Chapter 62 First Blood

• ELARA
• I lay curled against Mateo’s chest after our long shower feeling the steady beat of his heart under my cheek. The room was quiet except for our breathing and the soft sound of rain starting outside the windows. His fingers kept tracing slow patterns on my bare back and it felt so good I almost fell asleep again. But then he shifted a little and spoke in a low voice that broke the peaceful silence.
• “Elara,” he said quietly. “Can I ask you something?”