She could not even hide the smile that appeared on her face.
"Yes," she breathed out before she could register it. Even if she were to give it so thought, she would have already said yes.
Then she laughed, "Yes, you can."
Darius looked montarily stunned by how quickly she had agreed. It was endearing,how genuine she sounded, no hesitation. Her laughter lit up the dimly candlelit room.
He walked to the bed slowly, carefully, as though afraid even his steps might disturb the fragile agreent hanging in the air. Serena had already moved toward the far side of the bed, settling under the cover with a barely restrained smile.
"I will be the last to fall asleep because of your snoring and all," Darius said.
"I do not snore," Serena retorted.
"That is not what happened the last ti," he replied.
She nudged him gently with her foot as he sat, unlacing his boots. "I suppose you will just have to find out."
He climbed in beside her, the mattress dipping ever so slightly under his weight. For a few breaths, they simply lay there, not touching, not speaking, just listening to the crackle of the lone candle and the slow rhythm of their breathing.
Eventually, Serena turned onto her side and watched him. "You are awfully quiet."
"So are you," he said, voice soft. "But... I like this kind of quiet."
She smiled faintly and moved just a little closer. Their foreheads nearly touched. Her hand found his under the blanket again, curling her fingers through his.
Serena closed her eyes and sighed softly, it was embarrassing to admit that sotis she did see Darius in her dream. One ti he brought back a massive buck and he looked rather proud of it. A gift, dream Darius had called it. She sucked on her teeth at the thought.
"I am not sure I know what this is yet," she admitted softly.
"Neither do I," he replied. "But I am not afraid of finding out."
The words rang in her ears and she remained quiet. Neither needed to answer them. They simply lay there in the warm hush of flickering candlelight, hearts steady and comfort shared.
At so point, she shifted again, this ti resting her head against his chest. He welcod it. His arm wrapped around her without a thought, and she fit there like she had always belonged.
"I am glad you apologised and you are here.," she admitted sleepily.
He raised an eyebrow. "You missed that much?"
She laughed under her breath. "I did."
The quiet laughter faded into stillness. The candle burned lower. Their bodies grew heavier with each passing minute until sleep tugged them both under.
—
It was the soft light of dawn that stirred Darius.
He blinked against the warm golden glow slipping between the curtains and took a mont to rember where he was. Then he looked down and saw her still curled against him, peaceful and deep in slumber.
He didn’t move just yet. His body told him to rise, to begin the day but he truly did not want and remained relaxed. For once, he listened to the part of himself that said: wait.
Serena stirred slightly, as if sensing the shift in his breathing.
"Are you leaving?" she mumbled, her voice still thick with sleep.
He looked down at her. He pulled her closer to his chest and nuzzled his face into her shoulder. He inhaled deeply and morised his scent like he would forget it any ti soon.
"No," he answered.
She blinked. "But it’s morning."
He smiled gently. "I’ve decided to take the day off."
Her brow furrowed. "Did you really?"
"Or... half of it," he conceded. "We’re preparing for the communal gathering. Most of the heavy work has shifted to execution. Most of that work is practically in Livia and Iris’ hands, I do suppose Nana would join them in overseeing the preparations."
Serena gave a soft laugh, her face still half-buried in the blanket. "You sound disappointed."
"I don’t know about that," he said, brushing a loose strand of hair from her forehead. "But it gives a little breathing room. And I wanted to spend it here, with you."
She shifted slightly so she could look up at him, her expression unreadable for a mont. Then she nodded once.
"Thank you," she whispered.
Darius leaned forward and kissed her forehead. "You don’t need to thank ," he murmured. "I want to be here."
Serena looked at him for another mont, then tucked her head back under his chin. His arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her a little closer.
"I never sleep in," she said after a while.
"First ti for everything," he whispered back.
"And are you sure you are not leaving?"
"I am sure."
That was all she needed to hear. She slowly relaxed, and within minutes, she drifted back into sleep in his arms.
Darius stared at the ceiling a while longer, letting himself simply feel her presence, the soft sound of her breathing, the rare quiet that didn’t demand anything from him.
The Alpha in him might’ve been trained to run toward battle, but the man, Darius wanted nothing more than to stay just like this. Even if just for a little longer.
—
Serena woke up a few hours after and she took the liberty to wash herself thoroughly before changing into a casual gown. Darius was still deep in the clutches of sleep and had not stirred when she stood up from the bed.
The dress chosen was a simple sage green dress, another one of Livia’s creations. Serena brushed her hair slowly in the mirror and gave a critical eye to her figure. She looked rounder now, at least her cheeks had filled out, not that deathly pale thing she was when she first got here. She giggled to herself and ran the brush through her loose curls.
She glanced over at Darius and was beginning to stir from his sleep, she was glad that she would have just for a little bit all to herself.
"Good morning," she greeted.
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