Chapter 41

Maren

The room was warm, thick with the scent of him. Smoke and cedar and something deeper—something uniquely Kaelen. It clung to my skin, to the sheets, to every breath I drew.

I lay curled against him, my head on his chest, listening to the steady thrum of his heartbeat. The sound soothed me in ways I didn’t want to name. His arm was heavy around my waist, anchoring me, his palm warm against the