Alaric's POV
Enzo's soft breathing had deepened, slipping into that calm rhythm that only came when he was finally asleep slow inhales, slower exhales, the kind of sound that could've lulled a demon to rest. I watched his chest rise and fall beneath the sheet, his lashes casting faint shadows on his cheeks, lips slightly parted against the pillow. Peaceful. Vulnerable. Mine.
I didn't move.
For a long while, I just stayed there beside him, arm draped loosely over his waist. His body was warm against mine, grounding me in a way I didn't know I needed. The urge to protect him wasn't new it had always burned inside me but in that moment, it grew teeth.
Because I hadn't come this far to lie in a warm bed and pretend that everything was fine.
Not when the outside world was tearing his name to shreds.
