Chapter 15
THE PRIZE
Waking came slowly, not all at once, but in soft, drifting fragments that pulled me gently back toward consciousness.
As though even my body was reluctant to leave behind whatever quiet, dreamlike place it had settled into.
For a moment, I didn’t move, didn’t open my eyes.
Because I was aware of something before I was fully awake.
Warmth surrounded me, wrapping around me in a way that felt intentional, anchoring me exactly where I was.
It took my foggy brain another second to realize why it felt so good.
Him.
The awareness settled in gradually, spreading through me in a slow, deepening recognition.
I became aware of the weight of his arm draped securely around my waist. The firm line of his body pressed along mine, and the steady rise and fall of his chest against my back.
I could feel the heat of him everywhere, surrounding me, holding me in place as though he had never once considered letting me go.
And then, as the last remnants of sleep began to fall away, something else followed. The distinct, unmistakable awareness that I wasn’t the only one awake. I knew that after I had instinctively rolled into him, something he allowed, as it meant I was now facing him.
My lashes fluttered slightly, just enough to let in the faintest sliver of light, and it didn’t take more than that for me to realize that he was already watching me.
Of course he was.
There was something about the way he looked at me, even now, even like this, that made warmth settle deep in my chest. A gaze not with uncertainty or hesitation, just a quiet kind of happiness I hadn’t been expecting.
A look that fueled the fragile hope that whatever this was between us hadn’t changed.
Of course, now seeing those stunning blue eyes watching me, made me suddenly very aware of everything else.
Like my hair, which I could only assume looked like I had been dragged through several bushes and back.
My face, which was likely still flushed and far too revealing after everything that had happened last night.
And then, of course, there was the far more horrifying realization…
Morning breath.
Oh Goddess.
A small, internal groan threatened as I resisted the urge to bury my face in the pillow and pretend I had simply ceased to exist. So instead, I closed my eyes and rolled onto my back.
And really, after everything that had happened between us, this was what I was worried about?
Not the fact that I had quite literally thrown myself into something that was way, way, way over my head.
That I was his prisoner in a world it felt like I had no chance of ever understanding as a mortal…
but oh no, I was more concerned with whether or not I smelled like toothpaste’s greatest enemy.
Brilliant.
Good to know you have your priorities in order, Eliza. Definitely a palm slap to the forehead moment. And yet, despite all of that, despite the brief spiral my brain had decided to take me on, there was something else there too. Something quieter. Softer.
Because the things I had expected to feel when I woke up like this… awkwardness, regret, uncertainty…
None of it came.
Instead, there was only this strange, steady calm. A warmth that had nothing to do with the way he was holding me and everything to do with the fact that he was still here. That he hadn’t pulled away. Hadn’t distanced himself. Hadn’t turned this into something cold or complicated or… different.
If anything, the way he held me now felt exactly the same.
Like I belonged there. And that realization alone was enough to ease something in my chest that I hadn’t even realized had been tight.
Still… that didn’t mean I was about to let him get away with staring at me like that.
“You know that’s creepy, right?” I murmured, my voice still thick with sleep as I kept my eyes closed, not quite ready to face him properly just yet.
There was a pause before I felt the subtle shift of him, and then the faint brush of his breath closer to my ear as his quiet amusement followed.
“Demon, remember.”
Of course.
I let out a soft huff of a laugh at that, the sound muffled slightly by the pillow as I resisted the urge to face him once more.
“Is that your excuse for everything?” I asked, my tone still laced with sleep and just enough teasing to take the edge off the fact that my heart was still doing that annoying, fluttering thing.
Another pause, though this one felt different, more measured.
“Depends on the excuse I need.”
That did it.
A small smile tugged at my lips before I could stop it, my head shifting slightly against the pillow as I finally allowed myself to settle just a little more comfortably into the space he had already claimed around me.
“Good answer.”
And it was.
Far too good.
I shifted slightly against the sheets. The movement small, but it was enough to make me suddenly aware of my own body in a way I hadn’t been a moment ago.
Of the lingering sensitivity that hadn’t quite faded.
Of the faint ache that remained, not painful, just…
there. Like a quiet reminder of everything that had happened between us last night.
Heat followed almost instantly, blooming slowly beneath my skin as my breath caught just slightly.
“You’re still doing it,” I murmured, with a faint hint of teasing as I tilted my head just enough to glance at him from the corner of my eye.
“And you’re still noticing,” he replied playfully, his eyes crinkling at the sides, which softened his features in a way I hadn’t seen before. In a way that made him seem more human.
“What time is it?” I murmured after a moment, my voice still soft with sleep.
“Does it matter?” he replied, his tone easy and most definitely amused, although why I didn’t know yet.
“Hmm… Saturday, no work, and a ridiculously comfortable bed,” I said, my voice warming slightly as I relaxed further into the space between us.
“You’re right, it doesn’t matter. Definitely a good day to be off work.” His eyes darkened just slightly, something flickering there as he studied me for a second longer than necessary. As though weighing something he hadn’t yet decided to say.
“And nothing else making it a good day?” he asked, the corner of his mouth lifting just slightly, as if he were far too aware of exactly what he was implying. A soft laugh escaped me at that, my brow lifting slightly as I tilted my head against the pillow.
“Are you fishing for compliments now?”
“Maybe,” he returned easily, that same quiet certainty threading through his voice.
“Or confirmation.”
“Of what?” I asked, even though I already had a feeling I knew exactly where this was going, the anticipation settling somewhere low in my chest before I could stop it.
“That you enjoyed last night.”
The words unfurled in my chest, light and warm and dangerously close to excitement. Because it wasn’t just what he’d asked, it was the fact that he had asked at all. Because he wanted to know.
That mattered more than it should have.
A soft breath left me, my lips curving before I could stop them as I held his gaze, something far less guarded settling beneath it.
“I don’t think there are many people out there who wouldn’t have enjoyed last night,” I said, my tone lighter now, touched with something almost playful. Although there was no real attempt to hide the truth in it, no instinct to pull away from what had happened between us.
If anything,…
It was as if he had been nervous that I might have had regrets.
“I don’t care about anyone else.” The growled admission caused my heart to skip a beat.
It wasn’t just what he said, it was the way he said it.
Like it wasn’t even a question, like there had never been another option in his mind to begin with.
And for a moment, I didn’t trust myself to respond without giving something away that I hadn’t fully understood yet.
So instead, I let out a quiet breath, my gaze softening slightly as I shifted just a fraction closer without thinking about it. Like my body was speaking for me as I leaned up and kissed his cheek, telling him on a breathy whisper,
“I very much enjoyed last night.” At this, his eyes flashed silver, his intense gaze dropped briefly to my lips, and the way his hand at my waist tightened just slightly was like something unspoken had just settled into place.
Oh my.
My breath caught before I could stop it, the realization hitting a fraction too late as my pulse jumped in response. My body was already reacting before my mind had fully caught up with what he was about to do.
He was going to kiss me.
And for a split second, I didn’t move, didn’t think, didn’t do anything except feel the quiet, building anticipation of it. The way it curled low and warm through me, drawing me in despite myself.
And then…
Oh Goddess… The thought hit me like a brick.
Morning breath.
My eyes widened slightly, my hand lifting instinctively between us as I shifted back just enough to break the moment. Doing so before it could happen, my heart still racing, but now for entirely different reasons.
“I think we should get out of bed,” I blurted, the words coming far too quickly and way too suddenly, like I had just yanked us both out of something I hadn’t fully understood how to handle.
For half a second, there was silence. Which I took as a great time to sit up and start shifting to the edge of the bed. Although, I didn’t exactly get far, as arms suddenly wrapped around me from behind.
“Where do you think you’re going?” he rumbled in my ear as he dragged me back to where I was seconds ago.
The question was low, edged with something far more demanding than teasing, and before I could even think to answer, his hand tightened at my waist. As if to prevent me from even trying a second time.
“I…” I started, my breath faltering slightly as he shifted over me.
“You?” he prompted in a knowing tone.