JASMINE'S POV
The night was a blur after I asked him to stay.
Aiden didn't speak. He didn't need to. He just held me, grounding me through the ebb and surge of magic still dancing under my skin. We ended up on the floor, wrapped in thick velvet blankets beside the bed.
I couldn't tell you how we got there, only that I needed to feel the ground, and he never let go.
He didn't touch me with desire. He touched me like I was wildfire and gravity all at once. Anchoring me with his breathing, his warmth, his wordless promise.
At some point, I drifted off.
And when I woke…
I was alone.
Mostly.
I blinked blearily at the streaks of sunlight cutting across the room, warmth against my bare legs and arms. My body felt… strange. Heavy in places, light in others. Half-shifted.
Velvet pooled beneath me, the fabric twisted around my limbs. I was shirtless. Just a tank and panties left. My claws were halfway out. The bones in my wrists ached from halfway shifting in my sleep.
And my skin?
