The night was quiet, save for the faint whisper of the wind slipping through the gaps between the windowpanes. The grand Vaelorian estate lay in hushed stillness. Outside, the moon hung heavy in the sky, its light stretching into the room where Raelynn lay sleeping.
Elion stood at the foot of her bed, his eyes reflecting the soft flicker of the bedside lamp beside her. His gaze lingered on her sleeping form, studying the way her chest rose and fell with each steady breath. Her dark lashes cast delicate shadows on her cheeks, and her lips were slightly parted, the faintest hint of warmth still lingering on them. Strands of her long, wavy hair spilled across the pillow, catching the pale light in delicate glimmers.
