparks

• Morning arrived softly, with golden light creeping between the curtains. Ariana stirred beneath the sheets, her body aching in a way that wasn’t painful, just deeply real. She hadn’t slept like that in weeks. Months, maybe.
• She turned her head slightly.
• Damien was already awake, propped against the headboard with a book in one hand and the other gently stroking her arm. His eyes dropped to hers when she moved.