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My body melts once more with his voice so close to me. I turn over, grabbing the covers of the bed I’m in to give me some decency when I realize I have no dress on.

Kallúm sits on the edge, bent forward, pulling a cloth back to lay it at the edge of a water basin that smells like herbs and salt. His armor is gone. He wears a loose black tunic, sleeves pushed to the elbows, forearms corded with muscle and marked with old scars that look like they were earned in lives before this one. His dark hair falls slightly forward, and his eyes—the whites are still black, the irises burning gold—are focused entirely on a bruise along my shoulder.

I honestly feel like prey that’s been caught, yet one that will be cherished and held far away from any hint of danger that’s not him.

"I'm very exposed,” I say, confirming it with a roaming hand.

Golden eyes snap to meet mine. "And have been so in this bed, many times."

A shiver rolls down my spine. "I don't remember that life,” I say, wanting to scoot away, but he’s too magnetic. His presence is all-consuming, as if I’m wired to respect that I’m before my mate.

"Some part of you does." His gaze moves to my exposed arm. “Who was hiding you?”

My heart races, completely uncertain about who I owe my loyalty to. “I’m not ready to share.”

"They treated you carelessly," he says, his eyes moving all over me, even the parts that are covered. “Taking you to the Godless.”

"Well,” I say, a need to fight rising. “What was shared made it seem like they’re fighting for their lives."

"That is no longer your concern,” he quietly says. “They should have surrendered you immediately⁠—"

Someone knocks on the door. Kallúm doesn't turn around, and I’m utterly fascinated with this domestic side of him. "Leave the tray inside. Do not look."

The door opens a crack, and a tray slides through before the door shuts. It takes a moment for the scent of food to waft over. No one entered, which means no one saw me, and for a moment it makes me nervous.

Who will know I’m here? How will I ever get out if I need to?

He reaches for the bedside table, where a necklace rests coiled like a sleeping thing. A thin silver chain with a small conch shell at its center, no larger than my thumbnail. He walks around the bed, and I don’t move. I have no idea what I’m supposed to do right now, especially as he’s behind me.

He clasps it around my neck, my body stiffening when his fingers graze my skin.

My shoulders are rising and falling with how intensely I breathe. I touch the shell, waiting for something to happen, but nothing does. "What is this?"

“It keeps you safe.”

He rounds the bed and moves toward the door, the demon king barefoot in this space. My gaze roams quickly all over—it’s a lavish bedroom, with many archways leading to other areas. Tall ceilings, dark decorations. Quite a few mirrors and furniture.

"Safe from what?" I ask, getting tired of being given jewelry that controls me.

"Your powers are still locked inside, and your flesh is weak. Until the bind is restored, your body is mortal. This keeps the power contained until you can wield it without it tearing you apart,” he comments, grabbing the tray of food.

“Or it just controls me, like the ring I had to wear,” I comment, nearly rolling my eyes.

“You should eat this food, then sleep, Nara," he says, bringing the tray to the table next to the bed.

"Where are we?” I ask, noticing all the windows have curtains drawn over them. “Why does everyone want me to sleep?”

“The first few lunar cycles require sleep for a novus to fully enmesh in this world. And you are in my chambers, at least, they were ours for a while.”

"Before I died,” I say, trying to probe his side of the story.

"Since you left." His eyes harden, like that’s something he’d rather not discuss. "I won't harm you," he says, standing at the edge of the bed, his frame massive from his angle, his veiny hands sliding into his pockets. “To bring you harm is not within me." He speaks as if addressing both of us—me, and the woman I used to be. As if it's something she would have wanted to hear.

"Will you tell me what happened? Between us?" I press, feeling like every moment I have is an opportunity wasted if I don’t ask him these questions.

He doesn't answer for a long moment, his head tilting slightly to the side. "All in due time, Nara." There is something raw in his expression that he corrects almost instantly.

“Am I stuck in here?”